Wembley Arena near London became the gathering point for more than 7,000 Seventh-day Adventists April 26, making it the largest-ever such event for the church in Britain.
Wembley Arena near London became the gathering point for more than 7,000 Seventh-day Adventists April 26, making it the largest-ever such event for the church in Britain. The gathering celebrated the centennial of the church’s South England region, and focused on the task of reaching unchurched people via the church’s LIFEdevelopment initiative.
According to Don McFarlane, South England regional president, the event broke records for the church. “We are making history today,” he said. “We believe that this is the largest-ever gathering of Seventh-day Adventists in Britain.” Pastor McFarlane spoke of the church’s heritage and praised the work of his forebear, Ellet J. Waggoner, who became the region’s first president in 1902.
“England is now post-Christian,” said Dwight K. Nelson, senior pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in his address as a guest speaker at the event. “It is as secular as secular can be.”
Nelson challenged the church’s evangelistic outreach to become more relevant to the inhabitants of predominantly secular countries such as England. Issuing a personal challenge to Adventist Church members in the audience, he asked, “How many people are in your social circle? Isn’t it true that we Adventists have become so cloistered that our friendship lists do not include those who are outside where it is dark?”
Spelling out the practical implications of this, he went on to explain that post-Christian westerners want to belong before they believe, and, turning to the president sitting behind him he said, “Pastor McFarlane, we are going to have to reverse some of our methods.”
The concept of “friendship evangelism”, which appears so radical to many, is already being heavily promoted throughout the British Union Conference under the banner of LIFEdevelopment. For more than a year Pastor McFarlane and his administrators have been encouraging their pastors and members to get involved with the project, which aims to help individuals build up a network of friends in preparation for a satellite television series entitled “Evidence,” with host Pastor Nelson broadcast from London next year.
History was also made during the evening musical program when the International Adventist Symphony Orchestra performed for the first time. Formed under the auspices of the Adventist Musicians’ Association and conducted by Chris Rogers, the 80-piece orchestra drew musicians from countries such as Switzerland, Serbia, Russia, Iceland, Australia and South Korea, as well as British musicians from a variety of cultural heritages.
A 200-strong massed choir, combining the voices of more than 10 separate choirs, including the internationally famous London Adventist Chorale, backed the orchestra. Ken Burton, television celebrity and conductor of the London Adventist Chorale, co-hosted the evening and introduced a wide variety of items, ranging from a Rachmaninov piano concerto performed by the orchestra and soloist Junko Urayama, to lively spirituals sung by artists such as Denise Wint and Paul Lee.
In his closing comments, British Union Conference President Cecil Perry returned to the theme of LIFEdevelopment. “I challenge you to search your community and tell others what Jesus has done for you,” he said.