January 18, 2013   
   
Atlantic Union    |    Gleaner Online    |    Youth Ministries    |    NY13    |    AUAM
Gearing up for the NY13 Revelation of Hope Evangelistic Meetings
The long-awaited, long talked about NY13 Revelation of Hope evangelistic initiative geared to reaching people in Metro New York with the gospel of Jesus Christ in 2013 and beyond is here. More than 420 churches are expected to participate in the meetings. Several church departments, including Personal Ministries, Ministerial, Education, Health Ministries, Prayer Ministries, Youth Ministries, to name a few, will join together in this endeavor. Local and international evangelists will bring messages of hope at various times beginning March 1  through October 31. A list of participating churches and the schedule of meetings will soon be available on the revelationofhope.org Web site. Those wishing to volunteer at any of the meetings must visit ny13.org, click on "Forms," then complete and submit the "Supporting Ministries Online Form." The deadline for visiting evangelists to register is January 25. All visiting evangelists will be informed of their church assignment (if not already contacted) within two weeks of January 25.You will be hearing a lot more about these meetings in the coming months! To stay up-to-date with information regarding NY13, visit the ny13.org Web site, the facebook.com/ny13.org page, or sign up to receive the NY13 Update electronic newsletter.

13-year-old Shot While on the Way to Choir Rehearsal
Thirteen-year-old Gabriel Clarke, a junior deacon who sings in the choir, was shot in the stomach as he walked to choir rehearsal at Berea Seventh-day Adventist Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on Friday, January 11, 2013. He was rushed to the Boston Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery that would save his life. Nigel G. David Sr., the church's pastor, along with several others from the church, have been working closely with the family since the incident occurred. David rushed to the hospital when he received the news. Hundreds attended a prayer service at the church on Wednesday evening, January 16, 2013. Among those attending were Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis; Councilors John Connolly, Tito Jackson, and Ayanna Pressley; Marie St. Fleur, a member of Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Cabinet; and clergy from other churches. Jerrell Gilkeson, Atlantic Union Office of Education associate director, who attended the prayer service said, "The church was packed with local officials, police, and church members celebrating that he is alive. We were encouraged to get to know our neighbors so that this kind of violence could be stopped." The incident is still under investigation. Clarke is expected to be released from the hospital soon.

A Few Related Links:
Adventists Volunteer at Donation Center in Newtown
Tom McQuarrie, Southern New England Conference Adventist Community Services Disaster Relief coordinator for Connecticut and Rhode Island, along with a team of eight trained individuals, managed more than 500 volunteers in the Newtown, Connecticut, warehouse operation. The town was overwhelmed with donated goods as a result of the outpouring of sympathy after the horrific shooting of children and teachers on December 14, 2012. Volunteers came from the town and from near and far, including many Adventists from the Southern New England Conference. They processed more than 3,500 boxes filled with stuffed animals (about 60,000 in all), 1,700 boxes of school supplies, 400 boxes of toys, 132 boxes of blankets, and many boxes of other items. The operation has moved into the distribution phase, where the victims' families and town officials will determine what is to be done with the items. The residents of Newtown whose lives were so profoundly changed by this tragedy continue to need prayers.---Excerpt from the article that will appear in the February issue of the Atlantic Union Gleaner
Theology of Ordination Study Committee Web site
The Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC), authorized by the General Conference in September of 2012, began its formal work this week (January 15-17). TOSC is composed of 106 Adventist men and women of diverse ages, ethnicities, and professions, and have the responsibility of answering two primary questions: "What is the theology of ordination from a biblical perspective?" and "What should the implications of this theology be for Seventh-day Adventist practices, including the question of women's ordination?" The committee will present its report at the 2014 Annual Council. A Web site has been created to provide information about the process and other resources.
Rally at Hunter College With Ted Wilson - January 19
Thousands of Adventists from churches in the Greater New York area will join Ted Wilson, Seventh-day Adventist Church president, tomorrow, January 19, at the Hunter College Assembly Hall, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10065, for a life-changing experience of praying, preparing, and planning to impact New York City and the surrounding area for Christ. Pastors in the Metro New York churches were given free tickets for the event. The musical guest is Charles Haugabrooks. The doors open at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are required up to 3:45 p.m. After that, it is as seats are available. The service ends promptly at 6:00 p.m. Translation will be provided in Spanish via radios. Please see ushers. The event will NOT be broadcast or streamed live.
Lay Training - January 20
A day of Lay Training to discover ways to be an effective witness for Christ in New York City will be held in three locations in New York on Sunday, January 20. Click Here to register.  The locations are:

  • Linden Adventist Church, 228-20 137th Ave., Laurelton, Queens, NY 11413. Time: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The doors will be opened at 8:30.
  • Manhattan Adventist Church, 232 West 11th St., NY 10014. Time: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Fort Washington Spanish Church, 502 W. 157th St., New York, NY; Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  (Spanish Language Lay Evangelistic Training)  
NETS Spring Semester to be Held in New York City
NETS (Northeast Evangelism Training School) is an evangelistic training school that prepares soul-winners who are cross-trained in Bible work, health evangelism, and public evangelism. NETS is an initiative of the Atlantic Union Conference, with the support of the General Conference and the North American Division. Whether you just want to be more effective at sharing your own faith with others or you're looking for a stepping stone to a career in lay ministry, NETS has what you're looking for. The spring semester will be held in New York City in conjunction with NY13 from March 8 to July 6 and is designed for commuters. The fall semester will be on the campus of Atlantic Union College and will run from August 16 to December 7. For more information, e-mail [email protected].---Eric Flickinger, NETS director
NY13 Communication Workshop 2013 - January 27
Fifteen church communicators are slated to share tips of the trade with dozens of local church leaders who are preparing to coordinate communication efforts for the Adventist Church's major city evangelism initiative. Officials expect that throughout the year, churches in and around the New York City metropolitan area will host more than 400 meetings. This number includes churches in the Atlantic Union Conference's Greater New York, Northeastern, and Southern New England conferences. New York City is the first of about 650 cities the Seventh-day Adventist Church is targeting for evangelism.

Kumar Dixit, a pastor in the Chesapeake Conference, is the keynote speaker. Garrett Caldwell, public relations director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is the devotional speaker. After Dixit speaks at the North Bronx (NY) church where the training will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., participants will attend workshops on news writing, photography, social media, video production, media relations and graphic design, and more. "As people are baptized and lives are changed, we want their stories to be captured and shared with the world as a source of inspiration about what God is doing through the NY13 initiative," says Rohann Wellington, Greater New York Conference communication director and chair of the NY13 communication committee. Learn more and register at www.ny13.org/communication or call (516) 627-9350, ext. 131.---Adapted from a news release by Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Conference assistant to the president for communication.
Compassion Annual Rally, New York City - March 22-24
More than 5,000 Adventist young adults, college and university students, youth, and their friends are expected to bless New York City with intentional acts of compassion during the weekend of March 22-24. During the Compassion Rally they will be able to reach out through many different projects to those in need in the city and the areas affected by Superstorm Sandy. They will come from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Bermuda, as well as several other states and countries of the world to participate together in the projects. At least one young adult from each of the other 12 divisions of the World Church will be present to reach out to the big city. Youth and youth adults from BAYDA's iServe Moment across the country will also participate. Anyone coming from out of town who would like to be hosted in one of the churches or schools should contact the Atlantic Union Adventist Youth Ministries. The Compassion Rally will conclude on Sabbath evening with a Candlelight Prayer March/Walk through some historic landmarks and a combined prayer for the city. Jos� Cort�s, Atlantic Union Adventist Youth Ministries director, says, "Become part of the Compassion Movement that calls for Adventist youth and young adults in the Northeast United States and the islands of Bermuda to live a lifestyle with the priorities of Jesus 24/7, 365 days, because actions speak louder than words." For more information, visit the Compassion Movement Web site or call (978) 368-8333 ext. 3016.
Hispanic and Portuguese Elders Retreat/Training - March 15-17
The Atlantic Union Hispanic and Portuguese ministries department will hold a Hispanic and Portuguese Elders Retreat/Training on March 15-17 at Honor's Haven, 1195 Arrowhead Rd., Ellenville, NY 12428. For more information, contact Pastor Dionisio Olivo or Milca Amich at (978) 368-8333 ext. 3016 or e-mail [email protected]. Click here to download the flyer in Spanish. 
January's Poll Question
Take a moment to respond to January's poll question: "Do you attend Sabbath school?"
      So far, 33.3 percent said yes and 66.7 percent said sometimes. Invite a friend to stop by the Atlantic Union's "Home" page and answer January's poll question. 
If you are using Internet Explorer and the link does not work, please switch to Mozilla Firefox or another browser. 
Atlantic Union Conference Wednesday Morning Prayer 

Join the Atlantic Union Conference Prayer Ministries Department every Wednesday morning from 6:30-7:30 a.m. for early morning prayer. Call (712) 451-6100. Code: 3687072#.     

Connect With Us Online
Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter
In This Issue
Gearing up for NY13
13-year-old Shot
ACS Volunteer at Newtown
Theology of Ordination
Rally at Hunter College
Lay Training
NETS Spring Semester
Communication Workshop
Compassion Rally
Hispanic Elders Retreat
January's Poll Question
Wednesday Morning Prayer

  

 Submit your prayer request. All prayer requests will be prayed for individually.

What's Ahead




About Atlantic Union Conference
Founded in 1901, the Atlantic Union Conference is the headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the northeast United States and the islands of Bermuda. It serves six conferences, more than 108,913 members who worship in 570 churches and 56 groups, 63 schools, one health care facility, and numerous community-based ministries.

The Atlantic Union Gleaner FYI is a news and information bulletin produced by the Communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Atlantic Union Conference. You are free to reprint any portion of the bulletin without the need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify Atlantic Union Gleaner FYI whenever you publish these materials.

Ednor A. P. Davison, communication director/editor
Joanne Cort�s, Communication Office Assistant 
Web site: www.atlantic-union.org           E-mail: [email protected]