AMEN 2008: Linked for Service

Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN)

AMEN 2008 Breakout Seminars

Errol Bryce

Health Evangelism to the Community and to the World: Your Crucial Role

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for your blessings.

We ask you, Lord, that as we pray, as we gather together this morning, that your spirit will be felt among us.

You will be with us, Lord, in a very special way as we put our minds together, as we surrender to you for your service.

Your role in taking health evangelism to the community and the world.

Welcome to the AMEN Conference, linked for service.

And so let me try to say a little bit about myself.

I'm a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Texas, chief of Medicine at Baylor All Saints Medical Center.

But what I really want to share with you is, who is Earl Bryce?

And the best way I can think of to share with you a little bit of who I am is to tell you a little bit about my childhood, maybe 3 stories about my development.

Firstly, I came into this world under some very unfortunate circumstances.

When I was about 9 months old, I was thrown away by my mother, and I ended up on my grandmother's doorstep in a basket.

This turned out to be the most significant event in my entire life.

My grandmother turned out to be a fantastic Christian, a Seventh-day Adventist who had 2 passions, a passion for Christ and a passion for education, and she gave me both.

She also gave me a very, very strong faith in Jesus Christ.

Once my grandmother, who etched out a living by buying and selling what we call then dry goods, shirts, pants, underwear, dresses, things like those.

She would go to Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, she would buy these things, bring it back to her little town, and she would put a glass case, a little showcase on the front porch.

She would put things in that and she would sell these things.

And once she went to Kingston, and in retrospect I realize now that these things were on sale.

They were actually given these things away.

She bought about 2 dozen shirts, 2 dozen pants, 2 dozen underwear.

Normally we would sell little things from time to time and we would be able to buy stuff to eat from this.

I understand that there are about 1 billion people who are what we call food insecure.

There was a time in my life when I was numbered among that 1000000000 people.

We ate on a daily basis from the things we buy and sell almost on a weekly basis.

But this time nobody would come to buy these things.

You see, back then most Jamaicans were poor and poor people in Jamaica are underweight, not overweight as we see now in North America, where most, 60%, 66% of us are overweight, whether you're rich and poor.

And you know, 1 week would pass, a second week would pass, a third week would pass, and there were no sales.

And things were getting very, very slim, as you would say, in the home.

And my grandmother, I would say to her, why did you buy these things?

There's nobody who can fit into these clothes.

I remember as a little boy, I must have been around 7 years of age, I would take the pants and I'd extend my arm fully like this and you could, it was that big.

And my grandmother would say to me, Errol, God told me to buy this clothes and he will provide someone to buy all of this.

Well that week for the first time in my entire life I went to school bare feet, without shoes because my shoes had completely been destroyed.

I walked it out, there were holes in it, I couldn't hold it up anymore, and I had to make a decision of going to school bare feet or staying home.

I remember the Friday morning, actually, in worship that morning, she said, be sure to come home so you can go to the store.

And she said, no, you have to come home like you always do.

And we usually come home, we usually buy things for Sabbath on a Friday evening, get all the clothes and house ready for Sabbath.

Well, I came home like an obedient little boy, And as I walked in, I noticed that showcase with those clothes, it was completely empty.

She said, well, I prayed this morning and I doubled the price.

I doubled the price and I prayed this morning.

Buy yourself a pair of shoes, 1 for church, buy another pair for school.

There was enough money to buy shoes, to buy clothes.

Friends, I experienced hundreds of those stories growing up.

The objectives of this conference, 1, we will review the concept of health evangelism.

We will review an argument for health evangelism.

We'll discuss methods of implementation, understand how to take health evangelism to your community.

I would ask you to commit to a pilot program.

We're going to assume a number of things going into this conference.

And fourth, God communicates his plans through the Bible and through the pen of inspiration.

We face momentous times in the closing days of Earth's history.

The Gospel of health is to be firmly linked with the ministry of the Word.

It is the Lord's design that the restoring influence of health reform shall be part of the last great effort to proclaim the gospel message.

At this conference, you'll hear a lot about medical evangelism.

As I prayed and fasted, I, the term health evangelism seemed to be a more relevant term for today.

Having read this passage, the gospel of health is to be firmly linked to the ministry of word.

And so I coined the term health evangelism.

I think this is much better than medical evangelism.

Then I recognized there are a lot of people using the same term, health evangelism.

Elvin Adams on his book, Handbook of Health Evangelism, he also used that terminology.

Now with this mandate, we face a crisis in the world.

There is a global epidemic of obesity and diabetes as we go forward.

This body, I don't need to explain to you the tremendous increase in the rates of obesity.

Now in the United States, we are up to 66% in my country, Jamaica.

Now we live in a toxic society where more and more you're seeing the deterioration of quality food, more and more people eating themselves to death as we go forward.

Medical ministry page 25 says, The intemperance of every kind has taken the world captive.

And it is in this context that there's a ship that is leaving port.

There's a company in South Africa called Vitality.

Allen Lloyd

John Youngberg

Wes Youngberg

Resources for Bridging Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Medicine, Part 1

6 years ago when my father and I started discussing how we could use our health message more effectively in bringing people to the gospel the way it was really intended to be.

We recognized that education is so critical and as my parents are educators, now both professors emeritus from Andrews University, they had been doing marriage enrichment and family life seminars for decades.

And they recognized that we needed to cross the gap between relational health, emotional health, spiritual health, and the traditional biological health that we so oftentimes discuss as clinicians, the 8 natural remedies, the New Start principles, which we all so enjoy sharing with our patients.

But, so we came up with this model, this ministry of healing model that expanded to all the areas of holistic health and healing.

And together with many other consultants and health professionals, Over the last 6 years, a lot of work has gone into developing this model and providing materials for health professionals like you to be involved in this product.

We're all aware of the 8 natural remedies.

It's sort of the guidebook to much of what we do.

But as we studied the book Ministry Healing, we found there are 7 chapters on the family in the book Ministry Healing.

And that the, whereas we were very keen on Ministry Healing 123, there are 8 natural remedies, 1 paragraph, but the 7 chapters on the family, many times they go past the board with only a passing interest.

And so it was our desire to put this together in the book Ministry Healing, where it speaks much of love, forgiveness, and of course, the whole question of mind cure, the mind-spirit dimension.

We tried to get all this together to really speak of holistic healing.

So, over the last 6 years, we've been putting materials together and implementing.

I just want to share with you something that we've done just in the last few months at the Fallbrook Seventh Adventist Church.

Tay-Em, who will be speaking in a little while, who's the president of the Rancho family medical group in Temecula, California, large family medical group in the Temecula Valley area, and I have been working with the local SDA churches to have something that really attracts the community to the churches, besides what we've traditionally done in the past.

And wanting to have a program completely done and videotaped ready to make materials, plug and play materials available to health professionals such as yourself, we only had a week's notice in the community to get this started and 200 people showed up at our church.

And we're at Destination Church in Fallbrook.

And that means there's no community around the church at all, It's just right there by the 15 freeway on the way to San Diego.

And so people just came from everywhere and they were also attracted, those patients who had been involved with us in previous programs at The clinics said, wow, we can go to a free program?

And so we'll be sharing aspects of that with you throughout this presentation.

Nedley, who will be addressing us a little bit, his specific programs in a little while.

He has been a mentor, I think I can speak, for many of us, and myself included, About 2 years ago, actually at the general conference session, we spoke with Dr.

And I didn't even know he had all his materials all together.

And just like many of you are so busy, it just sat in my office while we were doing all kinds of other programs for almost a year.

And 1 day I was impressed to say, you know, we're just going to do it.

You know, we don't have time to feel comfortable doing this, but we're just going to do it." And so we passed out flyers for an eight-week depression recovery series.

That very weekend that we started it, we had a special homeless shelter meal our church did.

And there was somebody there at the homeless meal that we provided that said, wow, you're doing a depression program?

He says, I have a lot of problems with depression.

In fact, we sent somebody to pick him up at the beach where he lived.

We didn't realize he was packing guns and he had machetes and he had, he was a Vietnam vet with post-traumatic stress disorder.

But he was very interested in what we had to offer.

God provided that program for such a time as that.

9 months later, as he was now working with us in our radio station, doing a local language Bible study every week on the radio station, he said to me, he says, you know Wes, he says, I had decided to take my life that day, The morning you sent somebody to pick me up at the beach, I was planning to take my life.

And now he's a missionary in Guam and to the other islands of the Pacific, sharing his message of the good news of the gospel and how he was saved from taking his own life.

Neil Nedley and all the hard work that he's done in providing the material so that we can take the message to all those that we have influence over.

And so, a little bit later I'm going to be sharing with you how we have even adapted his material using our current material to reach other areas of disease state management.

So welcome to our discussion today on how to use the Winn Wellness materials as a health evangelism program in your churches.

And how to even bridge that right out of your own clinics.

Using the materials to help you develop disease state management programs that you can actually charge group medical visits for.

We've been doing this for years now in Guam.

We've been doing that for almost 10 years.

And very successfully, just moved from Guam after 14 years of service there with the SDA medical clinic.

M at the Rancho Family Medical Group and we'll be discussing that a little bit more.

So, Dad, the time is yours to discuss the originator and the real mastermind behind Wind Wellness.

Well, I can't quite take the beat on that 1.

We really consider that this is a divine idea for which I do not take credit.

And so we just praise the Lord that he put the program together and sometimes he uses clay and faulty material to do the job, but praise his name, somehow the job gets done.

You could have done this yourself, but probably you don't have 6 years to work on the PowerPoint and put the program together and that's what it's taken.

And here we are, 6 years later, some, almost $70, 000 later, with the PowerPoint, the rights, and all these kinds of things.

I want you to know we're not in this for the money.

My wife and I have never taken a penny of money for this.

We counted a privilege to work in the Lord's work.

So let me, let's talk a little bit of philosophy about medical missionary work.

You have a slip in your hands that's called Every Church a Medical Missionary Center.

This is MEQ, means medical evangelism quotient.

It could be true or it could be false or it could be I don't know.

Medical missionary work is a desirable but not a necessary part of the mission of the local church.

In today's sophisticated world, degreed healthcare professionals are the only ones capable of fulfilling the commission, heal the sick.

Number 4, every member of the church should be trained to do effective medical missionary evangelism.

If you believe this is true, raise your hand.

If you believe this is not true, raise your hand.

Alright, A large majority feel strongly about this and I wish we could discuss it but time does not permit us to.

But let's just turn over here on the back of this same sheet and let's read here number 5.

Would you read the paragraph marked number 5, the church should awake.

And I want you to read with me the first sentence together.

We have come to a time when every member of the church should take hold of medical missionary work.

Now, the rest of the statement is great, read it at your leisure.

The medical missionary work should be a part of the work of every church in our land.

Now I find that the people all believe this.

What they have not had is the tools to carry it out.

Is there a Is there an important timeline involved in this?

And a volunteer, some lady who would read number 7, please.

Pardon me, number 8, Number 8, a feminine volunteer, please.

Rick Beckermeyer

Wendell Lawrence

Dentists on the Frontline in Ministry, Part 1

We've heard all the excuses that have been presented that have prevented Dennis from making a commitment to medical ministry.

So, we've heard all the excuses and I made quite a few of those and I'm sure Rick did too, you know.

I can't take the time off from my practice and lose all the chair time and money, you know, because ministry takes time and you have to take time off from your job and from the work and you know and there's some text that supports the fact that God wants us to be involved in ministry and Matthew 16, 26 says, for what profit is it to a man who gains he gains the whole world and loses his own soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul so and then some I mean these are all excuses that I have made and a lot of my friends have made, you know.

It is too expensive, buying the materials, the handouts, the food, I can't afford it.

And what does the Bible say in Philippians 4 and 19?

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

So we don't have anything to fear, do we?

And my patients may view me as a religious fanatic, and I may lose patience.

You know, I've made that before when I first started off.

And you don't want to scare patients away.

And I'm sure you've heard that too, right?

I am with thee and no man shall sit on thee to hurt thee.

So the Bible has a lot of words of encouragement for us as we venture out.

I don't feel comfortable bringing up religion with my patients.

Most of them are of a secular mindset and don't want to hear about the Bible anyway.

And that's another excuse that many people make.

And Psalms 37 5 says, Commit thy way unto the Lord.

Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.

And Matthew 10 33 says, but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my father who is in heaven.

Has anyone ever heard that or made those excuses, you know?

Psalms 32, 8, I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shall go.

And Psalms 34 verse 4 says, I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

So all the fears that you may have, God can deliver you from those fears.

And Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love the God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Pippin was talking about this morning, God will certainly guide us in that purpose and work things out in our practices for His purpose, if we are following His purpose.

When we step out in faith and take the time off and use our resources for ministry, God blesses us many times over.

And you know, when I first started off with meetings with Vicki Griffin and having meetings in my office it gets kind of scary sometimes I mean I'll be honest with you.

Remember the first meetings we had years ago, we had 70 patients register.

And my waiting room can only hold like 50, 55.

And so we had waiting rooms, waiting room and so we had a lot of people register.

We had, we were going to serve them a meal, going to Get handouts for everyone, materials, take half of the afternoon off, once a week, and it was kind of scary.

But we had that God had led and directed in such a positive way that we knew he was leading and directing.

And the month-end production and collection figures are always much better during those months that I took off the time to do a health or Bible series in the office.

My accountant still couldn't figure it out.

You know, you take time off, you spend more money, you work less for ministry and yet the Lord blesses much more.

And So it's just putting the Lord to a test.

And I've had the lowest AR at the end of the month of those months also.

You know, the counts receivable at the end of those months that we did most ministry, it was the lowest.

My accountant calls this success which defies the numbers.

Take more time off from ministry, spend more for ministry, and at the end of the month the figures are better.

How do we explain these miraculous blessings?

Does the Bible teach us about the principle of giving and receiving?

And 2 Corinthians 9, 8, 10, and 11, this is 1 of my favorite texts, and I read this over so many times.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things and at all times having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be made rich in every way so that You can be generous in every occasion and through this, through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This is such a comforting text to know that God in everything you do, it doesn't say in some things but in all things, God will supply your need and have you abound in every good work.

So I want Rick to come up and tell us something about when you were setting up your practice.

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Series

AMEN 2008 Breakout Seminars

Short Term Missions for the Beginner: How to Organize, Fundraise, and Go

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Parts

Health Evangelism to the Community and to the World: Your Crucial Role

45m

Resources for Bridging Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Medicine, Part 1

1h 22m

Dentists on the Frontline in Ministry, Part 1

1h

Short Term Missions for the Beginner: How to Organize, Fundraise, and Go

1h 13m

Resources for Bridging Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Medicine, Part 2

1h 34m

Dentists on the Frontline in Ministry, Part 2

1h 27m

Sound Doctrine