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04 Why I am a Seventh-day Adventist – again! Tom de Bruin tells us what causedhim to leave the church, but also what brought him back.

08 Ken Burton on music, fame and faith A close and personal portrait of Ken Burton,well-known conductor, composer, instrumentalist, author and man of faith.

12 Professor John Walton: One lifetime is just not enough The story of JohnWalton, a professor of chemistry at St Andrews University. How does his faith interact with science?

16 Luisa’s story by Victor and Luisa Hulbert. What can a school dropout – an LSD-taking hippie –teach us about love, life and health?

20 Volunteering – going beyond belief For Victor Hulbert, a shy young student in the late ’70s, volunteering changed his life. Three decades later he discovers that it is still making a difference, both for the volunteers and those they help.

24 They were never meant to be museums John Surridge explains how a church ismuch more than just a building.

28 Spot the difference The core beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in summary form.

30 Can the modern woman benefit from the Bible? Geraldene Farmer briefly explores the origin of many of our ‘British’ values and their relevance today.

Focus MAGAZINEVol. 36. No. 4. ISSN: 9771437920018-50

Editor: Julian HibbertContributing editor: Victor HulbertDesign: David Bell Cover design: Kofi Osei-Owusu/David BellProof reader: Andrew PuckeringSubscriptions: 01476 591700

Printed in the UK

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©Aldo Murillo/istockphoto.com

Seventh-day Adventists are Bible-believing Christians who base their faith, hope and future in Jesus Christ. They strive daily to develop acloser relationship with Him, to become more like Him, and to serve others as He did. The heart of their mission is to help others realise the hope found in experiencing a personal relationship with a living God and loving Saviour, and to nurture them in preparation for His soon return. (Based on text provided by Celeste Ryan.)

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horrible discrimination first-hand. Even in theChristian community that I was brought up in.At a reasonably young age I moved to Europe –but have never settled. I currently spend a thirdof my time in Amsterdam, another third inCardiff, and the rest at airports and on KLMflights. And (spoiler alert) I’m a minister.

I grew up Christian, but I left the church.Christianity and Christians didn’t mesh in mymind. Reading the Bible, I found teachings oflove, acceptance and care. Jesus seems to do nothing else but teach this message. But,looking at some of my fellow churchgoers, Isaw gossip and judgement. These Christianswere the least ‘Christian’ people I knew.

You can imagine my surprise when one day I woke up, and I felt that I just had to become a pastor. I hadn’t been to church inyears, but I could not think of anything else. It was stupid and crazy. I was reasonably successful at my work in the computer programming sector. I had a great future ahead of me – with a smart company car and a good salary. I’d say good parties too, butcomputer geeks actually throw terrible parties!I didn’t go to church. I didn’t like church. But I just had to become a pastor, a minister, avicar.

I did my utmost best not to become one,but I failed. It’s been fifteen years since thatstrange day, and I’ve been a minister for eightof them. And looking back, I’m glad I made thechoices I did.

I’ve learnt a lot in those years. Yes, churchgenerally is still not very interesting. And, yes,there are still thousands of Christians doinghorrible things. But I’ve come to see that weoften throw the baby out with the bathwater.The bad press of some ruins it for the rest.

Today I am a Christian, and I like it. I’m

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by Tom de Bruin

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Tom de Bruin, like many of his age, rebelled against the conventional Christianity he grew up with. Hefound that the prejudiced, critical attitudes of some ‘believers’ clashed head-on with the way he saw

Jesus portrayed in the gospels. Deeply disillusioned, Tom turned his back on the church of hisyouth and disengaged himself from religion. But what happened next may surprise you!

J‘Jesus got the idea that while He believed incertain absolute truths, others didn’t agree andthey could still co-exist.’

I read this statement on Twitter recently andit really intrigued me. It’s been haunting mydreams, and yes, I realise that that is weird. I’m the first to admit that I am slightly weird,too.

@metamodernfaith tweeted this piece of infinite wisdom from Dallas. He has four followers, one of which is another of his accounts. Compared to Stephen Fry, @metamodernfaith is Twitter small fry. Buthe’s there, and while I’m quite uninterested in Fry’s twenty-two thousand tweets, @metamodernfaith’s seven to date fascinateme.

You see, I’m a young Christian. As such, I don’t always fit in with other Christians. If you read about Christians in the news, it’soften about horrible stuff, like the right to discriminate against certain groups. We findthem arguing over whether to accept womenleaders in their churches; or whether gay marriages should be allowed or not. And a littlebit further afield some are campaigning tomake abortion illegal. I don’t really want to get sucked into these controversies.

It’s not because I don’t care. I do, but in a distant, detached kind of way. I care, but only because I’m so ashamed of my fellowChristians for behaving like this. Sometimes I think Christianity would be great if it wasn’t for all those bickering Christians. Or as thefridge magnet that my ex-Christian sister gaveme says, ‘Dear Jesus, please protect me fromyour followers.’

Maybe I should start at the beginning. I didn’t grow up in this country; I was born inapartheid-era South Africa. I experienced

away in care homes; the children sent off to daycare, sothat their working parents can earn as much as possible.The people we love are pushed aside so we can do the

jobs we hate. Deep down, we feel guilty about this andhide. We hide in alcohol; we hide in more work.

At the same time, people we don’t know suffereven more than our loved ones. Homelessness

and poverty are so prevalent that you barelynotice people begging anymore. Immigrationlaws are becoming stricter; countries are arguing as to how few refugees they cantake while far-away foreign workers are exploited so we can have cheap clothing.They suffer out of sight, out of mind, sowe can look good for less!

This is the state of Western culture.Do you recognise it?

We need an antidote, and one ofthese antidotes is Christianity. It has

become my antidote, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best antidote out there.

I wish everyone would give it a try.Christianity gives me a weekly day off.

A day when I won’t work. I call it Sabbath. Aday when I prioritise the ones I love. On thisday I go to church, and yes, sometimes it’s

boring. But it’s a ‘good’ habit, a day whichpauses my life and helps me focus on what is

really important.My career is important: but my wife is more so!Money is necessary, but enough is enough. I’d

rather take a day off to spend with my ageingparents than work an eighty-hour week. My

boss often has ridiculous demands – whichboss doesn’t – but church helps me remember:

for him good enough is enough, but for my family andfriends good is not nearly enough.Christianity helps me be a better person – someone who

lives a better, kinder life. And that’s a lot of what Christianity isall about. Often I hear Christians and non-Christians alike arguing

about unimportant stuff, and I hear a Northern accent from Game ofThrones saying, ‘You know nothing, Jon Snow.’ Because theydon’t. They really don’t.

I am happy to be a Christian. It makes my life better. It helps me reconfigure my life around important issues. My advice? Give it a go;

it might make your life better too.

Editor’s note: Tom de Bruin is a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church whopresently specialises in youth ministry.

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7different to most, but most are also changing. I don’t go tochurch so that I will go to heaven. I don’t have a list of thingsI must and mustn’t do. I don’t get into arguments withpeople about creation or evolution. I don’t tell teenagegirls that God won’t forgive them for having an abortion. And I certainly don’t force my views on anyone else.

Yes, I have views and opinions. I like tobelieve that there is a God. I like to believethat that God created me, and the rest ofthe world. I like to think that God holdsall life sacred, and hates it when we are hurt or hurt others. I like to think that some choices are better than others. I like to think that what @metamodernfaith says about Jesus is true for me too:

‘Tom got the idea that while he believed in certain absolute truths, others didn’t agree and they could still co-exist.’

So why this article? And why this magazine? Well, I like to think that if you’vegot something good, you might want to tellothers about it. I tell my friends of the bestburgers in Cardiff. Succulent patties, crispybuns, excellent sauces. I even tell strangers onthe street who may happen to be hungry.

Sadly, the best burger joint in Amsterdamclosed down. I dream of those burgers. My wife and I reminisce about them, on nostalgic Sunday afternoons. I can’t share those burgers with anyoneanymore. It’s too late.

Christianity is like my best burgers. If my life is awesome, much more so than before, surely it is justnatural for me to tell others?

So what is Christianity and church for me? It’s very simple. I think that we all have a hard time beingour best. We have this tendency to be happy with mediocrity. Not only in school or at work, but in everything that we do. Too often we just go for ‘goodenough’. This is true for most people.

While we are going for ‘good enough’, we are alsostruggling with the things that pull the hardest and shoutthe loudest: money, bosses, careers, degrees. But, despite this,we know, deep down inside, that we are failing in the quiet places,where it counts the most.

Workaholism is so common that it’s become a Hollywood cliché. We areall familiar with the typical workaholic father. Then there are the elderly, hidden

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Regardless, it opened doors. His choirs now appearregularly in the Proms, on the BBC’s Songs ofPraise, singing at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee andthen before former US President Bill Clinton at aWinston Churchill memorial concert atBlenheim Palace.

Yet for Ken, performing is much more than just about the music. ‘It is essential for me that after a performance, wherever it is practical,those of us who have been on thestage meet those who have beenwatching and hearing us. We aremore than simply artists; we existto communicate a very definitemessage of hope.’

Audience members regularly tell him that thechoir’s body language, facial expressions andoverall delivery conveymore than just words and sentiments. ‘It’sclear that those wordsare our life story,’ hesays.

Ken trained for a broad music career, principally in a classical tradition,something he stillloves. However, hesays, ‘I feel totallyfulfilled and free toexpress myselfwhen singingmusic about God.It engages my intellect and emotion in

For Ken Burton, no two days are the same.A conductor, pianist, composer andteacher, his choirs have won awards,

sung before royalty and presidents, andcrossed continents with their rich mixture ofhighly technical harmonies, gospel rhythmsand hope-inspiring lyrics.

But what turned Ken, the youngest of tenchildren, into the world-famous conductor he is today? Perhaps it was because he was theyoungest. He recalls watching his older sistersitting at the piano doing her practice. Onceshe had finished he would take her place andpick out the same pieces.

‘Music is absolutely central to my life –from birth,’ he says with an engaging smile.

It was not just the home that was filled withmusic. Church was too. His parents, devoutChristians, marched all ten children to CroydonSeventh-day Adventist Church each week andencouraged them to get involved. For youngKen that meant joining his sister’s Croydonyouth choir as the accompanist at age 9, andas the conductor at age 15 – even though hewas the youngest of the choir members.

Little did he know that by the 1990s hewould be leading that same choir, rebranded asthe Croydon SDA Gospel Choir, to win awardsin major competitions.

Music was encouraged at school too, whereagain he took on the role of accompanist to thechoir. A music degree from Goldsmiths Collegefollowed, and so impressed were the staff therethat they employed him after graduation tocontinue rehearsing and accompanying theirchoirs.

Yet it was church that gave him his foundation, both in music and in faith. He rapidly discovered that church is not justsomething you ‘do’ one day a week; it is something you embrace. ‘God is a real Person,Someone you can turn to at any time in yourlife. I’ve learnt to develop a relationship withGod rather than just tick a box,’ he says.

In 1990 he was asked to accompany theLondon Adventist Chorale for their debutalbum. He became not only their official accompanist, but also sang bass, and eventually started conducting them.

Never one to be idle, he entered both hischoirs, the Chorale and the Croydon GospelChoir, in the prestigious Choir of the Year competition. When the two choirs took first and second place he was bowled over. ‘It wasa defining moment in my life,’ he says, wrylynoting that they then changed the rules so thata conductor could only enter one choir in thecompetition.

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Victor Hulbert provides a very close and personal portrait ofKen Burton, well-known conductor, composer, instrumentalist,author and man of faith.

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personally experienced, that he feels empowered by it.’

Perhaps that is why Ken also works inschools, running Gospel Music workshops that ‘allow children to come out of themselves’,something he sees happening to even theshyest among them. He emphasises, ‘There is a lot to be achieved when you combine fervour with musical excellence.’

The same happens with his special projectin Kenya, the Kijani Trust, a UK-based charityworking in the fields of HIV/AIDS education and treatment, as well as conservation. Kenregularly spends time with orphaned childrenthere, many of whom have lost their parentsdue to HIV or AIDS. ‘Music does something tothese kids,’ he says, and then tells me of onepupil who had not uttered a single word sincecoming into the orphanage. ‘Music just openedhim up! I could just keep on telling stories ofhow music changes lives!’

Ken sees music as a free gift. From the littlechild copying ‘big sister’ at the piano, he has now realised its potential to both developthe brain and play a part in healing. ‘Musictherefore lends itself naturally to charity and

community work, not only as a way of raisingfunds, but being a part of the charitable workitself,’ he says. As well as working with Kijani,often with other members of his choirs, he hasalso been involved with organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention ofCruelty to Children (NSPCC), AIMSSEC* andthe Adventist Development and Relief Agency(ADRA). ‘One of my choirs is situated at achurch several minutes away from SelhurstPark, where the premier league football clubCrystal Palace plays, and we have had a connection with the club’s foundation charity, which provides opportunities in the community.’

Growing up in a household with parentswho supported, motivated, monitored anddemonstrably worked to develop the best fortheir children, Ken is now doing the same forchildren, youth and even adults. There is notelling what the effect will be of one of hisworkshops: a concert in a prestigious hall, or a worship experience in a church. What isfor certain is that the baton passed to him byhis parents and his church is something he iskeen to pass on to the next generation.

*African Institute for Mathematical Sciences School Enrichment Centre.

For more on Ken Burton visit his website, www.kenburton.com.

Also watch a TV interview with him: http://www.hopetv.org.uk/content/media-library/media-story/ml/in-conversation-series-2/ken-burton/18/24/.

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11ways that other music simply can’t do.’Not that life is just music. For better or

worse, he is an ardent supporter of LiverpoolFootball Club. He is also a family man. Like Ken, his wife Yasmina has a genuine, passionate faith, which, he says, was one of the

things that attracted him to her. ‘Collectively, wehave made faith the central pillar of our marriageand our home, and our son, Kenán, has embraced it,’ he says. ‘My wife is creative, and

so faith is fun, not just information and instruction.’And it would seem Kenán is following in

his father’s footsteps. ‘Our son is excited about hischurch life, loves to sing traditional hymns, something

rare for a child of eight in this modern world, and even on occasions has stood on a chair and preached!’

What then is Ken’s desire for Kenán,and – by extension – all the many

youth he works with? ‘Mygreatest desire is for him tohave a genuine love for God,

and for others, to not feel inany way, shape, or formthat he has to be heldback because of his

faith, but rather, as I’ve

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12 drops, camphor, vanilla, and other strange aromas.

An inquisitive spiritDad’s inquisitive spirit was infectious. Johnstates, ‘I knew from a very early age that one lifetime was never going to be enough toenable me to delve into all the things I wantedto explore.’ That may not only be the reason hestudied Chemistry and Physics at SheffieldUniversity, but also why he developed a keeninterest in history, literature, music, and evenpoetry. It may even be a motivation behind hisChristian belief: ‘For me a huge attraction ofChristianity was, and still is, the hope it gives of continuing life beyond the normal meagre allotment.’

However, that might be seen as a superficialor trivial answer – and neither of those wordsare descriptive of Professor John Walton. Hetests everything. He is a chemist because hesees it as the science, more than any other,that has helped to improve the well-being ofsociety. ‘For me personally, there is nothing likethe thrill one gets from having an original idea,carrying out a series of experiments in the labto test it, and then showing it is valid and worksin practice.’

Naturally scepticalThe same applies to his brand of Christianity. ‘Iwas taught by my father to question everythingso I guess I am naturally sceptical of publicopinion and authority figures,’ he states. Youmight think this would have made him rapidlydrop the Christianity of his childhood. On thecontrary, when he went to university it did theopposite. He says, ‘I always made a point of checking anti-religious and anti-Christian assertions carefully to see if they stood up. Itwas commonplace to hear statements such as,“The Bible is full of superstition and mistakes.”I would always ask for examples and specificinstances and then look up what Christiancommentators had to say.’ He discovered that there was nearly always a perfectly validexplanation once the context or Semitic background was taken into account.

Critical questioning also applies to the

It is amazing that John and Peter made it toadulthood. Their earliest childhood memoriesrevolve around a room at the top of the

family home in Watford where Dad had assembled a mysterious and dangerous laboratory, chock-full of chemicals and apparatus. It was probably also a good thingthey were boys and not so frequently demanding a wash, as on occasion the entire bathroom would turn into a distillationplant with rubber tubes from the tap leading to

a variety of glass bulbs bubbling with somestrange-smelling concoction for Dad’s latestexperiment.

All of this was particularly fascinating foryoung John Walton – today a professor ofchemistry at St Andrews University, Scotland. It was forbidden to enter the ‘laboratory’ unsupervised; nevertheless, the boys wouldsneak in when the coast was clear to admireDad’s large, bright blue, green and white crystals, or to uncork bottles and smell pear

by Victor Hulbert

An early photo of Professor Walton

in Sheffield

©NI QIN/istockphoto.com

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14 Neo-Darwinian evolution.’ In his mind, if evolution is to be understood as God’s creative method the connection of death withwrongdoing is lost. The ‘God’ of evolution appears as one to whom death is no enemy but a tool in His creative arsenal.

‘This is difficult to reconcile with a God oflove and also makes God self-contradictory,’he states. He also notes the Bible depiction of‘man as fallen from a state of high physical andmoral excellence and in need of redemptionfrom sin and death’. Evolution is the opposite.‘Evolution seems to display more an ascentfrom ape-like ancestors rather than a fall. Ifman evolved from apes then what did he fallfrom and what does he need redemption into?’

Don’t avoid the difficult questionsFor John it is important to ask the difficultquestions of Christianity as equally of science.‘I feel it is essential that every thinking individual take a close look at the objective evidence supposedly “proving” evolution. Is it really that scientifically compelling? Is the alternative Creationist account sufficiently credible and coherent for rational people?’

While many Christians who work in sciencekeep their heads ‘below the parapet’ on suchissues, John is not afraid to stand up and becounted. He has been welcomed in debatingsocieties across the country and overseas and has presented lectures to both secular andreligious audiences on the subject of IntelligentDesign. While he gets his fair share of hecklingat such events, he is equally surprised at howyoung, well-educated audiences are very interested in ID. Despite some irritation at whathe sees as ‘the superficiality of some biologicalscientists’, and the lack of objective balancedisplayed by media channels, he finds the debate to be a delightful educational challenge.‘All great cultures have wrestled with the bigquestions of origin, identity and purpose,’ John reflects. ‘Christianity certainly providescoherent answers and these follow from theGenesis account of beginnings.’

Perhaps surprisingly, and despite the mythsin popular media, he finds the same to be truein his world of academia. ‘There is a very

broad spread of philosophical and religiousviews at St Andrews University, as at most universities in the UK. Most genuine academicsare tolerant of one another’s views as long asthe individual does not try to impose them onstudents.’

Tolerance requiredFor John, that tolerance extends even to Darwin– and the possibility that the two of them mightmeet in heaven!

‘Christianity is clear that God wants everyone, without exception, to be resurrectedinto His eternal kingdom,’ John explains. Henoted that Darwin had a lifelong interest in thenatural world, particularly the living world, andhe studied it with great and careful attention.‘Surely God would have felt a great empathy for this individual with his love of nature,’ Johnreflects, noting also that Darwin had a goodChristian wife who moderated some of his antipathy.

‘We know Darwin had doubts about evolution – about the rapidity of the CambrianExplosion, about the apparent design of theeye,’ John adds. He also mentioned that in one of his letters Darwin states that the fundamental reason he can’t accept Christianityis God’s cruelty and injustice in condemningrebels to eternal torment in hellfire. John agrees with him! He doesn’t believe in an eternal torment. His questioning mind has alsoput that one to rest. ‘If only Darwin could haveunderstood that. If he could have learnt aboutID and the coded information in DNA, andformed a right view of hell, who knows but thathe would have come to understand the limitedrange of evolution and found a place for God inhis life!’

With a wry smile John reflects, ‘Darwinwould certainly make a far fairer, balanced andtolerant inhabitant of heaven than many of hismodern evolutionary successors.’

To find out more about IntelligentDesign or Creation, or to watch one of Dr Walton’s lectures, visithttp://adventist.org.uk/who-we-are/what-we-believe/creation.

professional side of his life. John is a chemist,a professor at a prestigious university, but isalso a strong believer that God is his Creator.This became an active debate for him as a student that has continued right up until today.As a student at Sheffield University he felt thatoften his opponents seemed lacking in ethicalscruples.

‘When discussing evolution and creationwith fellow students at university in the ’60s Iwas shown a textbook picture of Haeckel’sdrawing of the embryo stages of various animals. These supposedly illustrated their evolutionary stages and showed how eachspecies, including us, “recapitulates” its evolutionary history. This picture “won” thediscussion for most of the students and madea big impression on me at the time.’ However,he says, ‘It was several years later that I discovered it was a fraud and had been known to be a fraud for many years.’

Some of John’s concerns . . .John is equally dismissive of those more fundamentalist Christians who seem to disparage science, particularly when it comesto origins. ‘Such people tend to disparage alleducation,’ he says, noting that Bible authors

such as Moses in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon and the apostle Paul were highly educated. Hisconcern is more about ‘theistic evolutionists’who, he says, ‘enthuse so fervently about thewonders of evolution without seeming to realise the devastating consequences for genuine Christianity’.

‘I have always believed Christianity is hugelybeneficial for humanity,’ John states, including‘its emphasis on love, its ability to change broken lives, its account of how evil and suffering arose, and its ability to bring meaningto human life and hope for a brighter future.Christianity is deeply rooted in the Old and New Testament Scriptures; if they are deeplyflawed then Christianity is unsound too.’

In practical terms he believes that if evolution has taken us ‘from molecules to man’then not only is there no need for God, but itcuts out the heart of many scriptural teachings.

For instance, John points out that Scripture depicts death as the outcome andconsequence of wrongdoing. ‘Death is anenemy ultimately to be defeated,’ he says, ‘but death is an essential ingredient of

In the mid-1970s Luisa went to the cinema to see the newly released Jesus ChristSuperstar. Many Christians thought the filmblasphemous, but for Luisa, though written byan atheist, there was something in the film thatstruck a chord in her heart. She decided shewanted to find out more. Was this Jesus someone she could actually trust? She startedturning up at various churches but soon discovered that they did not have much of awelcome for a teenage hippie with her beads,bangles, Jimmy Hendrix T-shirt and blue jeans.She did not fit the image.

A couple of girlsA couple of girls she’d known since childhoodthought differently. As good friends, they invitedher to a special youth programme at the nearbyAdventist church. She didn’t know what to

expect but went along anyway. Somehow this was different. Despite their conservativedress and traditional hymns they did not oncequestion her hippie attire. They just made herwelcome. A young married couple, Lina andRogerio, ‘adopted’ her, mentoring her, helpingher find a job and encouraging her as she gaveup smoking, quit drugs, and, over a course ofmonths, found Jesus.

‘I am only a Christian today because of thelove provided by that church,’ Luisa says. Inher turn she now shares that love around. Over the years she has made sure that her children and family have not suffered from theemptiness she felt as a child. As her childrengrew up, the family home was filled with laughter from their friends, who found it to be a place of security – including those who,themselves, came from troubled backgrounds.

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money back home to his wife – but for Luisa’smum, with three young daughters, life was adesperate struggle. Her mum was a saint, but ifit hadn’t been for generous neighbours, andtrusting shopkeepers who would give her food‘on the slate’, the family would have starved.

Despite going to a Christian school Luisalost her faith before she was ten. This mayhave been because of naivety, but on a day trip to the holy shrine of Fatima in northern Portugal she was told she would see the VirginMary. When the procession came around andshe found Mary was only a statue she brokedown in tears. The nuns were impressed by the ‘deep spirituality’ of the tearful child, butcompletely misunderstood her tears – if Marywas only a piece of wood, then for Luisa, Goddid not exist. This was a second breakdown oftrust. By the time she was a teenager thatbreakdown of trust led her to open rebellion.She was skipping school, making life hell for her mother and heading in a constantdownward spiral. Yet, despite all this, Goddidn’t give up on her.

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by Luisa and Victor Hulbert

What can a school dropout –an LSD-taking hippie – teachus about love, life and health?Luisa was living a life Godplayed no part in. Back thenher joy came from skippingschool to hide in a club anddo drugs with friends. Now,forty years on, she finds herlife radically changed.

She started turning up at various churches butsoon discovered that they did not have much of a welcome for a teenage hippie with her beads, bangles, Jimmy Hendrix T-shirt and blue jeans. She did not fit the image.I‘I’m just so glad to be alive,’ she confesses.

‘Some of my friends from that time died fromdrug overdoses. Others ended up in a mentalhospital as a result of the LSD.’ Thinking backon those days she admits that there were several times she just missed being caught inpolice raids that could have put her in prison.Today she is a different person, demonstratingvibrant health, sharing her healthy vegetariancooking skills with groups around the UK,growing her own organic vegetables, and sharing her very full life with both children and grandchildren.

What made the difference?To understand Luisa you need to understandher background. She grew up in a single-parenthousehold. Her dad, an engineer, headed forMozambique when she was just a toddler andLuisa did not see him again for 15 years. Shemissed him terribly – and for her that was thefirst breakdown of trust in her life. Every yearhe promised to come home. Every year shewas disappointed. He occasionally sent ©Leonardo Patrizi/istockphoto.com

good book. ‘I don’t get obsessive with it, but Ido feel so much better when I’m following what I see as God’s ideal plan for life,’ is herphilosophy.

Trust is backThe trust aspect is an important part of that.Coming from the difficult background of herteenage years she is thankful for the trust Linaand Rogerio placed in her, for the way herchurch supported her even in difficult times,and for the added trust she has subsequentlyfound in a loving Christian husband.

‘Today I’m a grandma of three beautiful littlegirls,’ she enthuses. ‘The love I have for themgoes beyond anything!’ Her ‘grandma skills’ are also very ‘hands on’, and while she spendstime with those precious little lives reflecting onthe trust and relationship they have in her, shealso sees a picture of the way God cares for us.

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‘When I was baptised in 1978 I fell in lovewith Jesus,’ says Luisa. ‘There may be manythings I question but I’ve never questionedthat.’ Her favourite Bible verses emphasise thekind of God she has come to love: ‘One thingGod has spoken, two things I have heard:“Power belongs to you, God, and with you,Lord, is unfailing love” ’ (Psalm 62:11, 12,NIV).

Having seen the effect of God’s powerworking in her life, she felt led to make morechanges.

Luisa soon discoveredthat Seventh-dayAdventists have a strongemphasis on positivehealth. As a creative andinnovative cook, she soonadapted her recipes to feature natural, plant-basedingredients. ‘If you cookgood, wholesome food,people won’t even noticethe lack of meat,’ shestates. She notes that the Adventist diet, basedprincipally on plantsources, is now the dietbeing advocated by healthspecialists around theworld. Channel 4 agrees.*When people come to her home, no one goeshungry, and at her cookerydemonstrations peoplesnap up the recipes andcome back for more of her tasty samples.

Dressed in full Portuguese costume, Luisarecently demonstratedhealthy summer recipesfrom her homeland. Thetraditional Portuguese dietis based around fish on the coast and meat inland,but also includes largequantities of salads, fruitsand vegetables. She ably

demonstrated how you can have a vibrant andhealthy vegetarian diet even in a meat-lovingculture.

Yet a good diet is just one of the healthy tips she gained in becoming a Seventh-day Adventist. Their holistic lifestyle can besummed up with the acronym, NEWSTART.This covers the areas of Nutrition, Exercise,Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Rest andTrust. In practice that means getting out ofdoors – whether for a spot of gardening, a walkwith the family, or relaxation on a bench with a

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Blackeye Bean Salad• 1 kg cooked salad potatoes, cut in

rounds or cubes• 2 tins blackeye beans, drained• 4 hard-boiled eggs, cubed• 1 medium onion, finely chopped• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or more if

needed

• 1 medium bunch parsley, chopped• Salt to taste• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, or enough

to taste

Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix all together and serve.

Find out more about healthy Portuguese summerrecipes here: http://adventist.org.uk/news/2015/sec/ portuguese-cookery-stimulates-taste-buds-in-weston

‘When l look back at my life I am astonishedby what I have seen God do with me,’ shestates. That rebellious, lost, searching hippie is gone. Today, instead, as a bubbling, enthusiastic Christian, she finds herself sharing her love with others.

‘Others caring for me, putting their trust in me, has made such a difference,’ Luisa concludes. ‘What the apostle Paul says in 2Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) is so true: “Therefore,if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; oldthings have passed away; behold, all thingshave become new.” ’

*Producers of the Channel 4 programme, TheWorld’s Best Diet, thought highly of the Adventistdiet too, as one of only two diets in the programmebased around religion, and the only diet to be non-geographical. The Adventist diet came in at #4: the general British diet only ranked #33.

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so that poor families could start their own goat-herds.

Among her many adventures she even sleptin a goat shed one night as there was nowhereelse to stay. She says, ‘There were holes in theroof, a hole in the floor and two walls missingbecause it was still being built.’ While some fellow volunteers thought she was slightlycrazy, she responds, ‘I remember thinkingabout how Jesus was born in a cow shed, sohow could I complain about spending a night ina goat shed – I actually slept really well andthoroughly enjoyed the experience!’

It was an experience that taught Katrinamore than building skills. She came to look beyond the matted hair, dirty clothes and dustyfeet of the village children. Do that, she says,and, ‘You see beautiful faces. The children inCambodia are beautiful beyond belief.’ Whiletheir ‘toys’ may be sticks, mud and plastic bottles, she recalls how the volunteers built a playground in one of the villages. ‘It wasamazing to see the reaction of the children,’she said. ‘They didn’t know what to make of it.

What were all these coloured“things”? They soon worked it out and the smiles on their facesmade my heart melt.’

However, volunteering can betough. During her 18 months shewas mugged three times, onetime her bag being snatched whileshe was riding her scooter homefrom church. The resulting injuryhad her laid up for a few days withan injured leg.

‘My Bible was in the bag they snatched,’she said. ‘I have had it for 27 years so was nothappy. I just pray that it was read and someoneturned to Jesus as a result. If so, then it wouldhave been worth it.’

It is perhaps the loss of that Bible that sayssomething about Katrina. As someone who hashad her own health issues and challenges inthe past, her faith is one of the things that haskept her focused on both the present and thefuture. Her stolen Bible was a link to a lifetimeof important memories.

Now back in Britain, and once again pacingthe wards of her local hospital, she has no regrets about giving up eighteen months ofcomfort to actively help those in desperateneed. Her reward is the memory of their gratitude. ‘I will never forget the people andplaces and I thank God that I was able to serveHim in this way.’

Yet volunteering is not all about taking a yearoff to serve in some exotic overseas location.There are volunteers who do good work righthere in the UK.

For the past two years Chantal Tomlinson has led theAdventist Student Society atCoventry University, where she isstudying Dietetics. Statistically, ifthere is a time when youth arelikely to drop away from theirChristian upbringing it is when they leave home for the freedom and experimentation ofuniversity life. Not so for Chantal.

Growing up in a strong Christian home, she made a decision for Christ at age ten.However, for her, university made a difference.

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What would make you give up a securejob in the NHS, close up your cosyHertfordshire cottage, and head out

instead to Cambodia as anunpaid volunteer?

Katrina Walker may not be totally sure of the answers for herself – butshe has discovered that sheloves helping people, and

after years of working within the NationalHealth Service she decided to make a radicalchange in her life. Prayer, research, and considerable courage took her from her comfort zone to volunteer with Raw Impact,1

a charity that works to create change throughsustainable projects in Cambodia.

She stayed for 18 months, putting her nursing skills to one side, and, instead, builthouses in deprived villages, and goat sheds

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For Victor Hulbert, a shy young student in the late ’70s, volunteering changed his life, and eventually gave him a career. Three decades later he discovers that it is still making a difference, both for the volunteers and for the people they help.

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She also defied the trend by growing closerto God during her time at university, where shestudies ceramics. ‘You are made to chooseyour priorities; to decide what you want to do,and why; and decide what you believe andwhy,’ she says, ‘and I choose to believe inGod.’ That can be a challenge, as career plansdon’t always work out the way we want themto. But she says that choosing to leave work tovolunteer on this and other projects has been ablessing. ‘It is how I play out my Christianity. Ido not know of any better way to follow Christthan to show His love. Love all, serve all.That’s it.’

‘All young people dream of changing theworld,’ Edit says. ‘Through volunteering Godhas given me the chance to change some people’s worlds – and that is truly humbling,and actually world-changing for me.’

1http://rawimpact.org/

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‘It happened when I came to uni and found thatthe local church was studying the propheciesof Daniel and Revelation. It was then that myeyes were opened and I saw them in a differentlight. I had greater faith in the Bible as I sawhow the Bible could be trusted because whatGod predicted actually came to pass! My beliefs took another step up in my Christianjourney.’

The Bible, she says, is now central to herlife. ‘The Bible is so reliable and relevant todaythat no matter what you are going through,there is a verse in the Bible that can encourageyou.’ After taking time to study her Bible more thoroughly at a three-month school ofevangelism, Chantal now finds herself involvedin Bible studies with university friends, andhelping with Christian outreach at both

university and her local church. Despite herbusy life as a student, she has a reason whyshe volunteers her time. ‘By God’s grace, mymain aim in life is to ensure that I’m living outChrist’s purposes and will, so that I and thosearound me are prepared and ready for the second coming of Christ.’

Rodiemel Manliclic fromthe Philippines would agreewith her. ‘Mhel’, as she likes to be known, is starting hersecond year as a volunteerworking with youth and familiesin a large Berkshire church.Growing up in a single-parent family, she wasdevastated by the death of her mother in 2013.However, she says, that led her to commit toher Christian faith, a decision she has never regretted. ‘God has made it possible for me tocope with life in the absence of our mother,’she states. This led her to travel halfwayaround the world to volunteer, initially for just12 months.

Visit Newbold Adventist Church in Binfieldand you will find her actively helping with theparent and toddler group, assisting in a wholerange of youth activities, and even hovering inthe background to assist in some of the moredifficult areas of church life. Working withyoung people and with a team, she looks to thefuture – not just in this life, but in the one tocome. ‘I just think it’s incredible that while weare waiting for Christ’s soon return, He hasgiven me the opportunity to be involved inyouth work. Through this memorable new experience here in the UK, and in other placesI’ve been as a volunteer, I can’t help but imagine how amazing it will be to experiencelife at home with our heavenly Father.’

One of those ‘youth’ Mhelmet was Edit Liebhardt, who –between work assignments –also volunteers with the youth atNewbold Church. She arrived inEngland from Hungary, aged 10and without understanding aword of English. Now, with her vibrant sense ofhumour and love of life, you cannot stop hertalking.

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‘I will never forgetthe people and placesand I thank God thatI was able to serveHim in this way.’

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Isuppose it’s a very British thing to do, not least because an old church is usually a reliable place to shelter from the rain!But in doing this kind of sightseeing we’re

missing something very important: church life.Churches were never meant to be museums.The reason they’re such interesting places tovisit is that they tell a story, a story of real people, who made sacrifices and enduredhardships in order to build up their Christiancommunity. As I’m wandering around these oldbuildings I often think about how wonderful itwould be if I could meet those people. Well,perhaps I can!

I’m not talking about time travel of course;what I’m saying is that the same kind of peoplewho created and maintained the Christian centres of the past are still here today. They arethe ones who give their time to cut the grass,

vacuum the floor,clean the windows,polish the woodwork and, importantly, keepthe services running. It’s thesepeople who makechurch life really interesting. Given achance they’ll behappy to sharetheir story withyou.

But the sad truthis that most of usdon’t give them

that chance. We’re nervous about visitingchurches when the people are there having‘their’ service because we wouldn’t want to intrude, or we wouldn’t know what to do, or wemight get asked awkward questions, or . . . athousand other excuses.

Now, I feel the same way. I’m always a bitnervous about going to a service for the firsttime in a new church, even when that church ispart of my own denomination (the Seventh-dayAdventist Church). And I’m a minister! Themain worry, for me and others, is that we don’treally know what to expect. This is perhapswhere I can be of help. I can’t speak for otherdenominations (though there will be many similarities) but I can tell you about what youmight expect if you went into an Adventistchurch for the first time.

There are more than 400 Adventistchurches dotted across the UK and Ireland and the first thing you should know about themis that they all hold their main services on aSaturday. Usually these services are in themorning and the doors open around 10 or10.30am. The second thing you should knowis that there are almost always two services,each one lasting about an hour, with a short interval between. The first one is ‘SabbathSchool’ where, after a preamble, those presentwill sit around in discussion groups and talkabout a particular Bible theme or text; the second one is the worship service, which usually consists of hymns, prayers, readingsand a sermon.

So far so good. What about any unpleasantsurprises? I suppose there is the collection – or

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by John Surridge

One of the things that my wife and I like doing when we’re on holiday is visitingold churches. You’ve probably done the same thing. We often start by wanderingaround the gravestones, reading the epitaphs and seeing if we recognise anynames. We then admire the architecture, trying to work out how old the buildingis. Finally, if the door is open we venture inside and investigate the furnishings,decor, stained glass windows, organ, bell ropes and anything else that makesthat church different from the other ones we’ve visited. Reading the plaques onthe wall can be very informative, telling the story of those who went before, making the church what it is today.

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or language group. So, you might well see asign for a Romanian, Ghanaian, Filipino orRussian Adventist church. Don’t be put off! Anyone of these would be happy to have you visit,and most of them will try to find a translator foryou if you don’t speak the language.

Most Adventist services in the UK are inEnglish of course, but even within these you’llfind a huge range of cultural diversity. Be prepared for colourful national costumes,smart suits, smart casual, or jeans and T-shirts, all within the same congregation. In

many churches you’ll be invited to stay for alunch (usually vegetarian), which often beatswhat you would get at the best World Food buffet.

In all Adventist churches you can be sure ofa warm welcome. If you stick around for awhile you’ll get to meet some really amazingpeople. Listen to their stories. Find out whothey are, where they come from, and why theycontinue to do what generations before themhave done. It’s a lot more interesting than looking at old buildings.

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27the two collections (one during each service).Here an offering plate, basket or bag is passedaround and people are invited to contribute to the running costs of the local church or mission work in other parts of the world. Whatyou should know is that there is no obligationto give anything at all, especially not for visitors. Furthermore many people now give bydirect debit, or a cheque in an envelope, andthey too may wave the basket away. But ifyou’re uncomfortable with doing that you arealways welcome to put a few coins in as thebasket goes by.

If you’re used to a liturgical style of worshipyou will find an Adventist service much lessformal. The worship leader may change theorder of things, ask you to stand or sit forhymns, join in with a congregational Bible reading, or stand, sit or kneel for a prayer.

On the other hand, if you’re familiar with amore Pentecostal worship style, you may findAdventist services rather conservative. You willnever find Adventists ‘speaking in tongues’ forexample, and although we do occasionallyhave services in which we pray specifically for healing, you won’t see anything like the performances put on by most TV evangelists!

The Lord’s Supper, or communion service,is held just once a quarter. On these specialoccasions, along with the usual bread and wine(always non-alcoholic) you will find somethingreally surprising, and in my view well worthgoing to see or even take part in: foot washing!After the sermon those present – both members and visitors – are invited to divide up,and the women go one way and men the other.In side rooms they are provided with bowls andtowels and after a prayer they actually getdown and literally wash each other’s feet. Thisof course completes the re-enactment of whatJesus did with His disciples in the upper room,and most members find the symbolism quitemoving. Again, though, there’s no obligation totake part – you can just sit quietly in your pewif you want to. There is also nothing to stopyou taking part in either the foot-washing ceremony or the subsequent communion service. Adventists practise ‘open communion’

in which all believers present, irrespective ofaffiliation (or lack thereof) are welcome to participate.

One thing I can’t really prepare you for is theamazing diversity of the Adventist Church. Witha family of 20 million or so around the world,and the amount of migration that takes place,it’s inevitable that Adventist churches are goingto be multicultural places. It is quite normal tofind 20 different nationalities within one congregation. It’s also quite normal to find anAdventist church based on a particular cultural

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Most Adventist services inthe UK are in English ofcourse, but even withinthese you’ll find a hugerange of cultural diversity.

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studying the prophetic books, especially thoseof Daniel and Revelation, they have come tounderstand that there is a cosmic conflict taking place between Christ and Satan. Thesebooks give hope, showing Christ as the victor –even in times of difficulty and suffering.

HealthWhen you meet Adventists you will usually findthem to be smiling, happy people. Adventistsbelieve God is interested in every part of ourlives, social, physical and spiritual. Researchshows that those following the Adventistlifestyle tend to live longer, healthier lives. Thisis partly due to their belonging to a caring faithcommunity; partly due to the fact that many ofthem enjoy a predominantly plant-based diet;and partly from avoiding alcohol, tobacco andnon-prescription drugs.

And there is moreTo find out more, take a look at our Statementof Beliefs, enjoy dialogue between Adventistsand other Christians, or sign up for a free BibleCorrespondence course – online or by post.

To read more of our beliefs,visit: http://adventist.org.uk/who-we-are/what-we-believe.

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If you have read this far you will recognisethat Seventh-day Adventists have much incommon with other Christians. Central to

Adventist belief are the important truths thatsalvation is only through Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is God’s inspired revelation tomankind. There are, however, other beliefs thatalso contribute to Adventism’s distinctive set ofteachings.

These include celebrating, through our observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath, thathumanity was made by the Creator God.Throughout their lives, Adventists also live inhopeful anticipation of the return of JesusChrist (the Second Advent) as promised in the gospels. Thus the distinctive name, ‘Seventh-day Adventist’.

Seventh day Adventists are grateful for the invitation ofJesus, ‘Come to Me and rest’ (see Matthew11:28-30). Spiritual and physical rest is something God introduced right from Creation,and is highlighted as a privilege within the TenCommandments. Adventists see resting on theseventh day as a prelude or foretaste of theeternal rest that God promises to His people.

In taking the Sabbath emphasis of the Bibleat its face value, Adventists worship from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday. During that day they spend time in worship, relax withfamily and friends, and often take time to enjoynature together. Adventists often use the timepurposefully by visiting or helping neighboursand friends.

AdventistAdventists rejoice in the hope that was broughtto the world through the first advent of JesusChrist. When God became man through Jesus,fully human yet fully divine, He revealed in the gospel story the clearest picture of God’simmense love for us.

That love is not just a past promise, but apresent reality and a future hope. Adventistsstrongly believe that Jesus is coming again. As consistently promised throughout the NewTestament, they believe that His second adventwill be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide.

Prophecy Adventists love the Bible – all 66 books. In

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Find your purpose• Where are you headed? • Where is the world

headed? • Explore the meaning of your life.

DISCOVER how the Bible can make a difference in your life.

www.discoveronline.org.uk

Adventist Discovery Centre, Stanborough Park, Watford, WD25 9JU.

by Victor Hulbert

Christian debate Adventists often describethemselves as ‘People of the Book’. They lovethe Bible and are very open to Bible study – including an openness to share and learn fromthose with differing points of view. This washighlighted in two series of TV debates wherean Adventist pastor, Victor Hulbert, was tackledabout his beliefs by the late Doug Harris of Revelation TV. These very open and honest,live, unscripted debates are now available online and are being watched by audiences worldwide.

Watch them here:http://adventist.org.uk/who-we-are/what-we-believe/debate.

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character despite the circumstances of mymarriage (1 Samuel 25:14-31). Like theProverbs 31 woman I can impact my familyand the lives of others by being a woman ofgood character and industry, demonstratingbusiness acumen while practising diligentmotherhood.

Jean, a university lecturer, believes that theBible ‘closes distances between people’ andremembers fondly the godly example of aChristian mother, while Joye, a podiatrist, believes that ‘The Bible is always relevant andhas stood the test of time.’ Juanita, a registerednurse, reminded me that ‘Our ethics andmorals are based on biblical principles.’

The Christian worldview is anchored in theworld beginning and ending by the acts of asovereign God who has chosen to relay Hisprinciples for humanity through the Holy Bible.It is not surprising, then, that for Christians theBible is and will always be relevant to any andall of the world’s issues. But what then aboutthose who are not Christians?

Tilly is a practising Buddhist. She believesthat Buddhism offers her a balanced, peacefulway to deal with all the issues she may face inher life. She does not wish to change or bemade to feel that she needs to view things anydifferently to how she does today.

I found Toni perched on the edge of a parkbench, her toddler playing at her feet. ‘I believethere is a God, but I don’t think He has anythingto say about families – does He?’ Picking upher little girl who had started to cry, she continued, ‘I don’t know any women in theBible. I think we just all have to be good people.I don’t need the Bible to tell me how to lookafter my daughter. I love her and I will takegood care of her. I think the Bible is a bit overrated.’

Of course, if one does not know what iscontained in the Bible one cannot objectivelydecide whether any of its characters could beworthy role models or not. Neither would onebe in a position to know whether the Biblecould be relevant to one’s family life or not.

So is the Bible relevant to the twenty-first-century woman? What is your verdict?

To answer that question I suggest that we

look at the contribution that biblical values havemade to contemporary society. In what wayhave they shaped the principles by which welive our lives today?

Consider our widespread respect for theaged and the infirm; our extensive concern forthe betterment of the lives of children – both athome and abroad. What about our respect foreach other’s property, and our emphasis onhonesty, fair business practices, the right to afair trial and the provision of help for those inmaterial need? All these strongly British values,and more, are undeniably based on the application of biblical principles. We may haveforgotten where our value system comes frombut that doesn’t alter the fact that it has biblicaland Christian roots.

Though not embracing the Christian worldview as proposed by the Bible, many ofus are conscientiously applying its principles toour daily lives. On these grounds I think it issafe to say that the Bible is relevant to anywoman in the UK today who lives by the principles mentioned above – even though shemay not openly consider herself a Christian oreven religious.

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We live in a fast-paced world where aquick search on Google provides theanswers to most of our questions. It

is a world in which you can find an app to getyou out of bed; prompt you to exercise, thenmonitor your efforts; inform you of the bestroute to take to avoid traffic; remind you of appointments and your to-do list; provide step-by-step instructions on how to cook dinner and even pay your bills. What morecould we want, in this sophisticated, frenetically-paced world where every aspect of our lives can be managed by some innovation or another?

Innovation notwithstanding, families – in the

various forms in which they exist – remain the basic unit of society and modern womenare still mothers, wives, lone parents, breadwinners and surprisingly competent atjuggling the demands of both career and family.Not all women, though, are riding the crest ofthe information wave and experiencing the‘utopia’ of this technological age. Many continue to struggle with age-old issues of domestic violence, abuse, addictions and theproblems that accompany them.

Bearing all this in mind, does the Bible haveanything to offer the modern woman? How dothe female role models in the Bible stack upagainst the modern-day icons created by thepervasive celebrity culture, and does thechurch have anything useful to contribute tofamily life today? I asked women from differentwalks of life and faith groups for their opinionson the matter.

The responses from my Christian acquaintances suggest that the Bible is a timeless guide filled with wisdom and relevantadvice for a modern-day woman. After all, likeEsther, I have to be brave and stand up for whatI believe, despite the odds (Esther 4:12-16).Like Abigail, I have to be a woman of godly

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Geraldene Farmer briefly explores theorigin of many of our ‘British’ valuesand their relevance today.

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