5 Mar 2026, 12:06Darell J. Philip and Zinze Bishop – Hackney Seventh-day Adventist CommunicationsHackney, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Jesus In My Church Family
Hackney SDA Church Family Life Series
February was designated as Family Life Month at Hackney SDA Church, with a few guest speakers invited to address topical subjects all of which were related to the family. Kicking off the Family Life Series, which ran each Sabbath from 7th-28th February, was BUC Family Ministries Director, Dr. Leslie Ackie. In his message entitled The Burning Issue, Dr. Ackie emphasized the importance of identifying and positively reacting to negative emotions such as anger, which if not controlled in a healthy way can lead to dire consequences. When individuals find themselves in such situations, Dr. Ackie encouraged that they should: “Identify the emotion you are experiencing; surrender the emotion to God; identify what you need to change, then prayerfully and if necessary, with professional help, make that change.” Dr. Ackie’s afternoon presentation, Breaking the Cycle of Destructive Patterns, examined the impact untreated trauma can have on lives and the importance of trauma-informed pastoral care and counselling in bringing healing and restoration to lives impacted by trauma.
Elder Trisan Hyatt encouraged families to Love God’s Way through taking note of the sacrificial love Jesus demonstrated for the sake of all humanity. “A people united by Christ and His love are a dangerous weapon to the Kingdom of Darkness,” said Elder Hyatt, who added: “Love God’s way offers covering. It brings wholeness and does not demand perfection. It corrects without humiliation and it restores instead of destroys.”
Elder Edith Samambwa, SEC Health Ministries Director, recounted her childhood in Zimbabwe, first living with her grandmother and then with an aunt and uncle, during which she witnessed both alcoholism and domestic violence. Elder Samambwa detailed the trauma’s lasting effects and spoke about how prayer and community helped redirect her life, enabling her to serve others and continue her personal Christian growth. She described her uncle as her only father figure during childhood but explained that, upon embracing Adventism, she recognised Jesus as the ultimate loving father figure. The day also included a celebration of longstanding member Sister Amos, who marked her ninety-first birthday that week.
The series was ended with Elder Neil Nunes who spoke about The Father’s Heart towards the prodigal son and how far reaching the love of God is to all His wayfaring children. Elder Nunes concluded the series with an interactive afternoon session which looked at Biblical Conflict Resolution which were applied to real scenarios with the aim to provide practical solutions to conflicts which arise within the church family to bring about healing and restoration. “God is far more loving to those we view as unworthy. He often celebrates those we would be quick to reprimand and grace fits best on those who know they have no right to wear it; therefore, we are to let God do judging while we do the loving,” encouraged Elder Nunes.
February was designated as Family Life Month at Hackney SDA Church, with a few guest speakers invited to address topical subjects all of which were related to the family. Kicking off the Family Life Series, which ran each Sabbath from 7th-28th February, was BUC Family Ministries Director, Dr. Leslie Ackie. In his message entitled The Burning Issue, Dr. Ackie emphasized the importance of identifying and positively reacting to negative emotions such as anger, which if not controlled in a healthy way can lead to dire consequences. When individuals find themselves in such situations, Dr. Ackie encouraged that they should: “Identify the emotion you are experiencing; surrender the emotion to God; identify what you need to change, then prayerfully and if necessary, with professional help, make that change.” Dr. Ackie’s afternoon presentation, Breaking the Cycle of Destructive Patterns, examined the impact untreated trauma can have on lives and the importance of trauma-informed pastoral care and counselling in bringing healing and restoration to lives impacted by trauma.
Elder Trisan Hyatt encouraged families to Love God’s Way through taking note of the sacrificial love Jesus demonstrated for the sake of all humanity. “A people united by Christ and His love are a dangerous weapon to the Kingdom of Darkness,” said Elder Hyatt, who added: “Love God’s way offers covering. It brings wholeness and does not demand perfection. It corrects without humiliation and it restores instead of destroys.”
Elder Edith Samambwa, SEC Health Ministries Director, recounted her childhood in Zimbabwe, first living with her grandmother and then with an aunt and uncle, during which she witnessed both alcoholism and domestic violence. Elder Samambwa detailed the trauma’s lasting effects and spoke about how prayer and community helped redirect her life, enabling her to serve others and continue her personal Christian growth. She described her uncle as her only father figure during childhood but explained that, upon embracing Adventism, she recognised Jesus as the ultimate loving father figure. The day also included a celebration of longstanding member Sister Amos, who marked her ninety-first birthday that week.
The series was ended with Elder Neil Nunes who spoke about The Father’s Heart towards the prodigal son and how far reaching the love of God is to all His wayfaring children. Elder Nunes concluded the series with an interactive afternoon session which looked at Biblical Conflict Resolution which were applied to real scenarios with the aim to provide practical solutions to conflicts which arise within the church family to bring about healing and restoration. “God is far more loving to those we view as unworthy. He often celebrates those we would be quick to reprimand and grace fits best on those who know they have no right to wear it; therefore, we are to let God do judging while we do the loving,” encouraged Elder Nunes.
