Health matters

On 30th April health-minded people from different Adventist churches in Estonia came together in Tallinn to find out what the Adventist Health Philosophy and Message really is. Dr Fred Hardinge (the Health Ministry Associate Director of GC) and Stephen Cooper (the Director of ADRA, Health Ministry and Community Service of TED) had agreed to visit our Baltic countries after their mission trip to Poland.

On 1st May a Health Conference was held in Tallinn with Dr. F. Hardinge as a main speaker. The day included also workshops, a health EXPO, short lectures by different health specialists from Estonian Adventist Church, and a book sale. Around 190 people participated the day-long event; very many of them from the local community.

From Estonia Dr. F. Hardinge and S. Cooper went on to Latvia, where they preached in Riga 1st and 7th churches on Sabbath morning, and in the afternoon, as well as on Sunday, participated a health meeting for the church members interested in health evangelism. The meeting was held in a very beautiful nature resort in Baldone. On Sunday we could enjoy also invigorating music performed by a male quartet from Valmiera.

The last stop for the visitors was Kaunas, Lithuania, where Dr. Hardinge gave lectures to Lithuanian Adventist pastors. He also took time to answer many questions about Adventist health message, alternative treatments, and a personal health reform.

Although Dr. Hardinge covered very many topics and areas of health and evangelism in his lectures, his main emphasis was on the togetherness of health message and the Gospel. “There are many Godless health programmes in the world,” he said, “but it is only the power of Jesus that can really change a person”. For the church members Dr. Hardinge had a sobering message in all three countries — to love people more than health principle. He also cautioned his listeners from spiritualistic influences that are trying to creep into the church. Talking about alternative cures, he said that it is not about WHAT but WHO. It is possible that we get side-tracked by advertising treatments and cures, which are not really based on the Bible, the Spirit or Prophesy and on science.

Although the schedule for the guests was very busy in all three countries, they still found some time to get their “steps in” – by having little independent sightseeing tours in Tallinn, Riga and Kaunas. From Kaunas Dr. Hardinge flew back to his home country – America, from where he, after a short break, will go to his next mission trip to India.