Mother-of-three Erzsebet Gordon is making a difference in Exeter by organising playgroup facilities for disabled children. Meeting in the Seventh-day Adventist church in King Williams Street, Erzsebet is a teacher who specialises in neuro-rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy.

She told the Exeter based Express & Echo newspaper, "When I took my youngest child to several playgroups, I could see a lot of mums there, but none who had children with special needs. I wondered if they had a playgroup for themselves. But when I talked to mums, they said there was only one in the whole of Exeter."

This set her to thinking, and with a group of volunteers she set up 'Playright' in the church hall. The Tuesday morning sessions are open to under-fives with any kind of disability, along with their siblings and include songs, movement, arts and crafts, storytelling, activities to improve manipulation skills and snack time.

Erzsebet has been attending the Adventist church in Exeter for over a year now after watching the Hope Channel and 3ABN on Hotbird. Local pastor, Bertie de Nysschen says, "She is very much a part of the church family." The church is really supporting this initiative providing the facilities rent free and helping with insurance and specialist toy rental costs. Pastor de Nysschen told BUC News, "We want to get involved and make something really good." He was with the group on Tuesday and was very impressed both with Erzsebet's leadership and the joy the mothers are finding in sharing with each other in a specialist playgroup.

Anna, a mother of two, is one such parent. She told the Express & Echo, "When I heard about the group, I was really happy to think there was somewhere like this to go. What's nice is I can take them both and they really enjoy it. While I'm there they look after Grace and help me with Harriet so that I get to speak to other parents in the same situation as myself, which I haven't done up until now, and it has helped."

Erzsebet told the Express & Echo that she has a special emphasis for 'Playright': "We focus on every child, their needs, what they can do and what we want them to achieve."

For the full Express & Echo story click here.

In the midst of recession there is double good news for ADRA-UK.

This week the Christmas Shoebox container, laden with 7,000 shoeboxes, was loaded onto the back of a truck to start its journey to Guyana. "We are continually excited by the positive response to this appeal," states Office Manager, Valerie Austin. She will fly out to Guyana to oversee the distribution of the goodies to the children there. "This is going to make for one special Christmas for these children," she says. "I cannot wait to see their joyful faces!"

The second piece of good news as mentioned in last week's BUC News (#613) comes via the generosity of the Reed Foundation. "For just two weeks in December", Bert Smit, ADRA-UK director reports, "any online donation for ADRA-UK given through a specific website will be doubled! It sounds incredible but it is true!"

The Reed Foundation is generously supporting charities on The Big Give website by matching all donations that are made online through their website. The Reed Foundation will spend £1 million to match donations of up to £5,000 (per donation). Any donations over £5,000 will have the first £5,000 matched only. The maximum amount matched per charity is £20,000.

Matched donations from the Reed Foundation will start on Monday 1 December 2008, after 9:00 am. The scheme will finish once £1 million has been donated. Smit says, "It is very easy to donate and double your gift. Go to , and search for ADRA-UK. On ADRA-UK's information page, click the 'Double your Donation' button (only visible between 1 - 14 December). Enter your details and, if eligible, remember to click the Gift Aid box. A matched donation from the Reed Foundation will be added to your total gift and will be paid to ADRA-UK."

Remember, this is ONLY valid from 0900 on Monday 1 December until Sunday 14 December and only online at .

Just imagine, your £100 donation could be worth £228, including Gift Aid, to help make a difference. If you want to help people in need this Christmas through ADRA, why not make a donation in December and double the gift!

Three stories concerning the fire on 16 November at the Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the UK and Ireland. 1. BUC OFFICE TEMPORARY RELOCATION 2. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH HQ DESTROYED BY FIRE 3. BUSINESS AS USUAL

BUC OFFICE TEMPORARY RELOCATION

Following the fire at the British Union Conference office on Sunday, 16 November the staff have been urgently looking for alternative temporary accommodation. After considering a range of options from fully serviced offices through to Portakabins the Administration hopes to sign a contract early next week for an office in a light industrial area approximately five miles from Stanborough Park.

With a 75% loss on the main part of the building staff are relieved to have been able to retrieve some major items including wills and deeds which were secure in the fire-proof strong room. The contents of many filing cabinets have also been saved. Much electronic data was backed up on the server and has been retrieved and some computers have been sent to a specialist firm to recover the hard disks.

The week has been very busy with visits from loss adjustors, architects, the removal of filing cabinets and materials to safe storage and arranging for appropriate support for staff members so that work can go on. The ADRA-UK office has remained a central hub for staff who stop by to collect their post, have a hot drink, or hold impromptu meetings in the very crowded Director's office. The South England Conference continues to provide both office space for some staff members and phone support. Staff have also worked at Stanborough Secondary school. The BUC number is now redirected to a very efficient answering service with voice mail going directly to staff member email accounts.

Following an emergency Executive Committee on Sunday, 23 November, the administration is now looking to restore the far end of the building that houses the ABC Bookshop, the Adventist Discovery Centre (ADC) and the Media Centre. It is hoped to have this section operating again within the next four months. Plans are being developed for the main section of the building with the aim being to provide for the needs of a twenty-first century office environment. It is planned to increase the floor space and ensure that departments have the facilities to work effectively in the mission of the church. It is anticipated that the whole redevelopment project will be completed within eighteen months.

While temporary relocation will cause some headaches during the intervening period, BUC Treasurer Victor Pilmoor believes "that we can be housed comfortably for the next year to 18 months." In the somewhat smaller office he says, "Look forward to being comfortable with your neighbour." What is certain is that BUC staff are determined that the mission of the church will continue.

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH HQ DESTROYED BY FIRE

A major fire at the Headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the UK & Ireland has gutted the building. The fire appears to have started during maintenance work that was taking place on Sunday, 16 November 2008 and quickly spread through the roof to engulf a major part of the building.

Fire services were called to the scene at approximately 2.10 pm and ten fire tenders battled the blaze throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Initial assessments indicate that 75 percent of the building was destroyed. Much of the contents were either fire or water damaged. There were no casualties or injuries. Fire crews continued on the scene through the night and were still damping down parts of the building until late afternoon on Monday.

Mrs Frances Brooks works in the ABC Bookshop located at the far end of the building and was the only person inside at the time. She evacuated the building on hearing the fire alarm and was shocked to see smoke pouring out of the roof above the board room.

"This will obviously prove a major disruption to our work," stated Communication director, Victor Hulbert. "However, we are relieved that nobody was hurt and we are already making plans as to how best to deal with the aftermath."

On Monday morning staff met for prayer and to develop contingency plans. Under the supervision of the fire brigade they were also able to move equipment from the downstairs offices. The first floor remains inaccessible. The far end of the building containing the ABC Book Shop, the Adventist Discovery Centre and the BUC Media Centre remains largely undamaged though stock and contents have been damaged by water and smoke. Despite the setbacks staff are in a positive spirit and have made a commitment to restore a normal service as soon as possible and so ensure that the work and mission of the church can continue to move forward as smoothly as possible.

Pastor Don McFarlane, President of the Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland has made the following statement:

"The fire at our church headquarters has surely affected operations. However, it is a comfort to know that the work of the church is not primarily done in an office building but by our many thousands of members throughout the UK and Ireland in towns, villages and cities where they live.

"We will salvage what we can from the ruins of the building and seek to have a replacement as soon as the attendant factors allow. The sorry state of this building, which for nearly 50 years has stood proudly on Stanborough Park reminds us that there is no real security in anything that is fashioned by the hand of men. Our security is in God and His plans for the human family."

Hundreds of messages of sympathy and support have poured in from across the country and around the world. Pastor Duncan Mumbo, President of the Kenya Lake Field, Kenya wrote, "We are putting you in our prayers throughout our territory. The Sabbath of 22 November has been set apart for specials prayers for the BUC." Pastor John Surridge, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wales wrote from Montenegro where church leaders from across the Trans-European region of the church are meeting. He says, "We all recognise the enormity of this event and the work that lies ahead. We wish you all God's blessings." Billy Odumuzor, a local church leader, writes, "May I express my sympathies to all Adventist members in view of the fire which has destroyed part of our BUC Office. Let us join in thanking God that nobody was injured as a result."

The office will be closed until further notice and the phone system is not working. Email was restored on Wednesday 19 November and is the preferred method to contact BUC staff.

Photos of the tragedy can be seen on the BUC Picture Gallery.

EXTRAS:

1. Photos on  the fire on Facebook.  2. Facebook photos of the aftermath inside the building.  3. A short video report prepared by the  SEC Media Centre.

"The BUC is on fire". These opening words of Pastor Don McFarlane, President of the British Union Conference did not refer to the recent incident at the BUC offices, but were a metaphor for the evangelistic work that is going on throughout the territory.

Speaking last Saturday evening at the Lay Bible Workers' Conference, held at Staverton Park in Daventry, he urged the members to continue to "spread the fire in your corner" as he launched 2009 Year of Evangelism.

Personal evangelism was the buzzword over the weekend. The two main speakers were Dr Joseph Kidder, Associate Professor of Christian Ministry at Andrews University and Dr Wilmar Hirle, Associate Publishing director of the General Conference. Both men spoke passionately about telling the good news of Jesus Christ to family and friends.

In his opening message on Friday evening, Dr Kidder urged the members to learn to pray and to "continue in prayer". Drawing on his own experiences as a minister he shared how, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, he grew a church from 30 members to 600 in eight years. He said "cooperation of man with God can give amazing results".

All aspects of the weekend were bathed in prayer, none less than the delicately passionate messages by Dr Hirle, who spoke about spreading our literature as "leaves of autumn". He states that publishing "is a work that I think is one of the most important in the church, but one of the most under utilised". Complimenting the messages of these speakers, were Dr Michael Hamilton from the Trans-European Division who gave an excellent presentation on mentoring and Denzil McNeilus from ASI, who flew in just for this event for a whirlwind four hours. Mr McNeilus gave an overview of a recently produced DVD entitled New Beginnings, a resource to assist the lay members in giving Bible studies. A free copy was given to all attendees.

In addition to the plenary sessions there were thirteen seminars, most of which were repeated three times covering various ways the Adventist Discovery Centre, Youth, Health, Children and Family Ministries can all work together in sharing the good news. Together, this has already made a difference. A member from Cambridge church said, "I not only learned so much, my soul was truly lifted up to heaven." A pastor added, "I was re-inspired this weekend".

Pastor Eglan Brooks, BUC Personal Ministries director coordinated the event. "I thank God for the blessings of the weekend," he said. "I believe that the work of the Lord will be finished by a consecrated laity who is out there giving Bible studies and witnessing alongside the clergy. Next year is the Year of Evangelism and this event was to support members in their work next year - reclaiming England for Christ.".

[Catherine Anthony Boldeau]

Two churches. Two Sabbaths. Twenty better ways to communciate.

Camp Hill church spent a special Sabbath on 15 November honing their communication skills. Organised by Patrick Ng'ona, leader of the communication team, this was more than a passive day of listening. In the main service hour members were challenged as to whether they had "beautiful feet" as BUC Communication director, Victor Hulbert visually led them from the ugliness of the apostle Paul's feet as he traipsed across Asia Minor to the realisation that they were beautiful because they were the tool that allowed him to share the 'Good News'. "Radio antennae, satellite dishes, mobile phones and the internet are the 'beautiful feet' of the twenty-first century," Pastor Hulbert stated as he shared ways that the church has been making its message known since its inception in the 1840s.

During the morning and an extended afternoon meeting members looked at how their church could become a better tool starting from the church signage, to the welcome, to the way members and leaders interact with the local media and community. Some time was also spent in crisis management with the ministerial intern, Emanual Bran, being accused in a role play of being a major drug baron from Eastern Europe. Members learnt how to react to members of the press while Pastor Bran, still with a smile on his face, was reassured that it was only an illustration for learning purposes. One member commented, "Even if it was true in the past we would still forgive him as we can see God's love coming through in his ministry."

The following week High Wycombe Sands church participated in a similar training programme with the added value of being able to reflect on press coverage of the fire at the British Union Conference headquarters the previous Sunday. Norma Sinclair stated, "I didn't realise that there were so many simple things we could do that would raise the profile of our church. These are valuable ideas we can put into practice." Victor Hulbert adds, "It is really not so much the church, but in raising the church profile we raise the profile of the God we serve. That is what our community needs to see." Hand-outs from both events are available on the Communication page of the BUC website.

Sabbath 15 November saw the Plumstead Community Seventh-day Adventist church hit the road in a march for Christ and against some of the atrocities of society.

The sound of the marching band from Brixton Adventist church drew the attention of everyone as they led the approximately two-mile march up and down Plumstead High Street. People waved at us, joined in our singing and happily received the numerous pieces of literature distributed.

The street march immediately followed Sabbath's divine hour service in which 42 members of the Plumstead Church Pathfinder Club were invested. These included 4 Master Guides, 7 Pathfinders and, 31 Adventures. Trevor Harewood, the Pathfinder area coordinator, was present and led out in the investiture service.

Pastor Esson chose the theme, "Not For Sale", challenging those to be invested that, "The Pathfinder movement is one of the greatest movements in the Adventist church. Its members are not for sale and neither should its members undersell the Advent movement." He then went on to quote the words of Dr B L Melbourne, one of his past Club directors while a Pathfinder in his home church in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica. "Don't undersell the Advent movement in your thinking. Don't depreciate it with your ignorance. Know why you are what you are and let the world know it."

This service was immediately followed by the street march shepherded by Sergeant Wray and his force from the Plumstead Police Station. Pastor Esson thanked the police for their support and took the opportunity to present to them an award of appreciation.

One of the stories from the march was that of a young man who joined in the singing of the Pathfinder Song. The club members were pleasantly surprised and immediately reported the incident to Pastor Esson. He immediately found the young man and after a short conversation with him – the young man revealed that he was "bred and brought up in the Adventist church" and that he was once a Pathfinder. Gary promised to be in church next Sabbath.

[Simeon Esson]

Dr Pasi Guti, a hospital specialist in Cardiology and local Health Ministries leader at the Camp Hill church, oversaw the successful launch of the MicroCHIP training programme on Sunday, 16 November 2008.

Other leading presenters included MicroCHIP champions Malcolm and Naomi Watson.

The Coronary Health Improvement Programme is a health education programme combining all of the essential elements to reduce heart disease risk. Most participants had pre-registered for the 4 week - 8 session course. The programme was vastly oversubscribed, the few spaces that were left on the first day being promptly filled, leaving those who had left it to the last minute, regretting their procrastination.

A team of professionals and trained technicians ensured that health checks for blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index were recorded as reference figures at the outset. These will be checked for all participants at the final session.

Hot soup and tasters of healthy recipes that would appeal to the mature and younger pallets were served early in the session. Many were surprised how deliciously and appetisingly pulses, nuts and fruits could be combined. A pack containing the course materials and publications by Dr Hans Diehl the brains behind CHIP and MicroCHIP were handed out along with name badges for everyone.

Posters announcing the ongoing programme were posted on the community notice board hoping to stir the interest of passersby from the community. DVDs were shown, reminding participants of the benefits of MicroCHIP and the testimonies of previous graduates. More detailed DVDs will follow at each session with time for reflection and discussion. A 'gentle exercise routine' was demonstrated by Cislyn Monica Morgan. Displays of fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts and beans brightened the room reminding us how varied and interesting the wonderful foods of God's creation are.

The participants were reminded that their attendance also had a training purpose finally empowering them to run similar programmes in their churches and in the wider community. A fuller meal with 2 very delicious mini-desserts was also served.

One participant commented, "the MicroCHIP launch has been a great success, and I look forward to the twice weekly meetings and have already set myself goals to improve my diet, increase my exercise levels and reduce my dependence on prescription drugs."

"Please pray that this work and the reinvigorated health message spreads to others in the church and touches the community where people daily search for ways to rid themselves of the burdensome effect of unhealthy western lifestyles," said Dr Jacqui Halliday-Bell one of the CHIP presenters.

[Jacqui Halliday-Bell/NEC Communicator]

Five students from Stanborough Secondary School made the finals of the Texas Instruments Maths Challenge at the end of October 2008.

This last week the results came through and although the school did not win, they were highly commended for their contribution to Mathematics.

The project that the students presented was based on factors affecting outward migration from Britain over the past twenty years. The participants were Jospeh Li, Hiran Patel, Keely Davis, Terence Holness-Wright and Jasmine Aminpour, all Year 11 students. Ricardo Wright, Head of Mathematics, entered the students in the competition and accompanied them to Texas Instruments in Northampton where the competition was held.

Roger Murphy, Headteacher, states, "I'm really proud of the achievements of the pupils at Stanborough School who have represented us so well".

[Catherine Anthony Boldeau]

"In the footsteps of Paul" is the headline in the latest edition of the Messenger, the official journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland.

It can now be found online by clicking here. Louis Field shares his story of overcoming drug addiction and alcoholism. SEC President, Pastor Sam Davis looks at stewardship in the light of the credit crunch, while, with World Stewardship Day on Sabbath, 6 December, others look at the issue in terms of skills, time, environment and money. Comment asks "Should Islamic extremists frighten us" and "Will winter last forever?"

Growing up in Kenya Michael Mbui enjoyed the wild life - not the game parks but the bars, the parties and all that went with it. But what happens when a party boy meets a nice Adventist girl? And what turns him from a heavy drinker to a promoter of temperance?

Now a successful pastor in London, England, Pastor Michael Mbui shares what makes a difference in his life and is our guest on "In Conversation" on the Hope Channel at the times listed below or view on demand.

Friday 28 November: 4:30 am and 8:00 pm: Bertie de Nysschen

Sabbath 29 November: 12:30 am and 3:00 pm: Bertie de Nysschen

Monday 1 December: 3:00 am and 7:00 pm: Michael Mbui

Wednesday 3 December : 8:30 am: Michael Mbui

Friday 5 December: 4:30 am and 8:00 pm: Michael Mbui

Sabbath 6 December: 12:30 am and 3:00 pm: Michael Mbui

Hope Channel Europe is available on satellite and online. The old Hope Channel Europe frequency ceased on Sabbath, 23 August.   For latest details and instructions on re-programming your set-top box click here.