Where Idols End and Ministry Begins

On Sabbath 30th May 2026, Colchester Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church held their Personal Ministries Day. They invited Careen Lawrence to deliver the sermon titled, Where Idols End and Ministry Begins, as well as facilitate the afternoon program around OneVoice27 and Departmental Roles.

Colchester SDA is a diverse congregation with members from countries such as Hungary, Ukraine, Ghana, Zimbabwe, India and England, which is promising as it relates to outreach. And given members the opportunity to minister through song in their mother tongue, showed the openness of the church in making Ministry personal and accessible to many.

A member shared that there is now a separate class for two none Adventist visitors who are Ukrainian. This has allowed both Women to have the lesson delivered to them in their mother tongue and in a much simple way which meets them at their depth of understanding. One of the sisters, with brother Maksym’s support in interpreting, shared that the message given touched her and she felt it was from the heart. At the end of the day, Elder Castello shared that the first-time visitor from the evangelical denomination expressed his desire to be baptised following the day’s service.

The message shared stemmed from the scripture Judges 6:14, 24-26, 36-27, with three key aspects highlighted:

• The call on our lives

• The altars to be broken

• The beginning of Ministry

Gideon was first called by God, but needed to remove the idols from his father’s house before being able to complete the task he was called to do. With this as the foundation, members of were invited to think about the call on their lives and what could have become the idol preventing them from moving forward in ministry. In addition, they were encouraged to see God for him to highlight what may have been stopping them on an individual level, which could have potentially spilled over and become a hindrance on a church level.

This was further explored during the afternoon worship. Members were reminded that OneVoice27 is a global initiative with the emphasis being:

• Communion with God

• Identity in Christ

• Unity through the Holy Spirit

• Mission for all

Furthermore, the steps shared at the OneVoice27: mission for all weekend was reiterated and expanded on:

• Digital contact

• Response and interest capture

• Local Fellowship and Bible Study

• Sabbath school/small group

• Ongoing discipleship and mission

Having looked at the emphasis of OneVoice27 and the approach to digital evangelism, members were able to consider ways in which departments can work together leading up to September 2027. Some examples being:

1. Prayer Ministry and Children Ministry collaborating with the children department having arts and craft for the community followed by prayer meeting giving individuals the opportunity to stay at the end of the arts and craft session.

2. Men’s Ministry and Health Ministry along with the Media Department, leading up to ‘Church in the park’. Flyers can be created with information about the most prevalent health concerns for men in Colchester being distributed in the local area.

3. Family Life and the Community Department to organise activities for the elderly such as tea and coffee mornings allowing the opportunity for the elderly to socialise and the Church to be more visible within the local area.

The church is now on their way to becoming better equipped and prepared for September 2027, joining churches across the globe, as we all share the gospel of Jesus Christ, in One Voice. All were reminded of the importance in being obedient to the voice of God, following His guidance as we all work together in one accord, through love, in reaching the wider community.