ANN: Highlights from the 2003 news reports Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. | 31.12.2003 | International In 2003, membership in the Seventh-day Day Adventist Church surpassed 13.3 million people, with some 700,000 new members. An estimated 20 million people overall, members and non-members, attend Adventist Church worship services each week. This year also saw the launch of Sow 1 Billion--an ambitious world church initiative to print and distribute 1,000 million invitations to study the Bible. Five hundred million of the small brochures in many languages have already been printed. While chur
ADRA Delivers Aid to Iran Earthquake Survivors Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 30.12.2003 | ADRA A team from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) offices in Germany and Turkey will arrive in Iran Tuesday, December 30, to assess damage and formulate ADRA’s larger response to the severe earthquake that hit near the ancient city of Bam, Iran before dawn Friday, December 26. ADRA’s initial response includes providing 1,500 blankets, 1,500 petroleum heaters and canisters, 100 six-person tents, mats and mattresses, jackets, and biscuits. The project, valued at 25,000 Euro (US$31
Adventist World Church: ADRA Works to Combat Hunger Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. | 14.12.2003 | ADRA A new report issued by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that, despite abundance of food in industrialized nations, the world is getting hungrier. The report shows that world hunger declined during the first half of the 1990s by some 37 million, but during the second half of the decade the numbers rose by 18 million people in developing countries. Kenneth Flemmer, bureau chief for programs of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, says that several reasons can
Adventist World Church: Global Mission Experts Discuss Cross-Cultural Communication Loma Linda, California, U.S.A. | 14.12.2003 | International Directors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Global Mission religious study centers and other mission experts met December 3 to 5 in Loma Linda, (California, U.S.A.), to share reports and discuss future directions for Adventist relations with other religions. The religious study centers -- operated by the Adventist Church -- explore ways of building bridges to the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities, as well as to those who profess no faith. “The purpose of the centers is to p
Korea: Adventists Fear Negative Impact of Court Ruling on Conscientious Objectors Seoul, South Korea | 10.12.2003 | International Seventh-day Adventists who wish to maintain a non-combatant status may have greater difficulty in dealing with Korea’s military service requirements following a Seoul District Criminal Court ruling last week. A 25-year-old man, identified only as “Mr. Lee,” was fined 2 million Korean Won, or USD 1,670, by the court after Lee refused to attend reserve military training. The man was said to be a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a group whose members refuse military service. “According to the
Church Continues Religious Freedom Promotion at United Nations New York, N.Y., U.S.A | 10.12.2003 | International The Adventist Church is continuing to make contacts at the United Nations to fight for religious freedom. “We have a direct personal interest in promoting religious freedom,” says Jonathan Gallagher, United Nations liaison for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “Freedom of conscience has always been vitally important to us.” The church is dedicated to promoting religious freedom because many Adventists are the ones who suffer, says Gallagher. This year the church’s U.N. liaison office con
Adventist Religious Liberty Delegation Visits Laos Viangchan (Vientienne), Laos | 10.12.2003 | International Officials in Laos view religious freedom and support for Christian churches as good for the country, so long as recognized religions support the state. That’s the encouraging statement from the vice president of the “Front for Construction” in the Laotian government and his associate, who is director of the Ministry of Religion for this southeast Asian nation. Dr. John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists led the visiting del
