Penwood AY Chronicle QUARTER 1
JANUARY - MARCH 2013
PENWOOD YOUTH DEPARTMENT
PENWOOD SDA CHURCH 51-53 PENWOOD ROAD, KINGSTON 11 1st Quarter Overview
G
od has safely brought us through the first quarter of 2013. Looking back, we can certainly attest to His goodness and His grace towards us. The Adventist Youth Department at the beginning of the quarter, set out to accomplish numerous objectives, with its mission grounded in leading young people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and to help them embrace His call to discipleship. This required re-visioning Youth Ministries and reclaiming Jesus as the centre of Youth Ministries. We have accepted God’s special call for us in Mark 1: 17 – ‘And Jesus said unto them, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”’ We are thankful that God has been working in us and through us as we earnestly strive to fulfill what He has called us to do. Below are several of the planned events/activities that were executed within the first quarter of 2013. • • • • • • • •
Revisioning Youth Ministeries Band Potluck AY Street Meeting Socials Youth Prayer Band Youth Prayer Walk Morning Watch & SOP Quotes Global Youth Day & Week of Prayer
We are at the genesis of the second quarter and we embrace the possibilies with fervour and joy. There is a great work to be done and we crave your prayers and your support as we seek to spread the Advent Message to all the world in our generation.
Global Youth Day 2013...Be the Sermon
Community Touched By Acts Of Kindness Community touched by Acts of Kindness over 200 lives were touched by acts of kindness extended to the community of Waterhouse, St. Andrew on Global Youth Day 2013. On March 16, 2013, all around the world within towns, cities and villages, Adventist youths were commissioned to be the hands and feet of Jesus through various acts of kindness. Here at our local church, three distinct acts of kindness were initiated by the Youth Department in keeping with the mandate from the General Conference. At the break of day, the youth came out in droves in anticipation for the work that was ahead in the field of Waterhouse. After a refreshing devotional exercise, three teams which represented the three areas (Good Samaritan
Corner, Health Corner and Kiddies Corner) were formed. Subsequently, the army of youth, clad in blue T-shirts and flat shoes, traversed to the different areas to share and extend their acts of kindness.
Good Samaritan Corner
Several food packages were distributed to shut-ins and other community persons in need within the vicinity of Russian Corner. As the
Good Samaritan team ventured to their area, while
singing praises to the Lord, they ensured that community residents along the lanes and avenues received words of prayer and encouragement. “I really felt as though I was truly being of service to the community and I am glad that I was able to make an impact,” recounted an avid Good Samaritan team
member.
Health Corner
Strategically located at the Corner of Penwood Road and West Bay Road was the Health Corner. As community members passed by, their interest was awakened by the array of services offered by the health team which included weight, height, blood pressure and blood sugar checks. Coupled with the provision of such services, individual health counseling sessions were facilitated to persons living with chronic diseases and those who were also at risk. Additionally, food packages were distributed to selected individuals and community members also benefitted from an informative and educational health charge. “I am happy that I chose the health corner especially when I saw the impact that the services offered made
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on the community members,” expressed a member of the health team.
Kiddies Corner
This act of kindness was readily received by residents within the
vicinity of Balmagie Avenue. Consequently, scores of children came out to participate in the carefully crafted outdoor Sabbath School. The Bible Stories and drama presentation shared undoubtedly grabbed the chil-
The Journey to Holywell, Tourch Bearers finds the path. -Contributed by the Torchbearer Pathfinder Club On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, the Penwood Pathfinder Club had its annual hike to Holywell. At approximately 8:30 pm, fifty seven hikers departed from the Penwood Church Grounds to Gordon Town Square. At Gordon Town we regrouped into smaller units before starting our thirteen miles journey to Holywell. On our rigorous journey we took a short cut through an area called Pine Grove. As we ventured through its terrain we en-
countered a break away on the trail; this was our first obstacle. However, amidst such obstacle, true team work was revealed as we all had to work together to get over to the other side of the trail. We purposed in our hearts to get to the destination even in the face of challenges. We then continued on our adventurous journey to a point called Red Light, Irish Town which was about half the journey. At Red Light we rested and rehydrated ourselves for
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dren’s attention as they watched and listened attentively. The love of God and the true meaning of being good Samaritans were not only taught but also demonstrated as the children received refreshments as well
as tokens such as story books, notebooks and writing instruments at the end of the Sabbath School. Several food packages were also given to a number of community residents.
the journey that was ahead of us. Successively, we continued along the terrains to get to our destination. We finally arrived at Holywell after 1:00 am. We unpacked our sleeping bags and slept until after 6:00 am.
Youth and Health
When we woke up in the morning we were surrounded by the evidence of God’s splendid creations- the brightness of the morning, the green lush vegetation, the fresh fragrance of mountain air and the warm sunshine in the cool Blue and John Crow Mountains. We were all granted the opportunity to commune with God in nature. Through our worship exercise that followed, we were spiritually fed. We were reminded of the coming of our Jesus that is drawing even closer and were encouraged to live a life that is pleasing in the sight of God. After our worship session we proceeded to accomplish our planned activities such as having our meals and fulfilling out track and trail requirement. After all the activities were completed, we said good bye to Holywell as we hiked back to Gordon Town. It was truly a refreshing experience communing with God in nature.
Steps to Radiant Living… Take a NEWSTART!!
We want to feel alive and energetic, look forward to each new day, and enjoy optimum health. To accomplish this, each of us must assume responsibility in an intelligent way for our own well-being. What can we do to take charge of our health? Is there a simple plan that can be followed by those interested in vibrant health and wellness? Yes, there is! The NEWSTART program provides eight basic concepts proven to bring forth optimal health and strength to the mind and body. These principles provide the foundation for dealing with any health condition successfully. In fact, applied individually, each health principle is very effective; but combined; the benefits are multiplied beyond what each one by itself could do. Learn how you can have a New Start every day for the rest of your life with this Health
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William Arnold’s decision to canvas in Antigua.
Program. These 8 Laws are the foundation of health.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
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Nutrition Exercise Water Sunshine Temperance Air Rest Trust In God
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” -3 John 2
A Beauty Recipe that Works! For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.
Know Your Roots! The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica It is not at all surprising that Literature Evangelism has played such a significant role in the development of our work since the Seventh-day Adven-
tist message reached Jamaica via the printed word. It was during the Victorian era, amid peace and relative prosperity that Adventism was born. The beginning of the work in Jamaica was the direct result of
Arnold was a devout colporteur who embraced the gospel commission, thus, he went out into the world preaching the gospel of Jesus. While canvasing in Antigua, he sold a book “The Coming King” (written by Edson White, son of EG White) to one Henry Palmer. After reading the book Mr. Palmer was impressed to send it to his son William ‘James’ Palmer in Kingston Jamaica. William Palmer, while walking along the wharf in Kingston, found a tract. He read its content but could not understand it; he decided to put it aside with the intention of reading it at a more convenient time. It was at that time that; through the work of the Holy Spirit, he received the book sent by his father and discovered that both the tract and the book that he was sent were from the same publishers- The International Tract Society. In 1891, at his request, the Tract Society in the United States of America mailed literature to Jamaica, which he distributed in the city. He gave some to a Dr. Ross, who in turn gave them away as he was not particularly interested in religious literature. He gave one to Mrs. Marga-
ret Harrison who is said to be the first Adventist in Jamaica and whose plea to a General Conference session in Battle Creek, Michigan, resulted in the arrival of the first missionaries to the island, Pastor A J. Haysmer and his wife, on May 26, 1893. In February 1894, the first church with a membership of thirty- seven (37) was organized in the vicinity of the National Hero’s Park. Shortly after, a second church was organized at Trinityville in the parish of St. Thomas. Linette Mitchell Thy Light is Come: A Short History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica Published 1990, West Indies College Press.
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The Birth of Penwood Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Penwood has its foundation built on a “Branch Sabbath School”, held in 1961 at Balmagie Avenue, Waterhouse. It commenced with two schools; one at Ashoka Road and the other at Balmagie Avenue, however the Ashoka Road School was unsuccessful and the members joined the Sabbath School held at Balmagie Avenue. The Balmagie “Branch Sabbath School” grew rapidly, and attracted the attention of the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. They subsequently sent representatives to assess the Sabbath School. They were pleased with what they saw. Consequently two (2) lots were purchased on Penwood Road (corner of Ghandi Road) for the location of the body of believers. In 1964, the Conference built a tabernacle of zinc and board. The building had windows that were pushed open from the ground and were held up by wooden braces. The benches were made of board and iron. The flooring of the building was raw concrete. Learn more about our history in the next issue!
Greetings
The Penwood Seventh Day Adventist Youth Department is committed to going “back to basics” by putting Christ as the centre of our lives. We seek to achieve this through seeking the lost youth in our Water house community, present programs that will sustain our youth at Penwood and ensure that our youth enlist in the army of God through serving at church and wherever the Lord leads. It is our hope that through the aid of the Holy Spirit, our youth will be transformed, committed and our community enlightened on the programs that our church offers and more importantly accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We urge every member of Penwood SDA to join the youth department in spreading the good news of salvation, so that the work will be completed and we can live with our Lord in the earth made new. Angela Bernard, Adventist Youth Leader 2013.
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10 Amazing Animal Facts
The wonderful world of animals catches the attention of nearly every human being, no matter what age. While some would venture into the wild to sight the animals in actions, others would rather watch wildlife at its best on television, or then skim through the hordes of literature on them. Animals never cease to amaze the human psyche. 1. Humans daydream with their eyes open, and dolphins actually sleep with one eye wide open. 2. A ‘parliament’ is not just made up of our dear politicians, but is also a group of owls. 3. While there are so many cows grazing in the world, no two cows will ever be found with identical pattern of spots. 4. Dog nose prints are as unique as human finger prints and can be used to identify them. 5. Dogs can smell about 1,000 times better than humans. While humans have 5 million smell-detecting cells, dogs have more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is also four times larger in dogs than in humans. 6. Talk about noise pollution in the jungles! A lion’s roar is so loud that it can be heard up to a distance of five miles. 7. Kangaroos use their tails for balance, so if you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground, it can’t hop. 8. Tigers not only have stripes on their fur, they also have them on their skin. No two tigers ever have the same stripes. 9. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backwards and their wings can beat at up to 80 times per second. 10. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. All the better for them to eavesdrop on your conversations. Genesis 1:2- And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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Say Hiker is exhausted from the long journey to Holywell.
A snapshot of our Band Potluck
Cheese Food items collected from the band families.
Pergamos band members wait patiently for scrumptious meals.
Mouth watering delicacies in store at band Laodicea.
AY executives packaging food items for distribution on Global Youth Day.
Penwood youth joining hands and hearts as they intercede on behalf of the community.
Getting to Know- an AY feature that brings us closer to each other.
Food, Fun and Fellowship!
You are called to Be The Sermon!
We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Join us on our next Prayer Walk!
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Blueprints to Wonderful Relationships Jesus lived and died for us so that we could have a relationship with Him like Adam and Eve had with Him before the Fall—a relationship not based on rules and regulations but a relationship based on the type of love upon which His commandments are based—love for God and love toward fellow humans (Matt. 22:37–40). We need to allow this seed of love to grow in our hearts.
Quote of the Quarter
How can we cultivate this seed?
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Savior might be carried to the whole world!
Pray especially for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When He lives in our hearts, we can be transformed so that our lives reflect the life of Christ.
(Education, p. 271).
We welcome your sugesstions put your suggestion in the box below.
Pray
Study
Read His Word for guidance in everyday life. Also read Ellen White’s books and other books by Christian authors who have good reputations.
Witness.
Tell others about the wonderful love of Jesus you experience as His disciple.
Serve.
Help others in your community. Serve in a soup kitchen or at a homeless shelter or teach an adult how to read. Service possibilities are numerous. Chances are there’s one that fits your talents and abilities.
Thank You for your Feedback
As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we will be able to grow healthy relationships with our friends and family. Here are some ways to help those relationships grow:* continue on page7
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Be realistic
You cannot be all things to all people. Neither can any one person be all things to you. Accept people as they are. God isn’t finished with any of us yet!
Look for the best in others
Undoubtedly, some of your friends and family members will hurt your feelings. Undoubtedly, you will hurt theirs. Forget about it and move on. Look for the best in others.
Be yourself
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Good relationships are made with real people, not fakes or forgeries. ____________ * Joyce Woodford, “Tips on How to Have Healthy Relationships,” Healthy Place, h t t p : / / w w w. h e a l t hy p l a c e. c o m / re l a t i o n s h i p s / healthy-relationships/tips-on-how-tohave-healthyrelationships/menu-id-63/ (accessed December 21, 2009).
?
Guess Who
Adventist Youth Ideals AIM: The Advent message to all the world in my generation. MOTTO: The love of Christ compels me. PLEDGE: Loving the Lord Jesus, I promise to take an active part in the youth ministry of the church, doing what I can to help others and to finish the work of the Gospel in all the world.
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Oh God forgive me when I whine
“I’m blind.” Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.
Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair. I envied her, she seemed Later while walking down so gay, And I wished I was the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue. as fair. He stood and watched the He seemed When suddenly she rose others play. to leave, I saw her hobble not to know what to do. I stopped a moment and down the aisle. She had one leg and used a then I said, “Why don’t crutch. But as she passed, you join the others dear?” He looked ahead without she gave a smile. Oh, God, forgive me a word. And then I knew when I whine. I have two he couldn’t hear. Oh, God, forgive me when legs, the world is mine. I whine. I have 2 ears, the I stopped to buy some world is mine. candy. The lad who sold it With feet to take me had such charm. I talked with him, he where I’d go. With eyes to seemed so glad. If I were see the sunset’s glow. With ears to hear what I’d late, it’d do no harm. Oh, God, forgive And as I left, he said to know. me when I whine me, “I thank you, you’ve I’ve been blessed indeed, been so kind. It’s nice to talk with folks the world is mine. -Author unknown like you. You see,” he said,
Prayer
Lord, Draw Me into a Closer Walk with You Lord, help me to set aside time each day to meet with You alone. As I come before You, teach me to pray the way You want me to. Help me to learn more about You. Lord, You have said, If any thirsts, let him come to Me and drink ( John 7:37). I thirst for more of You because I am in a dry place without You. I come
to You this day and drink deeply of Your Spirit. I know You are everywhere, but I also know there are deeper manifestations of Your presence that I long to experience. Draw me close as I draw near to You, so that I may dwell in Your presence like never before. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 -A Book of Prayer
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Chronicle’s Event List Bible Bowl 2013
Take a walk with Paul from Ephesians to Hebrews Play-off Begins in June “Study to Show Thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 For more Information Please Contact your Youth Leader or the EJC Youth Department at 924-1061-3
Youth Prayer Band
Our Youth Prayer Band is held every Sabbath directly after Divine Service at the back of the church. Let us join hands and together petition the Throne of Grace.
Youth Prayer Walk
All Youth are invited to participate in our Youth Prayer Walk every forth Sabbath each month. The Band Families are also specially invited to join in this initiative. “We are the hands and feet of Jesus”
Read-a-thon
Reading maketh a man. Calling all interested persons to sign up for the read-a-thon which will be held on June 1, 2013. Participants will be required to read any Christian book of their choice and present a creative summary. Prizes & surprised are in store! For more information contact Natara McDermott
Health Run/Walk
Here’s your chance to get in tip top shape! Come out to the EJC Health Run/Walk 2013. Registration period is now open at a cost of $750 (Adults) & $250 (children) Late fees will be attracted after April 27, 2013 Sign up now! See Br. Glenn for more information