On Tuesday, May 2, the BBC news focused on Mr Mwiti, who had been searching for his wife and six children since last year.  She had taken the children with her to join Kenyan preacher, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church.  Mackenzie had amassed a following who believed in his message that Jesus is returning in June 2023. Recently, Mr Mwiti learned that they had died.

From news accounts, Mrs Mwiti had joined what people were describing as a “starvation cult”.  Forensic teams are presently exhuming numerous bodies on land owned by Pastor Mackenzie. So far, 110 people have been exhumed, and many of them show signs of starvation.  Former members of the church claim they were forced to starve as part of the church’s beliefs.

There is also the story of Sam Henry, a member of an Adventist Church in England, who lost his wife and five daughters in the Waco siege in Texas on April 19, 1993. This past April was the 30th anniversary.

Brother Henry’s family had been sucked into the Branch Davidians, a splinter group of the Shepherd’s Rod, led by a charismatic leader, David Koresh. The siege, led by a number of Federal agencies, came to a dramatic end when a fire broke out in Koresh’s compound, killing about 82 people, including 28 children.  Sam Henry’s family were among 40 people from England who perished because they believed and followed what Koresh had taught them.

Unless we learn from history we are likely to repeat it.

William Millar was convinced he had it right when he preached that Jesus would come in 1844, but he was clearly wrong. Since then, countless date-setters have also fallen by the wayside. However, the temptation to believe in date-setting seems irresistible to some, even though Jesus said no one knows when He will return, save the Father. Ignoring what Jesus said, some try to get around date-setting by simply mentioning a strong possibility of Jesus returning in an approximate period of time—without mentioning a specific date.

While I long for Jesus to come today and establish His kingdom, I understand Him as saying we must not give our attention to when it will be, but rather, to the certainty of His return.  Since His time, each generation is faced with signs reminding them of the promise of His return and that they should be alert.

In 2023, the date-setters are still trying to capture our attention but when we give priority to the mission of Jesus and live among people as he did, the Holy Spirit will draw them to Him.

The mission must engage our time, attention, energy and resource.  Perhaps the best way to live in expectation of the return of Jesus is to do as He commands, to go and make disciples for Him. I cannot think of anything more important. Can you?

Halsey Peat

“These two great themes reflect the foundational characteristic of every disciple of Jesus,” says, Pastor Mansfield Edwards, Ontario Conference president. “When we think of spirituality, we are not thinking of a religious person who is simply trying to keep to the rules, but one who has experienced the saving power of Jesus Christ and is converted to Him, and who lives a life that is led by the Holy Spirit.

“Engagement with the community is how we are to live with and among people when we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  If we are not engaging in the life of the community as individuals and as congregations how can we claim to be disciples of Jesus, especially in reference to the urgency of the times?”

After a ten-year absence, Pastor Cyril Millett’s presence at an Ontario camp meeting will be a joyful reunion for many who know and love him, and missed him after he left for Bermuda in 2012.  Millett will be the preacher for the ordination service at 6:15 p.m.

Largest Number of Pastors to be Ordained

With ten pastors scheduled for ordination during the evening service on June 3, Camp Meeting 2023 will feature the largest number of pastors ordained at the same time. “It’s the largest cohort in the past thirty years,” said Pastor Oppong, Ministerial secretary.  “We were pleased to ordain four pastors in 2021 and two additional ones last year but because of pandemic placed restrictions on public gatherings, these took place at local churches.  We are grateful to the Almighty that once again, many thousands are able to join us as we set aside ten pastors to serve in the gospel ministry.”

Children’s Programme to be Offered Only in the Morning

The children’s programme will only be offered during the morning at Sabbath School and the worship service.  There will not be any children’s programme in the late afternoon or evening.
Parents are asked to take careful note of this because they are accustomed to dropping off their children in the evening while they attend the services in the other halls.  Those registering their children during the morning will be reminded of the schedule.

For more camp meeting information and worship times, visit www.AdventistOntrio.org

In this regard, Burgos highlighted that Congress creates numerous bills in favor of workers and believers also require a law that safeguards their institutional rights to have freedom of creed and religion and protection from discrimination. "Through time, I knew cases of people who were not allowed to keep the Sabbath and had to lose their jobs and/or resign because of their faithfulness," he pointed out.

"This is how we put in prayer this proposed law and the work of the legislator who promotes the enactment of this norm, which is protected in our Magna Carta, that is to say, our Constitution. Therefore, it must be strictly enforced," said Edgardo Muguerza, director of Religious Liberty and Public Affairs for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in northern Peru.

On the other hand, the congressman, through the link Present Your Opinion, calls on Peruvians to comment in favor of this bill.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.