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Whoops and cheers upstaged formalities during the ordination of assistant men's residence director Shane Roberts at 7.28 this past Friday (November 9).

The service, hosted by the students of Watson Hall, featured an all-male choir, which led the praise and worship and performed several items.

The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, Pastor Laurie Evans, opened the service with prayer. Speaker Dr Ray Roennfeldt, the dean of the Faculty of Theology, encouraged Shane to continue to be a "cheerful Christian" and "continue to show evidence of [his] relationship with Jesus Christ."

As the choir sang "Amazing grace," senior minister Dr Bruce Manners invited those already ordained as ministers and those touched by Shane's ministry to come to the front of College Church to pray over Shane. As the choir finished singing, Dr Barry Oliver, general secretary of the church in the South Pacific, prayed over Shane. He asked the Holy Spirit to continue to guide Shane in his ministry and to bless his work. Friend Gaylene Heise then prayed over Shane's wife, Debbie--the Roberts celebrate 20 years of marriage next year--asking God to give her strength to support her husband and thanking God for Debbie's gift of hospitality.

As the prayer ended, the church erupted with whoops and cheers. The choir stood proudly by people came forward to hug Shane and Debbie.

Shane thanked everyone in his closing speech, including Debbie, his family, friends and even those who, unaware of his ordination, attended 7.28 "but who stayed anyway."

More cheers accompanied Shane's last words of thanks as the men from Watson broke into a chant of "Shane, Shane, Shane" and "number one, number one, number one" as they lifted him onto their shoulders.

"There are times in your ministry when you question your calling; Friday was not one of those times," says Shane. "The affirmation overwhelmed me."

Shane began his ministerial career as an assistant minister at Avondale Memorial Adventist Church while studying theology at Avondale from 1995 to 1998. He had earlier served in a variety of clerical and treasury roles for Sanitarium Health Food Company and the church in the South Pacific, South Australia and northern New South Wales. Calls to Lord Howe Island (1999), Parramatta (2000-2002), Toongabbie (2002) and Stanmore (2003) followed before Shane returned to Avondale in 2004. He also served during this time as chaplain at Sydney Adventist College (2000 and 2003) and Auburn Adventist Primary School (2001, 2002).


Caption: Dr Barry Oliver congratulates Pastor Shane and Debbie Roberts following Shane's ordination at 7.28.
Credit: Ann Stafford