Former Outlook Editor receives award

A former Far Eastern Division worker and Outlook editor, Don A. Roth, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the awards banquet of the Society of Adventist Communicators on Saturday evening, October 17, at the Marriott Hotel in Newport Beach, California.

“I was totally surprised at the award, and appreciated the recognition,” Roth said.

Roth served in Secretariat at the division headquarters in Singapore from 1965 to 1975 and was editor of the Far Eastern Division Outlook during this time. He considers his years in the Far East as “the best years of my life”!

In his nearly 60 years of professional experience, Roth has significantly contributed to reporting Seventh-day Adventist Church news and features in the denomination and in the public press. A reporter, editor, press relations specialist, book author, and special events organizer, he has worked at every level of the church organization, from his local congregation to the General Conference.

Roth’s love of writing and editing began in 1944, when he edited his school’s paper at Greater New York Academy. During his college years at Washington Adventist University (then Washington Missionary College) in Maryland, this love continued as he worked at the College Press, joined the staff of the Sligonian, the school paper, and in his senior year edited the paper.

From the day his byline appeared over a feature story in the Sligonian to his present articles in this local paper, Roth has always had a story to tell.

During the height of the Vietnam War, Roth was the church’s chief reporter on the work of Adventists in Vietnam. Numerous articles under his byline documented events such as the visit of the Loma Linda University heart surgery team, and the closure of the church’s work in Vietnam and evacuation of personnel associated with it.

Roth’s personal relationship with the U.S. news agencies in Saigon was a key to the evacuation process for over 430 Vietnamese when South Vietnam fell to Hanoi in April 1975. Through his AP and UPI contacts, Roth learned the evacuation procedure for 36 women and children he escorted to Guam. On Guam, he found the U.S. Navy pressroom, where he composed a five-page, single-spaced description of his final hours in Saigon which served as a valuable document that he and others used as a reference for later articles and books.

Much of Roth’s legacy as an Adventist communicator is the record of actions, events, news, and human interest stories published in the journals and newsletters he edited: the weekly Columbia Union Visitor, 1954-1965; Far Eastern Division Outlook, 1965-1975, and currently the AIMS Journal for the Association of International Medical Services, Loma Linda School of Medicine Alumni Association. He also edited several newsletters, including the Far Eastern Division Furlougher, and most recently the Calimesa News and Notes, the newsletter of his home church in Calimesa, California, which he edited for 14 years.

The SDA Periodical Index lists more than 420 articles published under his byline, primarily in the Adventist Review. However, the list is incomplete; it does not include articles he wrote for the Visitor and other church periodicals before going to Singapore in 1965 as assistant secretary and public relations director, nor the hundreds of articles he has written for non-Adventist papers.

Roth has written or coauthored four books including a story of a Borneo witch doctor who converted to Christianity called Mundahoi, and autobiographies of himself and his wife, Called to Serve, and has assisted and/or encouraged a number of other persons to write books of their own.

If asked, many Seventh-day Adventists would name Roth the PR person of the Adventist Church in the past 60 years. Few others possess his breadth of experience and length of service in communication and reporting for the benefit of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. [Karen Porter]

VOP honors 156 candidates

The “Follow the Bible” program has been a great blessing to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Myanmar. Inspired by this initiative, the Voice of Prophecy (VOP) Bible Correspondence School has awarded Certificates of Completion from different courses to 156 candidates at the Yangon Central Church on August 22.

During the graduation, Pastor Khin Maung Latt, Sabbath School and VOP director for MYUM, commended the work of the Correspondence School in taking the gospel message to the communities. Pastor Muller Kyaw, president fof the Adventist church in Myanman, and his team also witnessed the ceremony.

Among the 156 VOP graduates were prominent personalities in Myanmar. They were Dr Nay Lin and Dr Win Tun, both surgeons from the Yangon General Hospital, Surgery Department.

An elderly and retired teacher, Mrs Tin Tin Shwe, told of her joys for the new insights she got from studying the lessons. “It was so exciting and beneficial for me to study all the lessons in these correspondence courses.”

Voice of Prophecy instructor Ms Soe Sandar concluded: “Indeed, the correspondence school in Myanmar has seen people receiving new insights as they study these VOP lessons and we are glad to see increasing enrollment every year.” [Myo Chan]

Myanmar Adventists celebrate Creation Sabbath

The Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters has designated October 24, 2009 as celebration day for the Creation Sabbath. And within the southern Asia-Pacific region, the Adventist Church in Myanmar had this day a special Sabbath for all their worshipers.

“All church members and visitors in the churches throughout the country were blessed as they listened to sermons especially prepared for the event and other activities that show support to the Seventh-day creation Sabbath,” said organizers of the event.

In various churches, activities were also designed to create awareness of the true Sabbath through Sabbath school plays and talks, nature walk, songs and sermons.

Pastor Ven Ceu Mang, principal of Central Myanmar Adventist Academy, reported that in this school the Creation Sabbath celebration was organized with essay and poem writing competitions and other activities. “All our students participated in various activities that give emphasis on the day God has set for worship—the Creation Sabbath,” he said.

The celebration was concluded with a special get-together lunch of all families the following day.

The ceremony at the academy was attended by Pastor Caleb Paw, MYUM ministerial secretary, and Maung Maung Myo Chan, communication director of the church.

“It was a great joy for us to participate in this first-of-its kind celebration event. It has changed our attitude towards the Sabbath when we learned that it especially created for us to worship Him as our Creator,” said participants. [Myo Chan]

Mothers’ love brings about “Mums-In-Touch”

A group of mothers came together on Sabbath afternoon, May 30, at Balestier Road SDA Church to pray for their bundle of joys, their children.

Prompted by the thought of their children leaving the church to venture into a new world of life, these mothers spent this particular Sabbath afternoon voicing their worries, their challenges and tearfully prayed for their young.

“Please help my sweetheart have a personal relationship with you, dear God” prayed one mother; while another petitioned God to “please keep my son in church till Jesus comes.”

A spiritual revival for the youth was the chorus the mothers sang in harmony. And with a single heartbeat, Mums-In-Touch was born!

Spearheaded by Ms Jessy Quilindo, Mums-In-Touch, welcomes all Mums to meet fortnightly to join in this touching and soul-searching experience. It forms a platform for mothers who have a burden for their children, to uplift one another through the sharing of their experiences and praying for one another.

The meetings start at 2:30 p.m. with an opening prayer, followed by the mothers sharing life experiences from the book, Becoming A Spirit-led Mum, by Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock. They will then share their personal ideas and experiences. This serves as an avenue of relief to the tensions that mums face.

The climax of the session will be a season of prayer. A list of all the youths in Balestier Road SDA Church has been made available, making sure that every youth is prayed for. The mothers will present the names to the Lord, seeking His wisdom and guidance as they lead their children to take hold of their faith as they face society’s challenges in their life.

Indeed, with much prayer Mums-In-Touch grew from 6 to 10 members. Subsequent meetings became more revitalizing as some shared how God had answered their prayers and brought them closer to their children. “Oh, how wonderful it is to hear such testimonies. Indeed it is true, that ‘In the multitude of prayer there is wisdom!’” mothers said.

Each mum constantly looks forward to meeting again where everyone of them can draw on the wealth of experience and support provided by Mum-In-Touch. Praise the Lord! [Kathleen Yeow]