The Okanagan Christian School gymnasium in Kelowna was a packed house on May 10 and 11 as the crowd eagerly awaited to hear conference evangelist Anil Kanda, speaker for Kelowna’s 43rd annual mini campmeeting.

            This year’s
focus was on youth and young adults, with topics entitled “The Birds, the Bees,
and the Bible” and the “Epic of Eden.”

            Kanda’s
life was transformed by the Word of God while he was in college. He grew up surrounded
by the Hindu and Sikh religions, as his parents originated from Punjab, India. However,
once in college he had a life-changing experience and encounter with God, as he
came to know the powerful truths in God’s Word. Pastor Kanda also currently
serves as the young-adult discipleship director for Central California.

            Friday
night started out with a meet-and-greet supper with the Okanagan Christian
School students, and speaker Anil Kanda.

            Ern Brake
gave the lesson study Sabbath morning while the kids attended their Sabbath
school programs. The children also had their own church service led by Pastor
Neil Peralta, and it was a real hit with the 30+ children in attendance.

            Kanda took
on the difficult topic of the Birds, the Bees, and the Bible, stating that it
was better to hear about this subject from the church rather than from other
sources such as the internet and other media. One way or another, the youth
would learn about it, and they need a positive source to guide their decision
making about relationships.

            Kanda
referred to the Song of Solomon for his inspiration, along with new scientific
discoveries about biochemical attraction associated with the release of the hormone
oxytocin, the “love chemical.” Kanda had a powerful and thought-provoking
message that may have been directed at the young but left some of us older
folks wishing we had heard such messages when we were young, as it may have
saved us a lot of heartache.

            Wesley
Torres, BC Conference president; Ern Brake, vice-president; and Tom Glatts,
ministerial director, gave inspirational messages about relationships as well.

            Fountainview
Academy blessed the crowd with their outstanding musical abilities in the
afternoon.

            The meeting
culminated in an appeal with all the pastors, elders, and conference leaders up
at the front. The attendees were then invited to come and pray and invite the
Holy Spirit into their lives to lead and direct them in a stronger relationship
with Christ. The mini-campmeeting of 2019 was a real blessing, with some
powerful messages to take home and incorporate into our lives.

By Doreen Zyderveld-Hagel

Source: https://adventistmessenger.ca/features/kelownas-43rd-annual-campmeeting

Release Date: July 25, 2019

SASKATOON, SK- On July 14, 2019 the Board of Directors of the
Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference elected Michael Collins as the next conference
president after David Ripley’s decision to begin retirement. Collins officially
began his duties as president on July 15, 2019.

Michael Collins has a vast amount of experience at both the local
and conference levels. He  recently
served as senior pastor for the Pinehouse Drive Adventist church in Saskatoon.
In addition to pastoral work at several churches in the United States, Collins
has served as general vice-president for the Middle East and North Africa Union
in Lebanon from 2013 to 2017. During his time as vice-president, Collins held
additional responsibilities, including security and crisis management
coordinator, ministerial and stewardship director, acting director of the
Lebanon Section, and acting treasurer of the union. 

“I feel very humbled to be asked to take on the
responsibility of leading this conference, but am gratified to know I’ll be
working together with a committed team. Evelyn and I ask for your prayers, and
pledge to serve God’s cause and His people to the best of our abilities,”
Collins shared.

From 2010 to 2013, Collins held the position of president of Gulf
Field in the United Arab Emirates and president of the South Sudan Field in
Uganda from 2006 to 2011.  

Pastor Michael Collins was born in Connecticut, U.S., and has been
married to his wife, Evelyn, for 44 years. They have one son, Henry.

“I know Michael and am aware of his service to the church
throughout the world. I believe that he will provide good, effective service to
the church in a timely fashion. I think the committee made an excellent
choice,” remarks Mark Johnson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in
Canada.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
comprises approximately 4069 members, 42 churches, and four schools. Their
mission is to carry out the commission of Christ to lead people to salvation in
Jesus, teach them Biblical faith and the Christian lifestyle, equip them to
serve their churches and communities with their God-given abilities, and
prepare them to meet their soon-coming Lord.

For more information, contact:

Stan Jensen, Communication Director

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada

jensen.stan@nulladventist.ca

905-433-0011

Source: https://adventistmessenger.ca/features/michael-collins-elected-new-man-sask-conference-president

According to a UN report released on May 6,
one million plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction.[1]
Moreover, four decades after the first Earth Day in 1970, the global population
has doubled. We’re emitting 2.4 times more CO₂, causing sea levels
to rise, and over 170 animal species have been declared extinct.[2]
Only a “transformative change” in how we engage with nature will stall these
trends.[3]

                  Enter
the 2019 Earth Day Summit, an initiative realized by Mansfield Edwards,
president of Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 2017,
Edwards envisioned an Earth Day event that would offer practical ways to combat
these devastating trends and speak to the nearly 50 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds
who believe the church is anti-science.[i][4]
There, leading scientists and theologians would share evidence for the biblical
Creation account while emphasizing our responsibility to care for the earth that
was created for us.

                  Two
years later, at Ontario Conference’s inaugural Earth Day event, held April 21,
2019, in Mississauga, thousands of guests had the opportunity to interact with
nearly 50 colourful booths on topics as varied as the incredible immune system,
the marvel of the brain, the intelligently designed smile, pollution on campus,
the creative complexity of the human body, the theology of recycling, gardening,
and more. Themed “His Creation, Ours to Care For,” the event gathered a broad
spectrum of visitors of all ages, religious backgrounds, ethnicities, and walks
of life. 

                  The
opening ceremony set the tone for the entire day by reconciling science with
theology, with Daniel Lazich, retired aerospace engineer for the U.S. military,
sharing proof of intelligent design in quantum mechanics, and Tim Standish,
Geoscience Research Institute scientist, expanding on the stewardship
implications of Creation. “For God, no creature is without significance. The
Bible consistently directs believers to behaviours that preserve the
environment and allow all creation to thrive.”

                  Whether
they visited booths focused on intelligent design or on environmental
stewardship, visitors were greatly impacted by this innovative event. Church
member Oraine Swaby expressed, “I’ve always enjoyed the sciences, [but it was
wonderful] to see so much here about the connection between science and the
Bible and our faith and what that means for conservation and for the
environment.”

                  The
topics were presented in a clear, understandable way for all ages, including
one young boy, who said, “It’s just amazing because you learn about science,
technology, space, food and other things. I learned a lot. It impacted me a
lot. It made me think differently about the world.” Beyond sparking thought,
the event featured a commitment wall where attendees could pledge to make
changes to care for the earth based on what they’d learned.

                  Among
its successes, the Earth Day Summit was also a model of partnership with the
community, including presentations by the City of Markham, teaching
participants how to weave a mat from plastic bags, and Wilson Niblett Motors of
Richmond Hill, Ont., displaying the Chevy Volt electric car. Jacqueline Tung,
City of Markham representative, later shared that the city had connected with a
local church to start up a milk bag program for their Vacation Bible School
this summer.

                  In
the end, the summit successfully positioned the Adventist Church as being
relevant in the 21^st century. Marcos Paseggi, Senior News
Correspondent with Adventist Review, stated,
“We’re moving from just apologetics, reacting to what science and the newspaper
say, and being more proactive. We have a message to share and we are doing it.
This is great.”

                  In the closing ceremony, Edwards assured visitors, to much applause and cheering, “We have made inroads into re-establishing and affirming God as Creator, and so therefore, . . . this evening, I have the privilege of declaring that this inaugural will become an annual, to the glory of God and to His name.”

–-Christelle Agboka, Ontario Conference

[1]
Matt McGrath, “Nature Loss: Report to Show Scale of ‘Silent Crisis,’ BBC News,
May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48160456

[2]
American Museum of Natural History, “Earth Day 1970–2019: No Time to Waste,”
April 2019, https://www.amnh.org/explore/videos/data-visualizations/earth-day-2019-food-waste-climate-change

[3]
Matt McGrath.

4 Clint Jenkin, A. Allan Martin, “Engaging Adventist
Millennials: A church that embraces relationships,” Ministry Magazine, May 2014

On April 11, 2019, Canadian Adventist Messenger
proudly received two awards from the Associated Church Press (ACP) 2018 Best of
the Church Press Awards in Chicago, Ill., highlighting accomplishments of 2018!
The “Award of Excellence” was given for the September 2018 issue cover story
entitled “My Starbucks Squad: A Love Story”in the category of Devotional/Inspirational: Long Format Media. To add to
the excitement, the Messenger also received
Honorable Mention for the Mamawi Atosketan Native School in the category of
Department: Print Publications.

                  In their comments for the
Award of Excellence, the judges remarked, “The writing sparkles. . . . It
strengthens his significant argument for a change in heart among the
readership. The challenge is clear and compelling.”

                  Messenger would like to warmly thank writers Josue
Sanchez, Lynn McDowell, and Andrew McChesney for their dedicated and
inspirational contributions to the magazine.

                  The ACP Best of the Church Press Awards is an annual event that seeks to commemorate the best work published by communicators of faith in the previous year. Thousands of entries are received in 100 categories from ACP members and non-members. The Messenger is a long-time member of the ACP and enters the Best of the Church Press competition every year, in various categories, and is honoured to be recognized by such an organization.

—Megan Mootoo, Canadian Adventist Messenger

Source: https://adventistmessenger.ca/news/messenger-takes-the-wintwice