North Springfield, VT.
Gratefully submitted by Pastor David Young:
On November 3, 2019 the Advent Christian Church of North Springfield, Vermont celebrated their 150th Anniversary. During a special morning worship service, current and former members gathered to share memories and hear from a few current and former leaders of the church. Former pastors Rev. Bill Monroe and Rev. Floyd McIntyre joined current pastor David Young in sharing memories about being in leadership in the North Springfield area as well as what the future may hold. A roll call was conducted of the active membership and non-members were invited to share during the service. After the celebration, everyone attended a fellowship meal downstairs.
Agape House Worldwide
2019 Liberia Ambassador Trip
Submitted by Africa/Europe Area Director Bryce Whiting:
It was a bit of an adventure for us all before our departure even started, but God had prepared Team Liberia to trust in his unfailing guidance. Two valued teammates arrived in Monrovia, Liberia two days later than expected due to flight delays, but at last we were all together. We boarded a hired van (well chaperoned by seven Africans), traveled 80 minutes to our hotel in Buchanan and settled in quickly for the night. The following day’s challenges could wait another eight hours.
“FLEXIBILITY is our middle name.” This was our mantra long before we even started the journey. How true it proved to be! I was told months earlier that the conference was Monday – Wednesday but on the van, I was informed that it continued through Thursday. Okay. We arrived at the Buchanan AC Church to hear, “You will not be doing any training today. Training will begin tomorrow.” Surprise, but still okay. Many introductions were made. Pastors, youth leaders, associate pastors, evangelists, etc., were all introduced to us. We also introduced ourselves and gave them gifts: Treasures (audio Bibles in Bassa), neckties for the men and doilies for the ladies. They seemed delighted with our gifts and then Conference Vice President Stephen Gbassage leaned over to me and asked, “Are you ready to bring a message?” Hoo boy! Curve balls were being thrown our way, but we were determined to hit them out of the park, “Flexibility” being our middle name.
The following days were spent in teaching and training. Pastors John Jones and John Walsh each led one session and were available for Q&A. Pastor Jones had shepherded the Liberian church in Providence, R.I. This was good for me because his ear was well tuned to the Liberian accent and could help me understand what they were saying.
Nurse Chelsea Date and assistant Emily Pires were busy all week long working with a medical clinic. The building they used was a shell of a fenced-in structure. They quickly established themselves and went to work taking blood-pressure, blood tests, temperature, height, weight, eyesight and giving corrective reading lenses to those who needed them. Chase Bradley assisted in the details of this operation. Paul Kneeland attended the conference and was a great encouragement in prayer. He was bold in his approach to people, inviting them to receive ministry from God as he prayed for them.
We had asked to see the Christian School in Buchanan. That wish was granted on Thursday morning. We gave pencils to all of the students and, since they were all being taught English, we gave gospels of John in English. Preschoolers benefited from small bottles of bubble-stuff and wands. Most impressive were some students selected to demonstrate their capacity to memorize and recite large segments of literature. Then the stark reality hit us – these nearly 100 students were all in the same classroom. It was a one-room schoolhouse with nine grades, a kindergarten and a preschool. Amazing! The high school was meeting at a different location.
We returned in the late morning to discover that the Leadership Conference which we thought was going through the day was instead to end at noon. “Flexibility” is our middle name.
We also requested to see the Medical Center, but were told it was impossible. It had ceased operations as a facility since it could not meet the health department’s standards without renovations. The ministry continues with a single field-worker making house calls without a base of operations. The secretary of the conference explained that it is an embarrassment that this facility should be shut down since they wanted for it to be a ministry to the community. It is their prayer that it might be renovated. On our final weekend in Liberia, we discovered to our surprise that the Medical Center was actually the very building given to our team to set up its wellness checks. We gathered in front of the building and prayed to the Great Physician to renovate this building for the health of the community and for his glory.
Mozambique
In the province of Zambezi, a new Advent Christian church was established in a small village. Where does the church meet? Under a tree.
Below are two photos of President Augusto Ochi Simbi welcoming this new church into the Mozambique Conference.
