30 Oct 2025, 10:37Careen Lawrence & Heather RussellLuton, Luton, England, United Kingdom
Rooted in Christ, United in Mission: Luton Day of Fellowship
What does it mean to be Rooted in Christ and United in Mission? The theme was uncovered on Sabbath 25th October 2025 at the Stopsley Baptist Church for the Luton Day of Fellowship, hosted by Pastor Itamar James. Churches present were Luton Central SDA, Luton North SDA and Marsh Farm SDA. The Luton churches were joined by SEC President, Pr. Kirk Thomas, SEC Ministerial Association Secretary, Pr. Kwesi Moore, SEC Personal Ministries Director, Pr. Kwadwo Kwarteng-Ampofo, SEC Sabbath School & Community Outreach Director, Pr. Nerine Barrett, Cornerstone Counselling Coordinator, Thembi Mapingire, Cornerstone Counsellor, Diana Gaga, and Elder Ben Arhin.
The day began with praise and worship before Pr. Nerine led on the Lesson Review. She allowed congregants to share their views on what came to mind when they think about ‘battles’. There was a mixture of responses between physical, spiritual and inner battles due to the experiences faced at differing points in our lives. Where battles are concerned, and God fighting for us, Nathan, 10 years old, shared that what stands out about how God fights for us is that He does not use weapons and does not verbally abuse anyone when fighting for us.
The sermon was given by Pr. Kirk Thomas, titled Rooted in Christ. Pr. Kirk used Luke 3:7–9 as his scripture reading, explaining that this is one where the man was encouraged to not cut down as more work needed to be done on the fig tree. In our case, where we need more work done on us, we must keep in mind that God is our vinedresser and will continue the work in us.
Pr. Kirk shared three common diseases that can affect a fig tree, along with the spiritual links to our lives as Christians:
Fig Rust can cause us to have a life with less substance, stealing our joy.
Fig Mosaic, a virus, comes into our lives and corrupts us, in the forms of the people we let into our lives who hinder our growth.
Root Rot can happen to us if we are not rooted in Christ. In our lives we can suffer due to the trash that comes into our lives causing our roots to rot.
Pr. Kirk then shared what needs to be done if we become infected with a disease, which is to allow God to prune us. God is the one who plants us; thus, He also prunes us when we become barren and do not bear fruit. Pruning barren trees will allow us to overcome social media, help young people to understand that He is love, and help us to choose the right husband or wife. The pruning is done to help us to become the best version of ourselves, so that we can be equipped for the mission of God. The Saviour is still working in the vineyard, working on us so we can bear good fruit.
Workshops
There were four workshops that happened across the day: Leadership with Pr. Kwesi, Sabbath School with Pr. Nerine, Digital Media with Elder Ben, and Counselling with Diana Gaga. Each workshop was centred on the theme Rooted in Christ.
From the Leadership workshop, Pr. Kwesi shared: “When we withhold the gift from the Giver, we are robbing God”, relating to the gifts that were listed in Ephesians 4. He also shared that in the presence of God, it is God who is the audience, and as Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses, they are to listen to His call and respond to Him. Additionally, within their roles in the church, whatever they do should be done unto God and not man.
From the Digital Media workshop, Elder Ben shared that communication matters because it bridges the gap between mission and message. Additionally, he noted that it ensures visibility, engagement, and accountability, turning local evangelism into worldwide testimonies. Through digital media, inspiration can be spread beyond the event, and with this, we must ensure that whatever we send out is a true reflection of the church.
From the Sabbath School workshop, Pr. Nerine shared that Sabbath School should be the bedrock where teaching, training and mentoring take place. She reiterated the mission being “reigniting the passion and purpose of Sabbath School in the local congregation”. Furthermore, she shared that it’s the Sabbath School leaders within the church who are to make things engaging and stimulating for congregants. She also shared that leaders should work closely with the Personal Ministries Department within their churches, as they are the outreach team for the church.
Lastly, from the Counselling workshop, Diana and Thembi shared that trauma often shakes foundational beliefs, leaving survivors questioning where God was during the period of challenges they were facing. This, therefore, may cause spiritual issues within individuals. She also noted that grief can create feelings of emptiness or anger towards God, but being rooted in Christ does not mean we never grieve. Instead, it means that we never grieve alone. Steps shared by Diana to re-root ourselves in Christ, having faced trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and shame, are: honest prayers, being surrounded by community, rest and renewal, and finding our purpose and mission.
Takeaways
The question “What is the key thing you want members of Luton to take from today?” was asked to workshop leaders, and below are their responses:
“They are called by God and it is a personal and purposeful call.” — Pr. Kwesi
“We are heavenly bound. Do not be selfish, share the cake with all.” — Pr. Kwadwo
“Everyone is a digital missionary, let’s use the tools we have. Tell your church story with excellence.” — Elder Ben
“Look at the connection between mental health and being rooted in Christ.” — Diana
“When you are rooted in Christ, your light will shine like the light Christ wants you to be.” — Pr. Nerine
Pr. Itamar was also asked what his takeaway from the day was, to which he responded: “Bringing together of churches. This district hasn’t had this for years. It’s good to have the SEC with us in this district to bridge the gap. The workshops have been beneficial in equipping members leading towards elections.”
In closing, the day was filled with information on how members can be rooted in Christ to then be united in mission. It is important for each individual to understand this, as through self-evaluation, individuals can present themselves to God in prayer, to ask Him to work on the areas they are lacking. It is important that individuals allow God to prune them, that they may bear fruit. Through His pruning, working together in unity allows the church to complete evangelism in a more effective manner.
What does it mean to be Rooted in Christ and United in Mission? The theme was uncovered on Sabbath 25th October 2025 at the Stopsley Baptist Church for the Luton Day of Fellowship, hosted by Pastor Itamar James. Churches present were Luton Central SDA, Luton North SDA and Marsh Farm SDA. The Luton churches were joined by SEC President, Pr. Kirk Thomas, SEC Ministerial Association Secretary, Pr. Kwesi Moore, SEC Personal Ministries Director, Pr. Kwadwo Kwarteng-Ampofo, SEC Sabbath School & Community Outreach Director, Pr. Nerine Barrett, Cornerstone Counselling Coordinator, Thembi Mapingire, Cornerstone Counsellor, Diana Gaga, and Elder Ben Arhin.
The day began with praise and worship before Pr. Nerine led on the Lesson Review. She allowed congregants to share their views on what came to mind when they think about ‘battles’. There was a mixture of responses between physical, spiritual and inner battles due to the experiences faced at differing points in our lives. Where battles are concerned, and God fighting for us, Nathan, 10 years old, shared that what stands out about how God fights for us is that He does not use weapons and does not verbally abuse anyone when fighting for us.
The sermon was given by Pr. Kirk Thomas, titled Rooted in Christ. Pr. Kirk used Luke 3:7–9 as his scripture reading, explaining that this is one where the man was encouraged to not cut down as more work needed to be done on the fig tree. In our case, where we need more work done on us, we must keep in mind that God is our vinedresser and will continue the work in us.
Pr. Kirk shared three common diseases that can affect a fig tree, along with the spiritual links to our lives as Christians:
Fig Rust can cause us to have a life with less substance, stealing our joy.
Fig Mosaic, a virus, comes into our lives and corrupts us, in the forms of the people we let into our lives who hinder our growth.
Root Rot can happen to us if we are not rooted in Christ. In our lives we can suffer due to the trash that comes into our lives causing our roots to rot.
Pr. Kirk then shared what needs to be done if we become infected with a disease, which is to allow God to prune us. God is the one who plants us; thus, He also prunes us when we become barren and do not bear fruit. Pruning barren trees will allow us to overcome social media, help young people to understand that He is love, and help us to choose the right husband or wife. The pruning is done to help us to become the best version of ourselves, so that we can be equipped for the mission of God. The Saviour is still working in the vineyard, working on us so we can bear good fruit.
Workshops
There were four workshops that happened across the day: Leadership with Pr. Kwesi, Sabbath School with Pr. Nerine, Digital Media with Elder Ben, and Counselling with Diana Gaga. Each workshop was centred on the theme Rooted in Christ.
From the Leadership workshop, Pr. Kwesi shared: “When we withhold the gift from the Giver, we are robbing God”, relating to the gifts that were listed in Ephesians 4. He also shared that in the presence of God, it is God who is the audience, and as Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses, they are to listen to His call and respond to Him. Additionally, within their roles in the church, whatever they do should be done unto God and not man.
From the Digital Media workshop, Elder Ben shared that communication matters because it bridges the gap between mission and message. Additionally, he noted that it ensures visibility, engagement, and accountability, turning local evangelism into worldwide testimonies. Through digital media, inspiration can be spread beyond the event, and with this, we must ensure that whatever we send out is a true reflection of the church.
From the Sabbath School workshop, Pr. Nerine shared that Sabbath School should be the bedrock where teaching, training and mentoring take place. She reiterated the mission being “reigniting the passion and purpose of Sabbath School in the local congregation”. Furthermore, she shared that it’s the Sabbath School leaders within the church who are to make things engaging and stimulating for congregants. She also shared that leaders should work closely with the Personal Ministries Department within their churches, as they are the outreach team for the church.
Lastly, from the Counselling workshop, Diana and Thembi shared that trauma often shakes foundational beliefs, leaving survivors questioning where God was during the period of challenges they were facing. This, therefore, may cause spiritual issues within individuals. She also noted that grief can create feelings of emptiness or anger towards God, but being rooted in Christ does not mean we never grieve. Instead, it means that we never grieve alone. Steps shared by Diana to re-root ourselves in Christ, having faced trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and shame, are: honest prayers, being surrounded by community, rest and renewal, and finding our purpose and mission.
Takeaways
The question “What is the key thing you want members of Luton to take from today?” was asked to workshop leaders, and below are their responses:
“They are called by God and it is a personal and purposeful call.” — Pr. Kwesi
“We are heavenly bound. Do not be selfish, share the cake with all.” — Pr. Kwadwo
“Everyone is a digital missionary, let’s use the tools we have. Tell your church story with excellence.” — Elder Ben
“Look at the connection between mental health and being rooted in Christ.” — Diana
“When you are rooted in Christ, your light will shine like the light Christ wants you to be.” — Pr. Nerine
Pr. Itamar was also asked what his takeaway from the day was, to which he responded: “Bringing together of churches. This district hasn’t had this for years. It’s good to have the SEC with us in this district to bridge the gap. The workshops have been beneficial in equipping members leading towards elections.”
In closing, the day was filled with information on how members can be rooted in Christ to then be united in mission. It is important for each individual to understand this, as through self-evaluation, individuals can present themselves to God in prayer, to ask Him to work on the areas they are lacking. It is important that individuals allow God to prune them, that they may bear fruit. Through His pruning, working together in unity allows the church to complete evangelism in a more effective manner.
