Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Nancy Kyte, Ted Wilson
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000055
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00:01 On today's program,
00:02 the President of the General Conference 00:03 of Seventh-day Adventists, 00:06 a River Church in Benin and the 150th anniversary 00:10 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:12 All that and more coming up next on "Global Mission Snapshots." 00:27 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:30 Jesus gave us a command. 00:33 He gave us a mission. Jesus said, "Go. 00:38 Go unto all the world, telling them of His love. 00:43 This is our mission. This is our Global Mission." 00:52 Hello, I'm Gary Krause. 00:54 And welcome to Global Mission Snapshots. 00:57 Once again, we'll talk to the President 00:58 of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, 01:01 Pastor Ted Wilson. 01:03 The idea for Global Mission 01:04 started back in the late 1980's 01:07 when Pastor Ted Wilson's father pastor Neal C. Wilson 01:11 was president of the General Conference. 01:14 Pastor Neal C. Wilson played a major role 01:16 in focusing attention and resources 01:19 on un-reached people of the world. 01:21 Today his son will talk to us 01:23 about the continuing importance of Global Mission. 01:27 We'll also visit Battle Creek, Michigan 01:30 to look back at the 150 years 01:32 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 01:35 What have we learned and where are we headed? 01:38 And we'll talk to Nancy Kyte about a River Church in Benin, 01:42 but first let's visit that church. 02:10 Imagine, if this was the only way 02:12 for you to get to church each Sabbath, 02:15 as you skim along only inches above the water, 02:18 you pray that the boat won't hit a big wave. 02:21 For Seventh-day Adventists in the country of Benin, 02:24 this is a typical commute to church. 02:27 In this small country in Western Africa, 02:29 small villages are often connected 02:31 by only rivers and lakes. 02:34 Here, local people earned a living by fishing 02:37 and selling goods to others in their community. 02:40 For the Adventist Church, these rural communities 02:43 are not a stumbling block to spreading the gospel. 02:46 Instead, a Global Mission pioneer has taken 02:49 it as a personal challenge to reach 02:52 as many people as possible in this aquatic wilderness. 02:56 [speaking in foreign language] 02:57 My greatest joy is to preach to the people 03:00 so that when Christ comes, 03:02 we may be together in heaven. This is Francis. 03:06 He's been a Global Mission pioneer 03:07 in this area for 12 years. 03:09 In that time, he's raised up three church groups 03:12 with a total membership of more than 150 people. 03:16 Despite the challenges of this environment, 03:18 the church here has grown. 03:20 With the leading of the Holy Spirit, 03:22 Francis has been able to spread 03:24 the message of Jesus' love 03:26 and redemption to a population 03:28 that has traditionally rejected Christianity. 03:31 Benin is the birth place of Voodoo, 03:34 and the majority of people here are spirit worshipers. 03:38 Yet in the middle of these small villages, 03:41 Francis has been able to reach out 03:43 to people looking for a new way of life. 03:47 My greatest challenge is to tell the people here of the gospel 03:50 and then to help provide them with a place to worship God. 03:55 A portion of the 13th Sabbath Offerings 03:57 this quarter will help build 03:59 a new church in one of these small villages. 04:02 Not only will church members here be physically blessed 04:05 with a new building, 04:07 but they will draw strength knowing 04:09 that Adventist believers around the world 04:12 have joined together to help share 04:13 a message of hope in their village. 04:17 Thank you for doing your part 04:19 to answer Jesus' call to tell the world. 04:25 To learn more about mission, 04:27 please visit www.adventistmission.org. 04:35 Nancy Kyte is the Marketing Director for Adventist Mission. 04:39 And I'm delighted to welcome you 04:41 to the program, Nancy. Thank you. 04:43 Not so long ago you traveled to West Africa, 04:45 to the country of Benin, and I guess many people know 04:50 if this country being the home of Voodoo. 04:52 Yes, that is correct. 04:54 And today that is still a prevailing view 04:57 in the country, 04:58 is that the great-- It still is. 05:00 In fact, a lot of the people that I talked to told me 05:02 that they had been dedicated to Voodoo as babies. 05:07 So kind of like where were dedicate children to God, 05:10 these children were dedicated to Voodoo 05:11 and they carried out with them. 05:14 But we have a Seventh-day Adventist presence 05:16 in their country with school, a school I guess and-- 05:20 Well, not a school yet. 05:21 Okay, we will come back to that another time. All right. 05:23 Okay. But we have churches. 05:25 We do have churches. 05:27 And you visited a unique church which is a River Church. 05:30 Tell me about that experience. 05:32 Well, I first saw a video clip of this several years ago 05:35 and I was so impressed with it. 05:36 Because all of these homes are along the river 05:40 and they have two rainy seasons each year. 05:42 So every time it rains, the entire area floods 05:45 and people will have to boat to their neighbors 05:47 or they'll swim over across what used to be a road. 05:51 So all of these homes, shops, whatever 05:56 and churches are right along the river. 05:58 And we had a chance to see the one 06:00 that I had seen several years ago. 06:02 Now that church was falling was apart 06:04 and today it's not even habitable. 06:07 Is that right? Because of the weather? 06:10 The weather eats at it. 06:11 And it was a very simple church just built on stilts. 06:15 A Global Mission pioneer had gone to that area 06:17 and started a new congregation. 06:19 They worshipped there, 06:20 but as the elements tore away at the structure, 06:26 it was no longer able to be in use at all. 06:28 It's standing, but that's it. 06:30 We can't climb up the ladder to get into it at all. 06:33 So how did you get there? 06:35 We went on a boat. Okay. 06:37 It was larger than a canoe, but-- 06:42 And I'm not the best one for balance, Gary, 06:44 so I was very nervous about this boat. 06:46 I would like to see. 06:49 I was trying to be confident, but I managed, 06:52 I was able to get in the boat and get out of the boat 06:55 and our first stop at this where the new church is now 06:58 that has replaced the old one that was falling apart. 07:01 The church members were there. 07:03 The head elder was there, had a hand 07:05 and helping me get out of the boat safely 07:08 and it's all marshy area. 07:10 So we had to go across a little footbridge, 07:13 with little slats and everything. 07:15 And of course, they are used to it. 07:18 His wife had twins carrying a baby in front of her 07:21 and also on her back 07:22 and she was just doting around, giving me instructions. 07:25 Step here, step there, but we got to the church 07:28 and it's going to last a very, very long time. 07:32 Now, how was this church built? I mean, how is it funded? 07:35 The church was built through 07:37 part of the 13th Sabbath Mission Offerings. Okay. 07:41 And for those viewers who may not be familiar 07:44 with 13th Sabbath Mission Offerings, 07:45 what are they? 07:46 That is a special offering that funds special projects 07:50 beyond what's already being supported by the church. 07:53 Okay, so viewers at home, 07:55 if you don't attend the Seventh-day Adventist Church 07:57 and you don't have the opportunity to contribute 07:59 to 13th Sabbath Offerings, 08:01 you can go to adventistmission.org 08:04 and there you'll see where you can give to support 08:06 these mission projects. 08:07 And 13th Sabbath Offering projects through history 08:11 have gone to very special types of things. 08:14 Planes, mission birds, etcetera. 08:17 Yes, that is correct. 08:18 Now the Global Mission pioneers that you met, describe them. 08:22 They're out going, they're energetic, 08:24 they like people 08:26 and they are also well liked by those 08:28 who come and contact with them. 08:30 So they seem to have a knack of learning people's names, 08:35 getting acquainted with them on a personal level 08:37 and becoming their friend. 08:38 Right, and Global Mission pioneers, 08:40 these are not trained pastors. 08:42 They are lay people who on a very small living 08:46 start putting just working among their 08:47 own people to plant a church. Yes. 08:49 Did you meet any of the church members? 08:52 The church members were terrific. 08:55 They-- In every place, in fact, 08:57 they visited two small churches 08:59 beyond that also on the river. 09:01 In every place, the available church members 09:03 because it was during a week, would gather 09:05 and then they would sing a welcome... 09:07 Oh, that's nice. 09:08 To our group, they would play instruments, 09:12 they sang well. 09:14 Just a very generous spirit, very welcoming. 09:17 And, you know, you always feel at home 09:19 when you see the church logo. Yeah. 09:21 And our church logo was maybe faded and crumbling, 09:24 but it was there. 09:26 So I felt a very strong connection 09:29 and I knew that it was a place that I belonged also. 09:32 Did the pioneers talk it all about 09:34 what sort of methods they used to start the congregation? 09:37 Well, some of them just started by becoming friends 09:41 and making themselves useful, helping with repairs, 09:44 helping in the fields, helping with transportation. 09:47 They would take a boat 09:49 and pick up people and drop them off. 09:52 Simple things like that 09:53 where they could get acquainted with people. 09:55 And in some cases, they just offered to do 09:58 some sort of class is that might be 09:59 a literacy classes for adults. 10:02 Okay, so they mingle and then they make friends 10:05 and lead people to Jesus. 10:06 Fantastic. Yes, very good. 10:08 Thank you, Nancy, for sharing with us. Thank you. 10:10 And viewers at home, 10:12 Global Mission pioneers are working around the world, 10:14 hundreds and hundreds of pioneers 10:16 working in often many challenging areas. 10:19 So please pray for Global Mission pioneers. 10:22 And to find out more about Global Mission pioneers, 10:25 to see their pictures, read the stories watch videos, 10:28 just go to our website 10:29 and you'll find that at adventistmission.org. 10:32 That's adventistmission.org. 11:20 It's my pleasure to introduce 11:22 our guest today Pastor Ted Wilson, 11:24 who is the President of the General Conference 11:26 of Seventh-day Adventist. Welcome, Elder Wilson. 11:29 Thank you, Gary. It's great to be here. 11:31 We're talking about Mission. And easy question for you. 11:35 Why is mission so important 11:37 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church? 11:40 Well, really Mission is an outgrowth 11:42 of a relationship with Jesus Christ, 11:45 and once you have that relationship 11:47 and it's a growing vibrant relationship. 11:50 You cannot constrain yourself 11:53 from telling somebody else about that relationship. 11:55 So Mission is not just a program, 11:58 it's not just some interesting idea 12:02 that some creative departmental director 12:04 came up with to kind of get people involved. 12:07 It is part and parcel of your relationship with the Lord. 12:11 Now by extension, the Seventh-day Adventist Church 12:14 as a unit sees its mission 12:20 as the Seventh-day Adventist Church 12:22 as a fulfillment of the wonderful opportunity 12:27 to proclaim the Three Angels' Messages 12:29 of Revelation 14:6-12. 12:34 And it also comes out of an understanding 12:36 that God has called an end-time people 12:39 to proclaim this unique message 12:41 and we find that in Revelation 12:17 12:44 about the people who keep the Commandments of God 12:47 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 12:50 So Mission just grows 12:52 out of our relationship with the Lord 12:55 and you just can't help yourself 12:57 from telling somebody about it. Right. 13:00 Now you chair a lot of committees, 13:02 you participate in many meetings, 13:05 we run so many institutions and organizations and entities. 13:09 How do you keep mission central? 13:11 I mean, it must be easy to be distracted with, 13:13 but just keeping things going, right? Absolutely. 13:17 You can get into an administrative bureaucratic rut 13:21 and you just travel down the same road you always have, 13:24 trying to take care of problems 13:26 and making sure that you know 13:28 at least people aren't shaken up too much. 13:33 And yet, it must always be a priority 13:37 what is this institution, what is this committee, 13:41 what is this action gonna do to further 13:44 the mission that the Lord has entrusted into our hands? 13:49 And that really is the most important thing 13:52 that any of us can be part of. 13:55 And really, it's one of those things 13:57 you just have to keep reminding yourself. 13:59 You have to keep going back to the word of God. 14:02 You've got to ask the Lord 14:03 help me to keep the mission in focus. 14:06 And if it isn't in focus, 14:08 you better take some time out and get it there 14:11 because mission is what really the church is all about. 14:15 Because if it's not contributing 14:17 to the mission, it's a distraction. Exactly. 14:20 And it doesn't contribute to the final goal 14:25 of why the church exists 14:27 and the Lord has formed the church 14:30 so that it can be an organized way, 14:32 everyone working together to accomplish 14:35 the great proclamation that Jesus is coming soon 14:37 and that is made a wave skate for us. 14:40 And it's all centered in Christ. 14:43 And that we need to warn people 14:45 about what's coming ahead, 14:47 but the warning is really a happy warning. 14:50 That God has put into place everything we need, 14:54 the statuary service itself tells us all about 14:58 how Jesus has made an opportunity for us to be 15:02 eternally with Him. 15:04 And that's really the wonderful message that we have 15:07 and that's why that has to be the spiritual focus 15:11 of any institution, any committee, 15:13 any initiative that we do. 15:15 What encourages you-- 15:17 When you travel in different parts of the world? 15:19 What encourages you about 15:20 the mission of the Adventist Church? 15:21 Do you see anything that you say, 15:23 wow, that's wonderful. I see a lot of things. 15:26 And believe me, I traveled a lot there, 15:28 too much probably, but as you do, 15:30 you travel a lot, too. 15:32 But I think what is most exciting 15:36 is to see church members 15:39 who have caught the vision of who we are as a people. 15:44 Why God has called the Seventh-day Adventist Church? 15:47 And it then is-- 15:50 It's translated into compassionate 15:54 and loving action to help people. 15:57 Jesus spent more time healing 16:00 and teaching than He did preaching. 16:02 In other words, there must be something about 16:04 what we do that actually speaks louder 16:08 than what we actually profess although it has to match. 16:12 But in reality, one of the things that are 16:15 so exciting is to see how people are grasping 16:21 the understanding that we're living 16:22 in the last days of Earth's history. 16:24 That truly Jesus is coming soon. 16:26 Prophetic interpretation has come to the point 16:30 where we have no more time prophecy. 16:32 And we know that the Lord's coming is very soon. 16:36 So that gives us an urgency. 16:38 And when I see especially young people, 16:41 getting so excited about their activities 16:45 and what they are able to do within the church setting 16:49 that I think is one of the most rewarding things, 16:52 where young people are just so in thrilled 16:56 with being able to do something in a practical way 17:00 to help people and to take the word of God and share it. 17:04 So really, it gets down to some very simple basic things 17:07 and that is sharing the love of Christ 17:10 with people through compassion, 17:12 through action and through word. 17:15 Now talking about young people, 17:16 you recently started a new initiative 17:19 called "One Year in Mission." What's that all about? 17:22 It's a very exciting program that is developing now 17:26 where we have chosen each division of the world, 17:29 I should say is, chosen one person, 17:31 one young person and really there are young adults. 17:35 They're in their early '20s, mid '20s, 17:38 young people who are very bright and creative. 17:42 And it's with the idea of having a large group 17:47 of young people being able to give one year 17:51 in service to their local conference or local field, 17:55 maybe to a larger area 17:57 and in some cases even outside of their division, 18:00 but most of it within their own area. 18:03 Giving Bible studies, doing community work, 18:05 helping people, 18:07 following in the footsteps of Jesus 18:09 and working in the big cities. 18:11 In fact, this pioneer group, this pilot group 18:15 coming from the 13 divisions and one attached union. 18:20 They're now-- They've been working in New York City. 18:23 Helping in a very dynamic way on the ground 18:26 right there on the frontlines meeting people's needs 18:30 and sharing the gospel with people. 18:32 It's just so exciting. 18:34 We have the opportunity of meeting them the other day 18:36 and talking with them, praying with them, 18:39 of interacting with them. 18:40 In fact, we took about an hour out of the schedule 18:44 of a special committee with all of General Conference 18:47 and division officers just to be with those young people. 18:51 And it was not only trilling for them, 18:53 it was trilling for us. Right. 18:55 It's just-- It's contagious to see young people 18:58 so excited about doing mission work for the Lord. 19:01 And we're hoping that all over the world 19:04 this "One Year in Mission" will catch hold 19:08 and the thousands of young people will be sponsored 19:11 by their local churches 19:13 or by their conference 19:15 to be in fold in sharing God's world. Fantastic. 19:19 Elder Wilson, thanks so much for sharing with us today. 19:22 Great privilege. 19:36 We're here in Battle Creek, Michigan at the very place 19:40 where God inspired His church 19:44 to begin this tremendous mighty movement, 19:49 an advent message all across the world. 19:52 Using Revelation 14 and the Three Angles' Messages 19:55 right here in Battle Creek, 19:57 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist 19:59 was organized in 1863, that's 150 years ago. 20:11 We're here in Historic Adventist Village 20:13 in Battle Creek, Michigan. 20:16 This is a three-block campus. 20:18 The village is located on the three-block campus. 20:20 And what we have here are historic buildings, 20:23 some original onsite, some better been moved in 20:27 and we also have some replicas 20:29 because we're trying to preserve 20:30 the story of God's leading in the history 20:33 of the Seventh-day Adventists Church. 20:35 It is very important for us to know 20:37 where we came from and why we're here 20:39 and what our mission is. 20:41 If we don't know our roots 20:43 then we really don't know where we're going 20:44 and why we're doing anything now. 20:46 So the attempt here is to retell 20:49 that story of the pioneer men 20:51 and woman who started our church. 20:59 We have been looking back, 21:00 understanding how God has let in the past, 21:02 but I want to tell you the most important thing is 21:05 that we don't forget how God has let us 21:08 because He is going to lead us in the future. 21:11 Each one of us has been called to be 21:14 tremendous valiant workers for God, 21:17 but Jesus is coming soon, don't ever forget 21:20 you are a vital part of the great mission 21:23 that God is entrusted into the hands 21:24 of Seventh-day Adventists. 21:26 Let this 150th anniversary 21:29 of the establishment of the General Conference 21:31 be a strong commitment for you and for me. 21:36 To look forward the Christ soon coming 21:38 and to take as many people along with us by God's grace. 21:46 As we draw to close of this 150th year, 21:49 this anniversary of church organization, 21:52 we must look to the future 21:54 and look to what our mission will be, 21:56 how will we shape it, what will we focus on? 21:59 We remember the pioneers 22:00 and we remember their commitment, their sacrifice. 22:04 And the fact that they didn't see outreach 22:06 is just an event or just a program. 22:09 They saw it as a lifestyle. 22:11 And as we move forward in mission, 22:13 we must see our outreach is not just something 22:16 that we do occasionally, 22:17 but it something that every church member 22:20 can be involved in. 22:21 Not just being involved in church activities, 22:24 but being involved in connecting 22:25 with the community in a holistic way. 22:28 Following the example of Jesus 22:30 who actually rubbed shoulders with people, 22:32 connected with people, touched people, 22:35 but to know people and minister to their needs 22:37 in a holistic way, we are called to do the same. 22:41 And the Seventh-day Adventists Church began 22:43 as a church planting movement focused on 22:46 starting new groups of believers 22:48 and a Seventh-day Adventists Mission progresses, 22:51 it must keep its focus on starting new groups 22:54 in new areas among new people groups 22:57 in new and creative ways. 22:59 This Gospel of the Kingdom 23:01 will be preached in all the world 23:03 and it'll be done so by men and women 23:06 who keep their eyes fixed on Jesus 23:08 and try to follow His example of holistic ministry. 23:23 So much has happened in 150 years. 23:26 Today the Adventists message has circled the globe, 23:28 but it hasn't yet reached everywhere. 23:32 Thank you so much for your support 23:33 of Adventist Mission through your tides, 23:36 your mission offerings 23:37 and your donations to Global Mission. 23:39 And we thank you for your prayers 23:41 on behalf of missionaries, 23:43 on behalf of Global Mission pioneers 23:45 and the people that you meet right here on this program. 23:48 As a small token of appreciation, 23:50 we'd like to send you a small gift. 23:52 It's an Adventists Mission Carabiner clip 23:55 that will help to stay connected to your keys 23:58 or any number of small items. 24:00 And we hope it will also keep you connected 24:02 to Adventists Mission that every time you see or use it, 24:06 you'll be reminded to pray 24:08 for the many mission challenges around the world. 24:11 So, if you live in North America 24:13 and would like to receive this small gift from us 24:16 and information about Global Mission, 24:18 simply call our toll free number 1-800-648-5824. 24:24 Or you can visit our website at adventistsmission.org/offers, 24:29 and just ask for the Adventists Mission Carabineers 24:32 or offer number 310. 24:36 Well, that's it for today's program. 24:37 I'll leave you with a music video, 24:39 "Heaven is calling". 24:41 For Global Mission, I'm Gary Krause. 24:43 And thank you for joining us today. 24:44 And I hope you can join me next time 24:47 right here on "Global Mission Snapshots." 25:07 Holy Messiah 25:13 Lost in this moment 25:20 Touching Your garment 25:23 Holding on to You 25:33 Heaven is calling We can hear 25:39 The angels rejoicing We can feel 25:46 Our hearts overflowing 25:49 Heaven is calling 25:59 Rest on the Sabbath 26:06 Thinking of Heaven 26:12 Seeking Your Spirit 26:16 Moving on with You 26:26 Heaven is calling 26:29 We can hear The angels rejoicing 26:36 We can feel Our hearts overflowing 26:42 Heaven is calling 26:52 With hearts overflowing 26:59 Hearts overflowing 27:05 Heaven is calling 27:09 We can hear The angels rejoicing 27:15 We can feel Our hearts overflowing 27:22 Heaven is calling Heaven is calling 27:28 We can hear The angels rejoicing 27:35 We can feel Our hearts overflowing 27:41 Heaven is calling 27:48 Heaven is calling 27:55 Heaven is calling. |
Revised 2014-12-17