First Meeting of the South Wales African Adventist Fellowship - Sabbath 11 March 2007

SOUTH WALES AFRICAN ADVENTIST FELLOWSHIP HOLDS FIRST SERVICE - Theophilus Gokah

On Sabbath 10 March 2007 the South Wales African Adventist Fellowship (SWAAF), held its first service at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Some thirty Africans, representing many different nationalities, attended the event which was led by Pastor George Asiamah, coordinator of the fellowship.

SWAAF came about through an initiative of the Welsh Mission. In keeping with the Global Mission strategy of the General Conference the Welsh Mission wanted to explore the possibilities of reaching out to the significant and growing African population of South Wales. Basing their approach on similar "peoplegroup" churches that are already well established in other parts of the British Union Conference, the Welsh Mission carried out a feasibility study to determine the level of support that such a venture would have in Cardiff. The response from the majority of Africans already worshipping in the Cardiff church was very positive, and, although there were a few reservations, it was decided to press on and begin separate Sabbath services straight away.

In preparation for the first Sabbath service a contact list of more than one hundred people was compiled and invitations were sent out by various means. People who were invited included Adventists known to be living in the area but no longer attending church, and non-Adventists with or without experience of Adventism in any form.

Among the African community in Cardiff there are many people who have Adventist relations, or who once attended Adventist schools, or who at least know what Adventism stands for. These are the people that SWAAF initially wants to target. However, SWAAF's focus goes beyond its immediate locale and in future it will extend its activities to other communities in and around South Wales as part of the Welsh Mission’s evangelistic strategy.

In his morning sermon Pastor Asiamah focused on "human choices" and spoke about the importance of the choices that we make in life. "These choices invariably shape our lives either for better or for worse," he said. After the service members of the fellowship met for an informal discussion in which they addressed issues of common interest and concern to the group. The members affirmed their resolve to seek to motivate Africans in Cardiff and other South Wales communities to stand for Christ. They also affirmed their sense of responsibility to the wider community - those beyond their natural target group but who are equally in need of the gospel.