Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Bob Lemon, Tim Madding
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000102A
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00:04 I'm standing in the capital of the United States of America,
00:07 and in this city you'll find monuments and statues 00:10 and memorials and museums 00:13 and many, many administrative offices 00:15 where politicians administrate and govern the country. 00:19 And speaking of governing, on today's program, 00:22 we'll see what happens when followers of Jesus Christ 00:25 let the principles of His kingdom 00:26 govern their lives and make a difference 00:29 in their communities. 00:34 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:37 Jesus gave us a command, 00:40 He gave us a mission. 00:43 Jesus said, "Go, go unto all the world," 00:47 telling them of His love. 00:50 This is our mission. This is our global mission. 01:00 In 1910, the League of Nations began. 01:04 The first organization devoted to achieving world wide peace. 01:08 Well, the Second World War proved 01:10 that this was a dismal failure. 01:12 And during that war, Franklin D. Roosevelt 01:15 decided that the world needed another organization 01:18 and in 1945, the United Nations began. 01:22 And through the years the United Nations 01:24 has done some wonderful work. 01:26 But it certainly hasn't achieved world peace. 01:29 When Jesus came to this earth, he demonstrated 01:32 the peace loving principles of God's kingdom. 01:35 As Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers. 01:38 But we also understand that peace will never be achieved 01:41 fully on this earth. 01:43 We work for it, we pray for it but we realize 01:46 that it's not until Christ's Second Coming 01:47 that true peace will come. 01:49 But as we wait, we are called to lives of service to others 01:53 and let's visit a group of people 01:55 who are following Christ's example in practice. 01:58 Meet Andrew, Carlos, Miriam, Becca and Fernando. 02:03 They think simple 02:04 as they change their neighborhood block, 02:06 one person at a time. 02:09 Simplicity isn't just the name of their Ministry, 02:12 the simple approach they use 02:14 is at the heart of any successful urban outreach. 02:17 Simplicity missionaries survey their community 02:20 to understand them. 02:22 After learning about the neighbors, 02:24 they narrow their attention 02:25 to both sides of their street block. 02:27 The goal is to build life long relationships 02:30 with their immediate neighbors. 02:31 This is a low income area. 02:34 People here work several jobs 02:35 and have little time for family, 02:37 home activities or even house chores. 02:41 So the missionaries lend a helping hand 02:43 and start by making a visible difference. 02:45 I help out with a lot of the clean up 02:48 and that's one of my favorite activities. 02:51 To be out on the street, picking up trash, 02:53 just having people see 02:54 that there's a presence in the community 02:56 that, that cares for the neighborhood. 02:59 And that's actually my favorite method of meeting people. 03:02 We went door to door and asked them 03:04 if they wanted us to, pick up trash from their yard, 03:07 and cut their grass or plant flowers 03:10 and so many of them gave their permission for us to do that. 03:13 And so we've been doing that every week 03:16 and one lady here, on the corner said, 03:18 well, we didn't know if you guys were-- 03:21 who you were or what you were going to do 03:23 but then we saw you out there cleaning up 03:26 and then we knew that, that you were doing a good thing. 03:29 There's other reactions like, 03:31 well, these people are cleaning their community, 03:34 so we should-- we should too. 03:36 And so people have picked up, you know their, rakes, 03:41 their shovels and they said, 03:43 oh, well, we'll take care of our own yard. 03:45 We'll just, we're just going to redo our whole yard. 03:47 One of the neighbors did that. 03:48 We're having to find a way to, 03:51 to let people see our Christianity, 03:54 to see Jesus through our actions. 03:56 What they need to see is that 03:58 despite what culture is telling them, 04:01 what they're seeing on TV, 04:02 what the perceptions are around them, 04:05 that Christianity matters in their lives. 04:08 That, um, that it does bring good to their lives, 04:13 in a tangible way. 04:15 It's obvious to anyone who crosses this street, 04:18 that there is something different here. 04:20 It's clean, it's pretty, it's growing. 04:24 In this community, there are also many immigrants 04:27 who find it difficult to succeed 04:28 due to the language barrier. 04:30 So the missionaries and volunteers 04:32 teach English as a second language. 04:39 One of the teachers, Carlos, is from Mexico, 04:42 and English is new to him. 04:44 He arrived about one and a half years ago. 04:47 Today, he is proficient in the English language 04:49 and is passing down his knowledge. 04:52 Carlos selected the bible as one of his text books. 04:55 He believes in the power of God 04:57 to enable even a mute to speak. 04:59 By using the bible, Carlos empowers his students 05:03 for a life of service with the new language 05:05 they're learning. 05:09 It's beautiful, it's an unforgettable experience, 05:12 to learn how to speak English and at the same time, 05:14 the things of God. 05:16 And I know that it's wise to fear the Lord, 05:18 because He is the one who gives us life. 05:21 As the students become fluent, they receive assistance 05:24 in drafting a career path and finding a job. 05:27 This is a simple program, but it touches people 05:30 where they need most. 05:32 It's like when Jesus healed the blind. 05:34 This is helping people to see and navigate 05:37 in a different culture. 05:39 We'll be traveling back to Pennsylvania 05:40 to learn more about Simplicity in a few minutes. 05:43 But my guest is Pastor Robert Lemon, 05:45 who is the treasurer of the General Conference 05:47 of Seventh-day Adventists. 05:49 Thanks so much for joining us, Bob. 05:51 Now in your work, you're dealing with a lot of funds, 05:54 mission offerings, tithes, et cetera, 05:56 but it's there for a purpose, which is mission. 05:58 Where did you first capture 06:00 your interest and passion for mission? 06:03 Well, I had the privilege 06:04 of being born of missionary parents 06:06 and the, what was at that time, 06:08 the Belgian Congo, later the Congo's I hear, 06:11 the Democratic Republic of Congo, 06:13 so I grew up in the mission field 06:18 and had the privilege of watching my parents, 06:20 then I also went back there with my wife 06:23 and we served for 11 years in the mission field ourselves. 06:26 Now how did it impact you, living and working in Africa? 06:31 Well, it's interesting because people ask 06:33 well, what was it like being born in Africa, 06:35 and I say yeah, well, what was it like 06:36 being born in the United States or anywhere else in the world? 06:39 Ah, for me, that was just life. 06:42 But I had the great privilege of being able to observe 06:46 first hand, different cultures, 06:48 different religious backgrounds, 06:50 individuals being taught Christ's saving grace. 06:55 Coming from various different backgrounds 06:58 and it was a real privilege 06:59 and it's exciting to see people accept the Lord. 07:02 Yeah, now when you go to Africa today, 07:05 you can visit graves of missionaries 07:09 who went to Africa, they never went home, 07:11 they gave their lives. 07:14 Is, is it worth it, I mean, is it worth it, 07:17 the money that is spent, 07:19 the lives that are sacrificed, is it worth it? 07:23 Well, I don't think there's any question, 07:24 it's worth it. 07:25 Certainly, I've visited the graves 07:27 of a number of our missionaries and some of their children. 07:31 You know, in those days, when my folks first went out, 07:33 it was 7 years with no trip home. 07:36 Ah, went by boat and took more than a month to get there. 07:40 Now a days, we want to come back every year 07:43 for a vacation, and to visit the family and all, 07:46 it's very different. 07:47 But times are different but the mission is the same 07:52 and it's certainly worth it. 07:53 If your parents were to come back to Africa today, 07:57 how would it be different from what, when you were a boy? 08:01 The Adventist church, how has it changed? 08:04 Well, in the country where I was born, 08:07 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 08:11 when my parents first went there before I was born, 08:14 we only had about 5,000 Seventh-day Adventists 08:17 in the country 08:18 and now we're up half three quarters of a million people 08:21 in the country, who are Seventh-day Adventists. 08:23 So they would be terribly excited to see 08:27 the growth of the work that they had a part 08:28 in the early stages of. 08:31 So when we look at it, Bob, through prayers, 08:34 through mission service, through financial giving, 08:37 literally millions of lives have been changed 08:39 on the continent of Africa, alone. 08:41 Yes, absolutely. 08:42 Tremendous growth on that continent. 08:44 Now, Bob, when people give their mission offerings, 08:49 when Seventh-day Adventists 08:50 give their mission offerings every week, 08:52 what happens to those funds, just in general terms. 08:55 Most of the mission offerings go into two categories, 08:59 there's the general mission, 09:00 which we take up at our Sabbath School on Saturday morning, 09:05 when we have Sabbath School. 09:07 They go for a wide range of supporting 09:10 various mission programs and missionaries. 09:13 We also have what we call the 13th Sabbath offering, 09:16 which is a special offering once a quarter 09:18 that is more directed at projects, 09:20 more directed at specific items, 09:24 but yet covers a broad range of items. 09:27 And when you look at the 13th Sabbath offerings, 09:29 how is that growing in your time, working in treasury? 09:34 Well, the average quarter now, meaning three months 09:39 for the 13th Sabbath offering is over a million dollars 09:43 and it was only two hundred and some thousand 09:45 when I came here to the General Conference, 09:47 on average. 09:48 But the total mission offering giving around the world, 09:51 not just in North America, but around the world 09:54 has increased multiple folds over the last 20 years. 09:58 Now, Bob, when you look at the challenges 10:00 around the world, and you look at the tithes and offerings 10:03 that the church does receive, what could be accomplished? 10:06 What opportunities are there if we had the funds available? 10:10 Well, you know, half of the world isn't reached yet. 10:12 We tend to talk about the part of the world 10:14 that's been reached, 10:15 the part that we have a lot of Christians in. 10:19 There's no question, if we have far more 10:22 in the way of mission offerings and in the way of tithe, 10:25 we would be able to reach parts of the world 10:28 in ways we've never reached them before. 10:30 With the digital age, but also with people on the ground. 10:36 What gives you most hope as you look to the future, 10:39 when you look at the future of this church, 10:40 I mean, we know the challenges, 10:42 but what brings you the most hope? 10:45 Well, you know, they say that the youth 10:47 is the future of the church, 10:49 it isn't, it's the present of the church. 10:51 Seventh-day Adventist church, if you go back in our history 10:54 was started by very young people, 10:56 would make us look like great grandfathers. 10:59 And our young people are on fire for the Lord, 11:02 I have no question that the church is in good hands. 11:08 I believe that the work is going to be finished quickly. 11:12 So in 2015, there's going to be 11:13 a special General Conference session offering collected, 11:17 what is that money going to go to? 11:20 There's a special offering we take once every 5 years, 11:23 both at the General Conference session 11:25 as well as around the world. 11:28 And all of the funds from the General Conference 11:30 session offering this time, will go for our young people 11:34 to do outreach and to reach people for the Lord. 11:37 Not only will it go for them to do it, 11:40 but the committees that decide 11:43 what projects are to be approved, 11:45 are all to be a majority of young people deciding it. 11:49 That's wonderful, and when you say, young people 11:51 you mean young people, right? 11:53 This is like children and I think 11:55 the maximum is 21 years of age. 11:57 21 and down to 6, 7, 8, 12:01 we want every age to be involved. 12:03 In the decision making 12:04 as well as in the actual use of the funds. 12:07 That's wonderful, I think, I think that young people 12:09 will catch a vision from this. 12:11 Bob, thank you so much for sharing with us today. 12:14 It's been great. 12:15 And the viewers at home, don't forget to support mission 12:19 not only with your time and your prayers 12:21 but also with your tithes and your mission offerings. 12:23 It does make a, makes a big difference. 12:25 We'll be right back, after this break. |
Revised 2015-03-12