20 Aug 2026, 11:08Goodluck Ajuzie (lDistrict Pastor)St. Austell, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom
Fifteen Flags, One Faith: Cornwall District Marks International Sabbath and Community Guest Day
St. Austell Seventh-day Adventist Church | Sabbath, 15 August 2026
Theme: “One in Christ”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28, KJV
The Cornwall District of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, comprising the St. Austell, Bodmin and Redruth congregations, gathered at the St. Austell church on Sabbath, 15 August 2026, for a memorable International Sabbath and Community Guest Day. Held under the theme “One in Christ,” it was a day of worship that carried the colour of many nations and the single heartbeat of one gospel commission.
The key text set the tone for everything that followed. In Galatians 3:28, the apostle Paul dismantles the three great dividing walls of the ancient world—race, social standing and gender—not by abolishing difference, but by declaring that in Christ these differences can no longer determine who belongs. Fifteen nationalities sitting under one roof, singing in many tongues, was that verse made visible.
Ellen White captures the same truth in her portrait of the Saviour's ministry:
“The life of Christ established a religion in which there is no caste, a religion by which Jew and Gentile, free and bond, are linked in a common brotherhood, equal before God.” The Ministry of Healing, p. 25
A Call to Serve
The district was honoured to welcome Pastor Nathan Stickland, Executive Secretary of the South England Conference, as guest speaker for the day. Preaching from Luke 12:35–38, he took as his theme “United through Service.” The passage opens with the Saviour's charge, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord” (Luke 12:35–36, KJV). Pastor Stickland drew the congregation's attention to the striking reversal in verse 37: the returning Master girds Himself and serves those He finds watching. Service, he reminded us, is not a burden the church carries reluctantly; it is the very posture of the Christ we await.
He pressed two applications. First, the service of the message, the responsibility of every believer to share the hope of eternal life with those near at hand: neighbours, colleagues, families and friends. Second, the service of the hand, practical ministry to humanity, meeting people in their real needs, which opens hearts that argument alone cannot reach. A watching church, he concluded, is a working church, and it is in that work that we are made one.
Fifteen Nations, One Family
As a multicultural congregation drawing members from fifteen countries, the district devoted a significant portion of the programme to hearing from each nation represented. In turn, members told the story of their homeland: how Adventism came to their country, the shape and struggle of the work there, and the areas of opportunity now open for witnessing. It was a moving reminder that the message we hold has crossed oceans, languages and generations to gather us into one room in Cornwall. Each testimony added a thread to a wider tapestry, the same truth, received in fifteen different soils, bearing fruit in fifteen different ways.
A particular highlight followed. Six children, led by the children's leader, offered a special prayer for the fifteen countries, lifting each nation by name before the throne of grace. The sight of our youngest members interceding for the nations of their parents and grandparents was, for many present, the most affecting moment of the day. The prayer band leader then closed with a final prayer over the countries.
Guests, Fellowship and Blessing
The day was also a Community Guest Day, and more than fifteen visitors joined the district for worship. During the lunch and fellowship hour, several of them expressed how blessed they had been by the programme, by the warmth of the welcome, the breadth of the testimonies, and the clarity of the preached word. To the glory of God, the growth in membership and the number of people who attended meant that the church hall itself could not contain everyone, particularly at mealtime. Two gazebos, tables and chairs were set up outside, and members and guests ate together under them in the open air. It was a happy problem to have, a hall too small for the family God has given us, and the overflow itself became one of the warmest fellowship settings of the day.
Faith Under Pressure
The afternoon session was given specifically to the youth, with Pastor Stickland presenting on “Faith under Pressure: Choosing Christ over Culture.”
Reading from Deuteronomy 6:4–9, he argued that what the church most needs is intergenerational teaching, faith transmitted deliberately from parents to children, taught “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way” (v. 7, KJV). He cautioned against young people being overexposed to entertainment while remaining underexposed to the life of the church, urging instead the formation of mission-driven young people whose faith will stand the test of time in university and college.
He challenged parents that they must take full responsibility for equipping their children for mission before they are released into the world. He pointed to the three Hebrew young men of Daniel 3, grounded before the furnace, and therefore unbowed before the image. A lively question-and-answer session followed, and the programme closed with multilingual songs and a benediction by the church pastor.
Thanksgiving
We give God Almighty all praise for His manifest presence throughout the day. Sincere appreciation goes to the Sabbath School department, which planned the programme under the leadership of Maria, the Superintendent, and her team; to the hospitality team; to the elders and church leaders; to the planning committee for their guidance; and to all our members for their support and unwavering commitment.
Please continue to pray for our visitors, that the follow-up may bear lasting fruit, and that this district may go on living out its theme, “One in Christ.”
Goodluck Ajuzie · Cornwall District
St. Austell Seventh-day Adventist Church | Sabbath, 15 August 2026
Theme: “One in Christ”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:28, KJV
The Cornwall District of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, comprising the St. Austell, Bodmin and Redruth congregations, gathered at the St. Austell church on Sabbath, 15 August 2026, for a memorable International Sabbath and Community Guest Day. Held under the theme “One in Christ,” it was a day of worship that carried the colour of many nations and the single heartbeat of one gospel commission.
The key text set the tone for everything that followed. In Galatians 3:28, the apostle Paul dismantles the three great dividing walls of the ancient world—race, social standing and gender—not by abolishing difference, but by declaring that in Christ these differences can no longer determine who belongs. Fifteen nationalities sitting under one roof, singing in many tongues, was that verse made visible.
Ellen White captures the same truth in her portrait of the Saviour's ministry:
“The life of Christ established a religion in which there is no caste, a religion by which Jew and Gentile, free and bond, are linked in a common brotherhood, equal before God.” The Ministry of Healing, p. 25
A Call to Serve
The district was honoured to welcome Pastor Nathan Stickland, Executive Secretary of the South England Conference, as guest speaker for the day. Preaching from Luke 12:35–38, he took as his theme “United through Service.” The passage opens with the Saviour's charge, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord” (Luke 12:35–36, KJV). Pastor Stickland drew the congregation's attention to the striking reversal in verse 37: the returning Master girds Himself and serves those He finds watching. Service, he reminded us, is not a burden the church carries reluctantly; it is the very posture of the Christ we await.
He pressed two applications. First, the service of the message, the responsibility of every believer to share the hope of eternal life with those near at hand: neighbours, colleagues, families and friends. Second, the service of the hand, practical ministry to humanity, meeting people in their real needs, which opens hearts that argument alone cannot reach. A watching church, he concluded, is a working church, and it is in that work that we are made one.
Fifteen Nations, One Family
As a multicultural congregation drawing members from fifteen countries, the district devoted a significant portion of the programme to hearing from each nation represented. In turn, members told the story of their homeland: how Adventism came to their country, the shape and struggle of the work there, and the areas of opportunity now open for witnessing. It was a moving reminder that the message we hold has crossed oceans, languages and generations to gather us into one room in Cornwall. Each testimony added a thread to a wider tapestry, the same truth, received in fifteen different soils, bearing fruit in fifteen different ways.
A particular highlight followed. Six children, led by the children's leader, offered a special prayer for the fifteen countries, lifting each nation by name before the throne of grace. The sight of our youngest members interceding for the nations of their parents and grandparents was, for many present, the most affecting moment of the day. The prayer band leader then closed with a final prayer over the countries.
Guests, Fellowship and Blessing
The day was also a Community Guest Day, and more than fifteen visitors joined the district for worship. During the lunch and fellowship hour, several of them expressed how blessed they had been by the programme, by the warmth of the welcome, the breadth of the testimonies, and the clarity of the preached word. To the glory of God, the growth in membership and the number of people who attended meant that the church hall itself could not contain everyone, particularly at mealtime. Two gazebos, tables and chairs were set up outside, and members and guests ate together under them in the open air. It was a happy problem to have, a hall too small for the family God has given us, and the overflow itself became one of the warmest fellowship settings of the day.
Faith Under Pressure
The afternoon session was given specifically to the youth, with Pastor Stickland presenting on “Faith under Pressure: Choosing Christ over Culture.”
Reading from Deuteronomy 6:4–9, he argued that what the church most needs is intergenerational teaching, faith transmitted deliberately from parents to children, taught “when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way” (v. 7, KJV). He cautioned against young people being overexposed to entertainment while remaining underexposed to the life of the church, urging instead the formation of mission-driven young people whose faith will stand the test of time in university and college.
He challenged parents that they must take full responsibility for equipping their children for mission before they are released into the world. He pointed to the three Hebrew young men of Daniel 3, grounded before the furnace, and therefore unbowed before the image. A lively question-and-answer session followed, and the programme closed with multilingual songs and a benediction by the church pastor.
Thanksgiving
We give God Almighty all praise for His manifest presence throughout the day. Sincere appreciation goes to the Sabbath School department, which planned the programme under the leadership of Maria, the Superintendent, and her team; to the hospitality team; to the elders and church leaders; to the planning committee for their guidance; and to all our members for their support and unwavering commitment.
Please continue to pray for our visitors, that the follow-up may bear lasting fruit, and that this district may go on living out its theme, “One in Christ.”
Goodluck Ajuzie · Cornwall District
