When I first started going to Reedy Creek Church a few years back, I

noticed a young man that sat around four pews to the back of the

church. He always sat very quietly in the corner, alone, with his head

humbly bowed and his Bible securely in his hand. Today that young

man can be seen in the front pews of our church and if not there, you

will find him participating at the front of our church doing what he loves

best, joyfully singing. Something has changed. His name is George.

George is an elite athlete from Vanuatu. He is in Australia on a sports

scholarship with Oceanic Athletics who reports to the International As-

sociation of Athletics Federation. He has been training for the Olym-

pics. I wanted to hear his story so

I could share his experience about

being a professional sports athlete

and how he responds to the chal-

lenge of competing on the Sab-

bath. When I met with him I found

out there was more to George

then just that.

Special Sports Edition

Message from the Editor - Natalie James

R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H

June 2016

Volume 1, Issue 4

reeker Chronicle Upcoming Events:

Adventurer’s Rally Day

11 June

Youth Breakfast Con-

nect 18 June

Church Family Camp

24—26 June

Depression & Anxiety

Recovery Program Info

Sessions continues

Look out for monthly

Youth Breakfasts,

Church Walks, Games

nights and more.

Inside this issue:

Message from the Editor 1

Living Stories

The King’s Power

Love Thy Neighbour

5

2—5

6—8

Living Stories By Natalie James

When “No News” is “The Good News”

Meet VINJARIA GEORGE MOLISINGI aka George: Age 20 years

With a recent race call conducted by Pastor David during our church

Visitors Day and with so much sport looming over the next few

months including the Olympics, I thought it would be fitting to do a

special sports edition of the Creeker Chronicle. Sport for many is

considered a religion. Religion, in addition to the well known spiritual

reference is also defined as “A pursuit or interest to which someone

ascribes supreme importance” source: oxford dictionary. Seeing sports fans

and athlete’s commitment and dedication to their sport and teams,

one can see how this label has come about. This month’s collection

of stories is about triumph, for those in their sport but also triumph

and victory in believing and following Christ.

Vanuatu Team Oceania Championship 2011

Creeker Chronicle

George grew up in an Adventist home. He

also grew up with the right athletic genes and

was coached for a time by his Father who

was a runner and a professional coach. By

Grade 10, George knew he had what it took

to be a professional runner and entered the

Pacific Games in New Caledonia. Due to his

success he made it through to the Oceania

Championship in Cairns. George knew if he

performed well he could be selected for a

sports scholarship and go overseas.

This was an opportunity that George had

dreamed of and so he prayed to God in the

hope his prayer would be answered. After the

Championships, George wasn’t offered a

scholarship. George accepted the decision

and put the idea to the back of his head.

By Grade 11 things had changed for George

and he unfortunately got caught up in the

wrong crowd. He found himself drifting and

his priorities changed. His Mum however

continued to work hard to put food on the ta-

ble. Her strength, endurance, love and Ad-

ventist beliefs remained steady and fast and

left a lasting impression on George. During

this time George heard a distinct voice

“George this is not the right way” and he

knew straight away that God was speaking to

him. By Grade 12 George was baptised and

became a committed Adventist. The day

George got baptised he received a call that

very lunch time and was offered a sports

scholarship with Oceanic Athletics in Austral-

ia. God had responded to George.

When George arrived on the Gold Coast, he

met with management who advised him that

LIVING STORIES Cont...

R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H Volume 1, Issue 4

he had his first competition on Friday

night. He agreed, but felt it was not

right. George spoke with God and

asked for strength and courage.

George came back to them and told

them it was against his belief to train

and compete on the Sabbath. He told

them to send him home as he would not

dishonour his God. The management

offered George three months of training

with no obligation to compete, so long

as his times continued to improve. A

reassessment would take place in three

months.

Everyone knew that competing was an

essential part to improving and making

the Olympics but George knew to trust

in God.

Page 2

George sprint traning

Creeker Chronicle

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 4

LIVING STORIES cont...

Three months came and went. Six months

came and went. Then six months turned into

one year and nothing was said about how

George had over-extended his three month

stay. Management still wanted him to com-

pete and reiterated to George that he was

“training fit” but not “competition fit”. George

continued about his business. He ran well,

he helped his peers and he was gaining a

positive reputation amongst his sports com-

munity.

In May 2015, George was chosen for the

Oceanic Championship in the 100m and

200m races. The races were being held on

Saturday.

George prayed to God “Lord you’ve got this

in your hands. I am weak and slow in

speech. Please put words in my mouth.” A

meeting was held with the Executive Director

and George said he could not compete.

George left the meeting with the expectation

he was not going to the games. Within 24

hours and not a word spoken to George,

George discovered the whole timetable had

changed and George was able to compete.

God’s mighty hand was at work. George

proudly carried the Vanuatu flag in the open-

ing ceremony of the games and made first

place, achieving his personal best in both

races. George was considered a hero

amongst his sporting community and his

country. George in his humble spirit thanked

the Lord for everything.

George was selected for the 100m World

Championship in July 2015. The 100m was

being run on Saturday.

Management had already anticipated that

George was going to say no but gave him

the weekend to decide. George knew in

his heart that he was going to say no.

Management offered him an invitation to

race in the 200m instead. George prayed

“Lord I am not fit to run the 200m against

the best in the world, please give me a

way out”. George had pulled a tendon in

the Oceanic Championship and so his

coach suggested that he should not run

the 200m. God had given him a reason

and answered George’s prayer.

George recovered well and was also train-

ing well. By January 2016, the Olympic

timetable was published and George was

invited to compete. The 100m was being

raced on Sabbath. By March a final deci-

sion had to be made. George received a

lot of pressure from his immediate sports

body and by the National Olympic Com-

mittee in Vanuatu to race in the 100m.

George carrying Vanuatu flag Oceanic Championship

George gave his answer, “No”. The message

sent back to George was “there are plenty of

young people hungry for this opportunity”,

George’s reply is “opportunity and talent is

given from God”. George has been advised

if he cannot compete in the Olympics his

scholarship must be terminated. In the deci-

sion not to compete in the Olympics, George

feels happy for standing up for God. He boldly

exclaims “the whole host of heaven is with

me, everyone is in God’s hands. The Father

is the King of the universe.”

Management kindly offered to allow George

to stay until July. George was undecided

whether to stay or go.

George prayed to God and asked him “if you

want me to go home, let it run smoothly, if you

don’t want me to go, complicate things.”

George went in to Management with a notice

date of 1st May. As he walked in he continued

to pray “give me a sign or a distraction to

show me you don’t want me to go”. When he

arrived at the Executive Director’s office she

was not there for the appointment. George

wondered if this was the sign. He continued

to pray. When he returned to her office the

Executive Director was there. The Executive

Director was sad at his decision but accepted

it.

As she went to type into her computer

George’s leaving date, George remembered

he still didn’t have his passport back from Va-

nuatu. The sports body had sent his passport

to Vanuatu for renewal. It had already been 2

months since his passport had been sent

away and it was four weeks ago that Vanuatu

had said they had returned his passport back

to Australia.

Living Stories Cont...

R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H Volume 1, Issue 4

The flight home was booked for 1 May.

It has been and gone however you may

have noticed George is still here and

guess what, he still does not have his

passport! When George looks back over

his time here he can’t help but ask God

what really is the purpose of his being

here. He asks, “I have been here for 3

years, I don’t compete. Have I come to

represent my country in Athletics or am I

here to do your service, Lord?”

You see while George has been a remark-

able athlete for his country, he has also

been a wonderful ambassador of Christ.

George has shared his Bible with his ath-

lete flatmates who have opened up their

lives and are now going to church as a re-

sult. He has given them Bibles and they

have come to him asking him to explain

Bible verses. It is said amongst George’s

peers “George is a Godly man.” George is

asked to pray after training, to say grace

over food and has even been asked to

pray before the start of the Athletics Xmas

function. George admits that his time here

has given him the opportunity to learn so

much more about the Bible and is happy

just to share it. He was once even ap-

proached on a train by a lady who wanted

to join him on facebook just because he

was reading his Bible on the train!

Creeker Chronicle

God is working in George’s life

and George is working for God.

This is a man who walks, no runs,

with God and is motivated by the

knowledge that when he appears

before judgement he is accounta-

ble for sharing the Bible truth’s

with those that he comes in con-

tact with.

George’s personal best is 11.02

seconds in the 100m and 22.53

seconds in the 200m. However,

right now George is putting his

best foot forward for Christ and

can aptly be described by

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Did

you not know that in a

race all the runners run.

But only one receives the

prize? So run that you

may obtain it.” George

has his eyes on that

heavenly prize and noth-

ing is going to take that

away from him. This is

evident when George

smiles and laughs, you

can’t help but see the

Page 5

Volume 1, Issue 4

love of God shining

through his life.

Through the power of

God, George has em-

braced change and

turned “No News” into

“The Good News” for

everyone. We look for-

ward to seeing where

God takes George

next.

LIVING STORIES cont...

THE KING’S POWER

By Pr. David Riley

Pr .Riley loves all

things sport

It was incredible news last month

that Leicester City Football Club

had won the English Premier

League. Just last season Leices-

ter had won only four of their first

twenty-nine games and were sit-

ting last. The team faced certain

relegation from the top

competition and their sup-

porters were despondent.

Then something seeming-

ly unconnected happened.

On March 26th 2015 the

remains of King Richard III

- who had been

buried in an unmarked

and unknown grave for

over 500 years - was

fittingly reburied at

Leicester Cathedral in

a royal ceremony.

George as an Ambassador for Christ

Leicester's football

team then went on an

incredible run of victo-

ries - winning seven

of their last nine

games - and they sur-

vived relegation. At

the time Leicester City

Football Club's efforts

were called "The

Great Escape".

As we now know,

Leicester continued

their victories into this

season and were

crowned champions

of England.

If you think the re-

burial of Richard III in

Leicester at the same

time of the start of this

incredible string of vic-

tories is simply a coin-

cidence - then may I

also add to this story

the name of Leices-

ter's home ground:

KING POWER STADI-

UM.

Coincidence? As you

think about that think

about this:

The King of Kings was

buried in an unmarked

grave 2,000 years ago

and His followers were

left feeling like they'd

just been relegated to

hopelessness.

Does he have a se-

cret weapon?

In 2013, Ablett post-

ed a photo on social

media of himself

praying before the

Sun’s win against

the Western Bull-

dogs. The photo, of

Ablett with head

bowed along with

teammates Aaron

Whether you are an

AFL supporter or not, it

is likely you have heard

the name Gary Ablett.

Gary Ablett Jnr plays

for the Gold Coast

Suns and has been

considered by many as

the “player of his gen-

eration” or even the

“most accomplished

player of all times”.

Hall and Zac Smith,

was accompanied

by a Bible quote: In

1 Corinthians 10:31

"So whether you

eat or drink or what-

ever you do, do it all

for the glory of

God." This was

Ablett’s first real

public recognition of

his faith which at-

tracted a lot of at-

tention.

THE KING’S POWER cont...

Sports Vegans

Tim Shieff professional

sports runner 2009

World Champion Tim

found that his vegan diet

brought him stronger

joints and “burst of

energy and enthusiasm”

in training.

Cam Awesome 8 times

national heavyweight

boxing champion &

captain of USA National

Boxing. Fell short at

2012 Olympics, “since

being on plant based

diet, I am 23-0, winning

3 International Golds &

2 National tournaments

and can thank my new

lifestyle.”

Page 6

Creeker Chronicle R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H

By Natalie James

LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR

Gary Ablett - AFL

Yet Jesus per-

formed the greatest

of escapes - He

broke free from the

grave and rose to

new life. He

spurred on His dis-

ciples to be front-

line players in the

battle between

good and evil and

He continues to do

the same today.

This King's burial

and resurrection

means that through

faith you have joy in

this life and a "great

escape" from the

certainty of death in

the next.

Through the resur-

rection of Jesus

"Death has been

swallowed up in

victory" says the

Bible (1 Corinthians

15:54).

It is through the King of King's that we can all wear a victor's crown to-day. That is the reality of a resurrected King's power.

While ritual and routines such as

listening to music, handballing or

kicking is the usual locker room be-

haviour before a game, Gary Ablett,

Zac Smith and Aaron Hall can be

found in a corner huddling in prayer

and reciting a biblical quote. Others

including coaches and players are

invited to join the group.

Ablett is witnessing in a sport and

an arena that is considered a reli-

gion itself. When asked what his

purpose is he replies,

“I believe I know the answer. It’s to

live the life God intended me to live.

That’s to give back to others, to

serve. I couldn’t break it down and

say it’s to be a footballer. I be-

lieve we were put on this earth to

have relationships with people

and for me, I’m seeking God for

those answers every day…”

When pondering the question of

what his legacy will be, he an-

swers,

“To be honest, when I think of

legacy I think of influence and

what you entrust to others. I be-

lieve I’m definitely in a position of

influence and I’m grateful for

that, however I hope that when

people hear or talk about me,

they don’t just see or think of me

as a footballer, but instead a

man of integrity who lived his life

to serve others through God.”

We may not be football stars but

we can still leave a legacy. What

will your legacy be?

Page 7

Volume 1, Issue 4

Gary Ablett

Compiled from The Age 23 May 2014 Michael Gleeson and The Herald Sun 27 F eb 2016 Mark

Robinson.

Notes from Other Christian Sports Identities

CJ Hobgood - World Champion 2001 Surfer

Revisiting his low times “The

truth would always set me

free” source Christian Surfers

20 August 2015

Sports Vegans Cont.

Steph Davis World

leading climber, base-

jumper & sky diver &

only woman to have free-

solo climbed a 5.11

grade mountain. “I have

found that eating a

vegan diet gives me

optimum physical and

mental awareness.”

M o l l y C a m e r o n

professional cyclo-racing.

“If anything, eating

organic and whole foods

keeps my energy level

and mental focus

consistent. It is the

logical step when living a

super active & conscious

lifestyle.”

Murray Rose Known as

the “Seaweed Streak” for

his vegan diet, Murray

Rose was an Australian

swimmer who won 4

gold medals in 1956 &

1960 Olympics. He

attributed much of his

success to his vegan diet,

which was an extremely

unusual choice for the

time.

Billie Jean King one of

the most famous

vegetarian athletes. She

tallied 39 Grand Slam

titles over her career.

7 – 9 Bridgman Drive Reedy Creek QLD 4227

Phone: 0413 179 580

Email: davidriley@adventist.org.au

Communications

Natalie James

For submission of articles:

reedysdacomms@outlook.com

www.reedycreek.adventist.org.au

R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H

R E E D Y C R E E K S D A C H U R C H

On getting to know God—“Could I ever run the other way and pretend He didn’t exist?” That answer was also “no.”And so I came to a conclu-sion and said, “Alright, Jesus, come

and live life with me.” source: www.beyondtheultimate.com/athlete/kellyclark

Creeker Chronicle Page 8

LEARN MORE. LIVE MORE. LOVE MORE.

“If you’re married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife, I love her, the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have the opportunity? And that’s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus

Christ.” source: www.listosaur.com/ 10famousevangelical-athletesinprosport

Kelly Clark - Olympic Gold Snowboarder

Tim Tebow - NFL Quarterback—”Tebowing”

We are on the Web and

Facebook

David Pocock - Wallabies Flanker

“..I really believe that to follow the New Testament's nonvio-

lent Christ is how we are to worship him. For me, my faith is

about committing my life to helping those that Jesus came

to save, and by seeing church as the community of believ-

ers committed to following Jesus. I think following Jesus

means not conforming to the world but allowing our lives to

be transformed (Romans 12:1-2). Loving God by loving

those around us, loving people for who they are, being

there for people especially for those the world forgets or

considers "unlovable." ..” source: ABC Religion and Ethics

Bubba Watson - PGA Golfer

“Golf is just an avenue for Jesus to use me to reach as many people as possible.”