The Fifth Annual Evolution Weekend sponsor claim that 850 congregations worldwide have been discussing the compatibility of religion and science February 12-14, 2010. This is an opportunity for local members to credibly express their view on evolution with other believers and leaders in their congregation and local conference. Notice the red flags added by this blogger.
The Clergy Letter Project Announces
The Fifth Annual Evolution Weekend
12-14 February 2010
850 Congregations Worldwide Will Discuss the Compatibility of Religion and Science
Contact: Dr. Michael Zimmerman, Founder and Executive Director
Clergy Letter Project
317.964.3188
mz@butler.edu <mz@butler.edu>
Web address: www.evolutionweekend.org <http://www.evolutionweekend.org/ <http://www.evolutionweekend.org/> >
Churches, temples and mosques from across the United States and around the world are joining together to celebrate Evolution Weekend, Feb. 12-14, a period designed to recognize that religion and science, two fields of critical importance to humans, should be seen as complementary rather than confrontational. Participation includes such activities as sermons, lectures, discussions and classes.
The fifth annual Evolution Weekend event is particularly timely this year since we are entering the third century since the birth of Charles Darwin and the 151th anniversary of the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species.
Twelve countries on five continents as well as all 50 states will be represented. A list of participants can be found at www.evolutionweekend.org <http://www.evolutionweekend.org/ <http://www.evolutionweekend.org/> > . More than 870 scientists on six continents, representing 29 countries, have signed on as consultants.
Michael Zimmerman, founder of Evolution Weekend and Professor of Biology at Butler University in Indianapolis, praised the participants.
“Religious leaders around the world are coming together to elevate the quality of the discussion about this important topic. They are demonstrating to their congregations that people can accept all that modern science has learned while retaining their faith,” said Zimmerman. “They are also demonstrating that those who are promoting their narrow religious views as the norm, are not speaking for most of the world’s religious community. Evolution Weekend shows that the disagreement is actually not between religious leaders and scientists, but rather between those who believe that their particular religious views should be incorporated into the science curriculum and clergy who recognize and respect the diversity of different faith traditions.”
Evolution Weekend is sponsored by The Clergy Letter Project (www.theclergyletterproject.org <http://www.theclergyletterproject.org <http://www.theclergyletterproject.org> > ), which Zimmerman started in 2004. The Christian Clergy Letter has been signed by more than 12,400 Christian clergypersons in the United States who agree that “religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth. Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.” Companion Letters by Rabbis (with more than 460 signatures) and Unitarian Universalists (with more than 220 signatures) have recently begun circulating as well.
The letters urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. They ask “that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.”
“With clergy members and scientists banding together to proclaim that their two fields have much to teach us about the world and the people in it, with the two groups demonstrating that they can work collaboratively, there is now hope that we can put the divisiveness that has been the hallmark of this struggle behind us,” said Zimmerman. “We can look to a future in which it is no longer controversial to teach our children the best science has to offer. We can create a future in which experts in different fields respect one another and the ideas each has to offer.”
Maranatha!
Faith Johnson Crumbly
Editor, LEAD Magazine
301-393-4094
fcrumbly@rhpa.org
LEAD gets to local churches up to six months ahead of local Sabbath School programming, so we are giving local leaders a few file cards of information that can be used for VBS for two reasons:
First, as the old proverb confesses, “The best laid plans of mice and men have often gone astray.” Unforseen difficulties arise. Plans change. Leaders get stressed.
Some churches have not had VBS for a number of years. These programs offer hope and direction for starting again, starting where you are, and starting now.
1. The central theme for Vacation Bible School at the Cloverdale church in Boise, Idaho, led children to investigate “My Community.”
The information and activities revolved around how children can serve and witness for Jesus within their home, school, church, country—and their community. The children enjoyed (A) singing songs, (B) reciting memory verses, (C) hearing interesting Bible lessons and stories, (D) assembling unique crafts, (E) indulging in tasty treats, and (F) unveiling amazing discoveries in nature.
The attendance was consistent throughout the week: 35 children.
Watching a child’s eyes and face light up because they learned something new about Jesus is a heartwarming feeling that cannot be described.
And that was the purpose of this year’s Vacation Bible School at Cloverdale.
Story by Gerry Eslink, a Vacation Bible School volunteer for Cloverdale church.
2. In the long, hot, lazy days of summer, Vacation Bible School provides children with a fun, faith-based environment to learn about Jesus and build friendships.
Wilma Bing, Washington Conference family ministries director, says that local church volunteers have two purposes to fulfill with “Vacation Bible School programs:
1. To reach out to children and their parents.
2. To brings the entire church together for a common evangelistic goal.”
Through the years, Vacation Bible School has emerged as an effective way to bring Adventist and community children together for child-friendly evangelism.
“When I first got involved with VBS about 12 years ago, the majority of the kids were Adventist with only a handful of kids from the neighborhood,” says Linda Burman, VBS director fot the church in Auburn City, Washington. “Initially we found the process of integrating the neighborhood kids into our programs very difficult, as they were basically outnumbered. However, in the last couple years, the majority of kids attending VBS are from the surrounding neighborhood.”
Children in Kirkland (Wash.), Bellevue (Wash.), and Auburn City explored facing fears at Crocodile Dock, while children at Shelton Valley’s (Wash.) summer daycare camp discovered Bible royalty in Castles and Crowns. Graham (Wash.) children explored creation, while children at Auburn Academy Church visited “Rome” and the underground church in the church’s “Journey to Bethlehem” facility.
The Crocodile Dock theme, about not being afraid, was particularly relevant for a young boy with leukemia who attended the Bellevue VBS. The staff and children prayed for him to not be afraid of his treatment. When he came back, he said because of God, he hadn’t been afraid.
“VBS benefits our church,” says Dixie Robinson, Bellevue VBS leader, “because such a large percentage of people work together as a team to put on this evangelistic effort, which has a great impact on our community.”
Story by Heidi Martell, Washington Conference associate communication director
In-a-minute Resources
• Your local Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries directors.
• Candy DeVore, Children’s Ministries director, Review and Herald Publishing Association
Cindy Chamberlin, Gleaner managing editor, shared Vacation Bible School reports for 2009.
Reading Marcia Conner’s article in Training and Development confirmed my thoughts that Tweeting could benefit Sabbath School leaders in local churches.Here are some possibilities:
• Supplement your training programs and those provided by conference leaders. Tweeting could enable you to follow up with workshop facilitators to sharpen skills that you had only limited time to internalize in a meeting filled with other sharp learners.
• Only so much can be said during the time allocated for a Sabbath School class strategy session. Tweeting can enable the planning—plus discussion and fellowship—to continue.
• Leaders who twitter can follow up the limited time for fellowshipping at training events, connecting more firmly with other workshop attendees who have similar challenges. You could also be affirmed for your successes.
• Sabbath School members can become better acquainted. Shut-ins who can twitter have another pipeline through which to share their thoughts and insights about the Sabbath School lesson.
• Although tweeting tutorials are readily available via blogs, online courses, in-person workshops, and video instructions on YouTube, perhaps “Tweeting” would be a valuable workshop to host for Sabbath School leaders (including class facilitators) and the Sabbath School Council in your local church.
• Need facilitators? Chat with your communication leaders—and all those savvy youth and young adults in your church and area churches. Hosting tweeting tutorials could provide that teachable format for enabling members to see their Adventist education dollars paying off—invite the staff of your school, academy, or university to come in and share their tweeting abilities.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister of President John F. Kennedy and a champion of the disabled. She founded the Special Olympics, died Tuesday, August 11, 2009.
The Special Olympics, which started as summer camps held in the Shrivers’ backyard, now serves about 2.5 million mentally disabled people in 190 countries, according to the Special Olympics website. And today, 3.1 million people with mental disabilities participate in 228 programs in 170 nations, according to the Special Olympics.
For many mentally challenged adults, Sabbath School is an oasis, a bright spot, a warm and welcoming place. LEAD magazine helps members and their friends who want to study the Word of God do so by providing volunteer class facilitators practical tips and lesson activities on the same subjects that the rest of the adult division Bible students are enjoying—and growing with.
Helene Hubbard, PhD, MD prepares the Bible study materials for this special needs group in her section of The Bridge called Emmaus Eyes. She has won an award for her work with this population in Florida.
You will want to make sure that your church provides this option for your Sabbath School discipleship and evangelism. And then share the experience.
This year, 2009, is the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species published November 25, 1859. A recent poll showed that 52 percent of American’s agreed that “the development of life was guided by intelligent design” as opposed to believing Darwin’s theory that life developed “through an unguided process of random mutations and natural selection.” Many entities worldwide are hailing this line of thinking as the collapse of Darwinism with various festivities. What is your Sabbath School doing to shed light on credible design to counteract this teaching still being given to school children? Facts worth knowing and sharing, even by our children can be found in resources like this one:
If you have other resources to help Sabbath Schools share intelligent design during this anniversary year of Darwinism, leave a comment below.
Faith Crumbly, editor of LEAD has developed a way to take your Sabbath School experience to the next level, literally, by developing a witnessing simulation based on the Sabbath School lesson. Before I give it all away, this is what Faith has to say:
“Local leaders are working together in discipling members and then moving them into community outreach. One fun way that has captured attention is the expanded CLAIM Field Game, a simulation of witnessing that trains members to think fast, be theologically accurate, be socially engaging, work while stressed—and enjoy the process.
Every church is encouraged to have two teams (adult division) that sharpen participants’ skills each week. Interestingly, the training joins the hearts of class members in the “benches” as well as on the field as they become engrossed in a highly visible goal and method of marking their skill development.”
For more information please visit our website leadmagazine.org, and go to Seminars/Summits; Downloadable Workshops (PowerPoint); and then to CLAIM Field Game. You can also contact the LEAD team by phone 301-393-3000 or by e-mail, Faith Crumbly, facilitator and commissioner (fcrumbly@rhpa.org), Samuel Thomas, Jr., coach, (sthomas@rhpa.org) and Oscar Hernandez, coach, (ohernandez@rhpa.org).
The LEAD Boot Camp is a practical training ministry that provides your membership with up-to-date Sabbath School techniques from the front-runners in Sabbath School ministries in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Each event is customized to the Union’s specific Sabbath School training needs, e.g., dates and venue.
Goals
• Prepare members to learn and implement disciple-making strategies through Sabbath School and small groups
• Explain and manifest tangible evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the gift of teaching
• Demonstrate the ability to facilitate class discussions in the domains of faith, action, and knowledge
• Demonstrate quality leadership of small group discussion and/or conversational Bible study, using a variety of teaching methods that foster experiential learning
• Distinguish between Bible-based experiential learning and humanistic fellowship
Strategy
Goals will be accomplished through:
• Prayer and praise
• PowerPoint presentations
• Large and small group discussions
• Practical applications
• Witnessing simulations
If you are interested in having a LEAD Boot Camp in your area please contact Faith Crumbly, editor at 301-393-3000. The LEAD Boot Camps are also available in Spanish. Please click on the following link to watch the Spanish version of this video:
