News - CCAS

^ Demountable classrooms are moved to their new location on the CCAS campus.

Central Coast Adventist School builds on assets
Erina, New South Wales

This year sees the commencement of a two-year development process, where further stages of the Central Coast Adventist School (CCAS) campus will be completed.
“Stage six,” which commenced February 18, will see the construction of nine new primary classrooms and surrounding landscaping. This will bring closure to the primary classroom needs of the school. Two purpose-built, multistorey blocks will house 18 classrooms in total and include support areas.
“Stage seven” will see 16 new secondary classrooms—including art, manual arts, performing arts and music spaces—created, in addition to significant landscaping. This building will also bring closure to the classroom needs of the secondary school. It is anticipated that this stage will be completed in late 2009.
CCAS has also started the 2008 school year with enrolments at record levels. There are more than 880 students currently enrolled, from Kindergarten through to Year 12.
The secondary school now has more than 140 students enrolled and next year will see the final 20 students join the primary school to give a total enrolment of 900 students.
“God has richly blessed the school as it redirected itself in the early 1990s, from a school facing possible closure through to the second largest school in the Australian Union Conference,” says principal Dean Bennetts.
“We give thanks to God for His guidance over the many years of school operations. We also acknowledge and thank the Adventist community on the Central Coast, for its tireless and enthusiastic support and prayers.”—Brenton Luchow

News - Youth support charity

^ Evey Wegner with some of the presents.

Youth church supports children’s charity
Newcastle, New South Wales

Young people attending Wallsend’s monthly youth church donated more than 40 boxes full of Christmas presents at the end of 2007, as part of “Operation Christmas child.” The youth took up the challenge to fill shoeboxes with gifts, such as toys, school supplies, lollies, toiletries and other items. These were sent overseas to children in need and distributed in time for Christmas.
Youth church member, Evey Wegner, heard about this project and volunteered to become a regional coordinator. She promoted the plan at youth church, as well as some schools, community groups, and numerous Adventist and other churches in the region. Her home became a drop-off point for the boxes and her garage quickly filled with hundreds of them.
Ms Wegner expressed her gratitude for the support shown by our church. “I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and excitement shown by Wallsend youth in becoming involved in this project,” she says. “It’s wonderful to see so many young people thinking outside of themselves and donating their time, energy and hard-earned money to a worthy cause.”
“Operation Christmas child” is an annual program run by charity Samaritans Purse. More than 200,000 boxes are donated each year in Australia.—Lloyd Turner

News - Quest

^ Young members of the Manurewa Adventist church in south Auckland, New Zealand, recently took Jesus’ parable of the great banquet literally.

Young people find a different “Quest”
Auckland, New Zealand

A church in New Zealand recently hosted a “Quest” dinner with a difference, which was organised by young people to thank leaders in their community.The “Quest” project is one of the resources developed by Adventist Health in the South Pacific Division, in conjunction with the “Circle of courage” cycling tours.
Following the “Circle of courage” ride in New Zealand early last year, Pastor Jake Ormsby, a member of the team, returned to his local church—Manurewa in Auckland—and initiated a “Quest” project with young people there.
Supported with funding from Adventist Health, part of the project was to host a dinner to thank local people in the community who have supported young people. providing interesting results.
“Our task was to organise a thank-you dinner, hosted by our youth taskforce team,” Pastor Ormsby explains. “This was to prove a real spiritual blessing for the team. More than 20 invitations were extended to youth leaders in the city. But on the night, only one person arrived.
“The young people had decorated the hall so beautifully and cooked a fine meal,” he says.
“Then they waited excitedly for the leaders to arrive. They had received a number of apologies but most were expected to turn up. Unfortunately, they didn’t show.”
Pastor Ormsby says it was “heartbreaking” to see the young people upset by the absence of leaders but adds, “The Lord had a different plan for that night. When they asked me for my thoughts, I reminded them of the parable Jesus told of the great banquet and inviting those in the ‘highways and byways.’”
The young people were inspired by this and went out into the night, bringing back street kids, prostitutes and the homeless—and the seats were soon filled. “There was a lot of rejoicing and celebrating,” says Pastor Ormsby. “Only God can bring the pure joy we experienced that night from what seemed like a hopeless situation.”—RECORD staff/Paul Rankin

News - Award-winning students carry on in winning ways

^ Stacey Hetherington with Dr Darren Morton at the 2007 awards ceremony.

Award-winning students carry on in winning ways
Cooranbong, New South Wales

Two award-winning students from Avondale College’s 2007 round of awards have continued to excel this year.
Stacey Hetherington received $A1000 for winning the Avondale College Alumni Association Community Service Award this past year but donated half the money to help build a new a duplex house at the Wat Preah Yesu Children’s Home in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Ms Hetherington served as co-leader for 35 Avondale students who served at the home for two weeks during their summer holidays in 2006/07.
“Over the past year, it has been a great pleasure to be part of where God has been leading the students of Avondale College,” writes Ms Hetherington in a letter to the college. “Perhaps the biggest blessing was allowing God to use me to . . . minister for two weeks [at Wat Preah Yesu].”
Ms Hetherington returned to the home as one of 41 volunteers this past summer. The team, comprised mostly of members of the Kellyville Seventh-day Adventist church, raised more than $A60,000—$A10,000 more than it needed for building materials, reports Ms Hetherington.
She says, “I thank God for the opportunity to serve in the community and the manner in which He has blessed me undeservingly for it.”
Kent Kingston received the Adventist World Radio (AWR) Award of Excellence in Radio Production and Public Relations, also worth $A1000.
“This award came at the perfect time for me,” Mr Kingston says. “The night before the awards ceremony, I had been doing some research and thinking about volunteering for a role in media ministry
. . . . For someone with a wife and children, this is daunting.
“I was feeling fearful and frustrated at the prospect of supporting a family on a volunteer stipend or even in a ‘faith-based’ situation. . . . When I received the award, it was as if God tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘See, you don’t have to worry about money—I’ve got it all under control.’”
Mr Kingston is now completing a six-month professional internship at the Adventist Media Network, based in Wahroonga.—Brenton Stacey. Photos by Ann Stafford.

^ Kent Kingston with Andrea Steele at the 2007 awards ceremony.