Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Record Wrap brings you the main Adventist headlines from across the South Pacific and the world—weekly. In about 15 minutes, get caught up on everything you need to know. Each episode features the main stories of the week and a special segment, "Making Headlines," with a quick roundup of global Adventist news and other stories of interest. A closing interview on the main story offers deeper insights into what's happening in our community. Hosted by news editor Juliana Muniz alongside a rotating cast of the Record team.
[00:00:00] Jarrod Stackelroth: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Record Wrap, the Adventist Record news podcast. It's Wednesday, October 16. I'm Jarrod Stackelroth.
[00:00:11] Danelle Stothers: And I'm Danelle Stothers.
[00:00:13] Jarrod Stackelroth: In this week's episode, the strong man challenge captivates fairgoers for FaithFM, and the King and Queen of Tonga visit Adventist leaders in the United States.
[00:00:25] Jarrod Stackelroth: But first Danelle, what's making headlines this week?
[00:00:28] Danelle Stothers: The East Venezuela Union Mission recently held its first ever conference for the Deaf. More than 120 people attended the event at the church's regional headquarters, including 75 members of the Deaf community and sign language interpreters. The event focused on serving the Deaf and training Adventist leaders in deaf ministry. It featured presentations on spiritual growth, church structure and deaf culture, with speakers emphasising the importance of understanding and respecting the hearing-impaired community within a church setting.
[00:01:03] Danelle Stothers: This is a significant step for the Adventist church in Venezuela, where an estimated 108,000 people are Deaf. Currently there is only one church serving the Deaf, but plans are already in motion to hold another conference in 2025, continuing the effort to strengthen outreach and inclusion for this often-overlooked community.
[00:01:24] Danelle Stothers: In other news,
[00:01:25] Danelle Stothers: A study by the University of Washington found that adolescent girls brains showed signs of accelerated aging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using MRI scans, researchers compared brain structures from before and after lockdowns, finding that the cerebral cortex—responsible for complex thinking and behavior—thinned faster in girls than expected. This accelerated thinning primarily affected areas involved in personal relationships and stress management, with experts suggesting that isolation and social pressures during the pandemic played a major role. While boys also experienced changes, these were less significant.
[00:02:05] Jarrod Stackelroth: Now, back to the South Pacific.
[00:02:11] Jarrod Stackelroth: An innovative attraction at the Henty Machinery Field Days event is raising awareness for FaithFM and the Adventist church. Called the Faith FM Strongman Challenge, it features a custom built trailer where participants are invited to test their strength and fitness in various challenges.
[00:02:32] Jarrod Stackelroth: The trailer was recently rolled out at the mega agricultural event in the states south-west, attended by over 50,000 people.
[00:02:40] Kyle Morrison: There was something more than 2, 000 exhibitors on the property , so just heaps of machinery—huge agricultural beasts everywhere—and we were a bit concerned that we wouldn't have enough prescence, but having the trailer, having a red gazebo, having flags really, made it stand out. It looked like something worth stopping and observing rather than just some people standing on the grass, hoping to pull a crowd.
[00:03:05] Jarrod Stackelroth: That was Kyle Morrison, FaithFM and communication coordinator for the South New South Wales conference. Over the course of three days, more than 600 competitors took part in the Strongman challenge activities, including grip strength tests and pull up contests, cheered on by thousands of spectators. Not only did the activity encourage fun and fitness, it also enabled pastors and church members to actively engage with curious onlookers in the crowd.
[00:03:34] Kyle Morrison: So the pastors had been before to this event and they had noted that there wasn't really a Christian presence on site. There was no significant Christian influence or stalls or booths and they wanted to have some sort of a presence. So FaithFM was really the perfect entering wedge because it's a non-threatening face. It's not Bible bashing. It's not scary. It's just us having fun and promoting FaithFM. And it was a good conversation starter.
[00:03:59] Jarrod Stackelroth: In addition to individual challenges, a special team challenge was organised for local service groups, including the State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service Association, Army and Ambulance teams to see which team could claim the title of being the fittest. The SES team emerged victorious.
[00:04:18] Jarrod Stackelroth: And, the King and Queen of Tonga have visited the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist church and Loma Linda University Hospital on a quick tour of the United States. The General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church hosted King Topou the sixth and Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga at their offices this month.
[00:04:42] Jarrod Stackelroth: During the Royal couples visit, the King presented GC President Pastor Ted Wilson with a special gift: a hand-carved fish hook made of whalebone and mother of pearl. According to Pastor Wilson's Facebook page, the King remarked that it was an appropriate gift for Christians since they are called to be fishers of men.
[00:05:03] Jarrod Stackelroth: During the visit, Adventist Archives Director, Dr. David trim gave a presentation on the history of the Adventist church in Tonga.
[00:05:11] Jarrod Stackelroth: The Royals also visited Loma Linda University Church and hospital as they have a special interest in health.
[00:05:19] Jarrod Stackelroth: The King and Queen of Tonga have particular interest in a healthy lifestyle and have come to Loma Linda to learn about the blue zone, about longevity and the things that can help their people in Tonga to live longer. So all day yesterday we had the privilege of sharing with them some of the well known secrets of Loma Linda living, both in presentations and in tasting, and it's a privilege to have them and their entourage here on our campus.
[00:05:41] Jarrod Stackelroth: That was the voice of Dr. Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health as he welcomed the Royal guests to church.
[00:05:50] Jarrod Stackelroth: A Tongan youth choir with members from around North America sang "He's coming back" during the service.
[00:05:56] Tongan Youth Choir: Back again. He’s coming back. He’s coming back from heaven. Yes, he is coming back. He’s coming back again. Glory Hallelujah! Bless his name and lift him up. Praise God he’s coming back again earlier this year.
[00:06:34] Jarrod Stackelroth: Earlier this year, Pastor Wilson had an audience with the king and queen when he and his wife, Nancy visited Tonga during the Tonga for Christ program.
[00:06:43] Jarrod Stackelroth: And that wraps up this week's episode of Record Wrap. Thank you for tuning in.
[00:06:49] Danelle Stothers: Don't forget to visit our website at record.adventistchurch.com and follow us on social media for more updates and stories. You can also receive news straight to your inbox by subscribing to our weekly e-newsletter.
[00:07:03] Jarrod Stackelroth: We'll be back next week with more news from around the South Pacific Division.