The First Christadelphian Haitian Conference
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The
ecclesia in 
Thursday 16 January 2014
The First Christadelphian Haitian Conference
The Bethézer Dormitories — A Home Away From Home
The Bethézer Dormitories —
A Home Away From Home
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Kapalpal Christadelphian School, Vanuatu
Where’s
Vanuatu? These picturesque islands are in the South Pacific, about
1,500 miles from Australia. This beautiful archipelago is not only
noteworthy because of its stunning landscape, but also because of the
spiritual inroads that have been made to spread the Good News.
The Kapalpal Christadelphian School is located on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.
The school opened its doors in 2009 and was begun in support of a brother who was volunteer teaching. The school, originally built to accommodate 70 children, was soon overburdened with 200 students!
A second building was added in 2010 and this year, a junior secondary school has been established. The extra classes for high school have meant that space has again become a major issue.
Thanks to volunteer workers and funding supplied by WCF, this summer a new building was constructed of earth-bags and timber. The students in the high school range in age from 12-20. Such an age range is not unusual in Vanuatu, where non-compulsory education can be interrupted for many reasons. The school follows the curriculum provided by the Vanuatu education department. Since Kapalpal is considered by the authorities to be a 'mission' school, the brethren have the freedom to teach the Good New of the Scriptures.
In the primary school, Sunday School lessons are also taught and a Bible camp is held annually.
The new building is made in good part of
earth bags – synthetic bags filled with dirt. The upper half of the
building is made of timber and is covered by an iron roof. Because the
cost of getting materials to the island is high it was decided to employ
local materials—bags of dirt and timber. Not only did this reduce
building costs, but it was also a design that the local community could
afford and replicate. The bags of earth would also in turn provide
better protection from the cold, wind and rain compared to thatch and
bamboo. It is anticipated that if built well, the earth bag homes should
last much longer than those made of traditional materials. This project
was facilitated by a grant of $20,000 from WCF.
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The Kapalpal Christadelphian School is located on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.
The school opened its doors in 2009 and was begun in support of a brother who was volunteer teaching. The school, originally built to accommodate 70 children, was soon overburdened with 200 students!
A second building was added in 2010 and this year, a junior secondary school has been established. The extra classes for high school have meant that space has again become a major issue.
Thanks to volunteer workers and funding supplied by WCF, this summer a new building was constructed of earth-bags and timber. The students in the high school range in age from 12-20. Such an age range is not unusual in Vanuatu, where non-compulsory education can be interrupted for many reasons. The school follows the curriculum provided by the Vanuatu education department. Since Kapalpal is considered by the authorities to be a 'mission' school, the brethren have the freedom to teach the Good New of the Scriptures.
In the primary school, Sunday School lessons are also taught and a Bible camp is held annually.
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Tuesday 14 January 2014
Maker of most popular weapon asks for repentance
In the world we can find many designers of instruments that can kill human or animal beings. they manage to create a thing able to destroy elements of nature, parts of the creation.
We can wonder how such creators can feel.
Just six months before his death in December Mikhail Kalashnikov described his struggling with the “unbearable spiritual torment” of knowing the carnage the AK-47 rifle wreaked upon the world.
The AK-47, the iconic assault rifle, best known as the Kalashnikov [Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова)], is widely regarded as one of the best - and deadliest in the world. It is is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first designed in 1945 in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov and in 1948 it became introduced as the fixed-stock version into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was born in 1919 to a farming family in rural Russia. His family was viewed unfavorably by the Soviet establishment and deported to Siberia where the young Kalashnikov was forced to hunt with his father's rifle to feed the family. He was a self-taught tinkerer who combined innate mechanical skills with the study of weaponry to design arms that achieved battlefield ubiquity.
Seeing the drawbacks of the standard infantry weapons at the time, he decided to construct a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun.
Mikhail Kalashnikov himself personally negotiated many contracts for weapons exports and licensing. Over the course of his career, he evolved the basic design into a weapons family.
He created the AKM , the RPK, the general-purpose PK machine gun.
On his 90th birthday on 10 November 2009, Kalashnikov was named a "Hero of the Russian Federation" and presented with a medal by President Dmitry Medvedev who lauded him for creating "the brand every Russian is proud of".
In the months before his recent death, the world's greatest gun-maker Mikhail Kalashnikov suffered 'unbearable' pain over the lost lives caused by his weapons, an extraordinary new letter reveals.
He sought urgent spiritual guidance from Russia's top churchman on whether he was guilty in the eyes of God, according to his emotional appeal to the Orthodox Patriarch.
Mr Kalashnikov wrote that he his conversion began with the sense of “excitement” he felt when he first entered a church at the age of 91, later being baptised into the Orthodox faith.
A spokesman for the Church said Patriarch Kirril had welcomed the letter and even written a reply.
When we look at the answer we only can find it strange that those who call themselves man of God can give such a reply:
It is good to notice that this reply may not have comforted the dying Kalashnikov, who began visiting Church at the age of 91 in his working hometown of Izhevsk. At his old age perhaps the sense of responsibility for what one does came to him and made him question all his previous actions.
Even when Kalashnikov would not have killed any people himself, he should have been aware of what the tanks he worked at, the guns he designed and let been manufactured would have done to many people and destroyed many families. His designs remains eminently deadly to this day.
We can wonder how such creators can feel.
Just six months before his death in December Mikhail Kalashnikov described his struggling with the “unbearable spiritual torment” of knowing the carnage the AK-47 rifle wreaked upon the world.
The AK-47, the iconic assault rifle, best known as the Kalashnikov [Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова)], is widely regarded as one of the best - and deadliest in the world. It is is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first designed in 1945 in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov and in 1948 it became introduced as the fixed-stock version into active service with selected units of the Soviet Army.
Mikhail Kalashnikov was born in 1919 to a farming family in rural Russia. His family was viewed unfavorably by the Soviet establishment and deported to Siberia where the young Kalashnikov was forced to hunt with his father's rifle to feed the family. He was a self-taught tinkerer who combined innate mechanical skills with the study of weaponry to design arms that achieved battlefield ubiquity.
Seeing the drawbacks of the standard infantry weapons at the time, he decided to construct a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun.
Mikhail Kalashnikov himself personally negotiated many contracts for weapons exports and licensing. Over the course of his career, he evolved the basic design into a weapons family.
He created the AKM , the RPK, the general-purpose PK machine gun.
On his 90th birthday on 10 November 2009, Kalashnikov was named a "Hero of the Russian Federation" and presented with a medal by President Dmitry Medvedev who lauded him for creating "the brand every Russian is proud of".
In the months before his recent death, the world's greatest gun-maker Mikhail Kalashnikov suffered 'unbearable' pain over the lost lives caused by his weapons, an extraordinary new letter reveals.
He sought urgent spiritual guidance from Russia's top churchman on whether he was guilty in the eyes of God, according to his emotional appeal to the Orthodox Patriarch.
"The pain in my soul is unbearable,"he wrote.
'If my machine gun has taken lives of people, does it mean that it is me, Mikhail Kalashnikov, aged 93, the son of a peasant, an Orthodox Christian, who is guilty of the deaths of people, even if they are enemies?'
"The longer I live, the more often that question gets into my brain, the deeper I go in my thoughts and guesses about why the Almighty allowed humans to have devilish desires of envy, greed and aggression. Everything changes, only a man and his thinking remain unchanged: he's just as greedy, evil, heartless and restless as before!"In his letter to Kirill, which was reproduced by the Russian daily Izvestia on Monday morning, the aging designer explained how he turned to God as he grew older.
Mr Kalashnikov wrote that he his conversion began with the sense of “excitement” he felt when he first entered a church at the age of 91, later being baptised into the Orthodox faith.
A spokesman for the Church said Patriarch Kirril had welcomed the letter and even written a reply.
“This letter was very welcome at a time of attacks on the Church. The Patriarch thanked the legendary designer for his attention and position and answered that Mikhail Timofeevich was himself an example of patriotism and appropriate attitude to the country,”Patriarch Kirill’s spokesman Alexander Volkov told the paper.
When we look at the answer we only can find it strange that those who call themselves man of God can give such a reply:
"If the weapon is used to defend the Motherland, the Church supports both its creators and the servicemen using it."The poor excuse of Mr. Alexander Volkov did not help:
“He invented that weapon for the defence of the country, not for the use of Saudi Arabian terrorists.”This clearly should let the members of that church think about the closeness of that church with the Creator and should wonder how much love they have for the Creation of the Supreme Being.
It is good to notice that this reply may not have comforted the dying Kalashnikov, who began visiting Church at the age of 91 in his working hometown of Izhevsk. At his old age perhaps the sense of responsibility for what one does came to him and made him question all his previous actions.
Even when Kalashnikov would not have killed any people himself, he should have been aware of what the tanks he worked at, the guns he designed and let been manufactured would have done to many people and destroyed many families. His designs remains eminently deadly to this day.
Thursday 2 January 2014
Brits believe Santa present at Jesus’ birth, new poll reveals
A survey of over 2,000 Britons reveals a myriad of false assumptions
surrounding Christmas, including Santa Claus’ presence in the Biblical
account of Jesus’ birth.
According to the poll, 12 per cent of Londoners think the Bible features Father Christmas, while 60 per cent believe the same is true of Mary riding a donkey.
A whopping 84 per cent of the public believes that three kings visited Jesus, despite the Gospels only mentioning “wise men from the East”.
Seven per cent of the public think Christmas trees – introduced in Britain’s Victorian era – are in the Bible, a proportion which nearly doubles among 18 to 35-year-olds.
Continue reading: Brits believe Santa present at Jesus’ birth, new poll reveals
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Additional reading:
According to the poll, 12 per cent of Londoners think the Bible features Father Christmas, while 60 per cent believe the same is true of Mary riding a donkey.
A whopping 84 per cent of the public believes that three kings visited Jesus, despite the Gospels only mentioning “wise men from the East”.
Seven per cent of the public think Christmas trees – introduced in Britain’s Victorian era – are in the Bible, a proportion which nearly doubles among 18 to 35-year-olds.
Continue reading: Brits believe Santa present at Jesus’ birth, new poll reveals
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Additional reading:
- Christmas customs – Are They Christian?
- Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
- Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
- The nativity story
- Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
- Irminsul, dies natalis solis invicti, birthday of light, Christmas and Saturnalia
- Holidays, holy days and traditions
- Wishing lanterns and Christmas
- Christmas trees
- Focus on outward appearances
- Hanukkahgiving or Thanksgivvukah
- Thanksgivukkah and Advent
- The imaginational war against Christmas
- Peter Cottontail and a Bunny laying Eastereggs
- Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
Which Christians Actually Evangelize
A Christian is one who should follow the teachings of Jeshua, the Nazarene born in the tribe of king David, who is been called the son of God and the Messiah or Christ Jesus. One of those tasks Jesus has given to his followers is to go out into the world and to evangelize or witness.
According to a new survey from Barna Group. "Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?" evangelism is fading fastest among the middle class.
On Stepping toes I talk about my frustration when I look at the current position of people willing to bring the Good News to others.
73% of born again Christians say they have a personal responsibility to share their faith with others, but I can not see that they live or take action according to what they believe. Only half (52%) of born again Christians say they actually did share the Gospel at least once this past year to someone with different beliefs, in the hope that they might accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Evangelicals have the highest rate of failure to follow through (31% did not evangelize in the past year). By contrast, Catholics are the least likely to believe evangelism is their personal responsibility (34%), but in the United States have the highest success rate (33% did evangelize in the past year).
The study brings out that millennials are the one generation of "born-again" Christians where "the practice of evangelism is notably on the rise." But also that I can not really notice when I do look at the 'preaching world". Despite being known as the "social justice" generation — alleged to be trading spiritual causes for physical ones — evangelism among millennials increased nine percent in recent years, according to Barna. Other generations either stayed the same or declined in their evangelism practices.
Middle-class "born-again" Christians have the lowest rate of evangelism among other household income groups.
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According to a new survey from Barna Group. "Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?" evangelism is fading fastest among the middle class.
On Stepping toes I talk about my frustration when I look at the current position of people willing to bring the Good News to others.
73% of born again Christians say they have a personal responsibility to share their faith with others, but I can not see that they live or take action according to what they believe. Only half (52%) of born again Christians say they actually did share the Gospel at least once this past year to someone with different beliefs, in the hope that they might accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Evangelicals have the highest rate of failure to follow through (31% did not evangelize in the past year). By contrast, Catholics are the least likely to believe evangelism is their personal responsibility (34%), but in the United States have the highest success rate (33% did evangelize in the past year).
The study brings out that millennials are the one generation of "born-again" Christians where "the practice of evangelism is notably on the rise." But also that I can not really notice when I do look at the 'preaching world". Despite being known as the "social justice" generation — alleged to be trading spiritual causes for physical ones — evangelism among millennials increased nine percent in recent years, according to Barna. Other generations either stayed the same or declined in their evangelism practices.
Middle-class "born-again" Christians have the lowest rate of evangelism among other household income groups.
Notes Barna:
This is particularly paradoxical since born again, middle-income adults are the most likely out of all income groups to affirm their personal responsibility to evangelize—76% do so. Yet only 37% of those adults have shared their faith this past year. Furthermore, born again, middle-income adults are evangelizing less and less. For example, from 2010 to today alone, their outreach efforts dropped from 51% to 37%.
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