Sudan: Darfur Crisis Deepens As Adventist Churches Are Destroyed Darfur, Sudan | 30.05.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Abu Garajil and Juruf districts of the Darfur region of western Sudan have been destroyed during the escalating humanitarian and security crisis unfolding there, church leaders say. "Our members have been displaced. They are without food, clothing or shelter to sleep under," reports William Kabi Oliver, a pastor and district leader for the Adventist Church in the area. In spite of their difficulties and constant threat to personal security, Oliver sa
Christians Plan Day Of Prayer For Children Around The World San Jose, Costa Rica | 29.05.2004 | International Christians around the world will pause on June 5, the World Wide Day of Prayer for Children at Risk, to remember children on the streets, children abused by their families, children serving in armies, children forced into prostitution, children who are malnourished, children everywhere who need the help of others who care. Worldwide, Christians will gather in churches, schools and at home to pray for these children and seek the Lord's guidance in ministering to them. There will be prayer e
ADRA Encourages World No Tobacco Day Observance Silver Spring, MD, USA | 28.05.2004 | Health & Ethics The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International is urging the observance of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31 by making resources available that raise awareness of the impact and dangers of tobacco use and what individuals can do to play an active role in commemorating the day. "Although ADRA’s worldwide anti-tobacco programs are making great progress, much more remains to be done," stated Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. "I encourage individuals and le
Denmark: New Adventist Church Leaders And Strong Support For Youth Evangelism Himmerlandsgården, Denmark | 26.05.2004 | International At the General Assembly of the Danish Union of Adventist Churches (Syvende Dags Adventistkirken i Denmark), which took place from May 19-23 at the Danish Union youth campsite, Himmerlandsgården, near Jylland in Western Denmark, delegates elected a new church leadership and executive committee for the Danish Adventist Church. Under the session motto "United in Mutual Care for Each Other" delegates voted for an enlargement of the administrative level, having three officers instead of the regu
Ebola Outbreak Kills 5 In Sudan; ADRA Workers Affected Geneva | 26.05.2004 | ADRA The World Health Organization (WHO) believes a new strain of the Ebola virus is responsible for four deaths in Yambio, southern Sudan. According to WHO, an additional 15 people are thought to be infected with the virus. The WHO has restricted public movement, public gatherings, and person-to-person contact, such as shaking hands. To prevent the spread of the virus, staff of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in southern Sudan are taking precautionary measures. Teacher training
Adventist Church Anticipates Launching Latino TV Programming in North America Denver, Colorado, U.S.A. | 23.05.2004 | Media Plans have been announced for the scheduled summer 2004 launch of new Spanish-language television programming for North and Central America on the Adventist Television Network (ATN). Members of the Hispanic advisory meeting for the Adventist Church in North America learned of the development at a recent meeting in Denver, Colorado. According to Manuel Vasquez, vice president of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, "this new programming will be a blessing not only to H
Adventist Year Of Evangelism For Children Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia | 18.05.2004 | International Children will have an opportunity to make a commitment to Jesus Christ during the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Year of Evangelism this year. The church's Kids Light Up Your World initiative "involves reaching out to children in the community and children using their gifts to witness to others," says Julie Weslake, the new director of children's ministries for the Adventist church in the South Pacific. "[Church founder] Ellen White assures us children aged from eight to 10 are not too you
Brazilian Census 2000 Shows Revealing Data About Religion Brasilia, Brazil | 16.05.2004 | International The largest group of Brazilian Christians are between 30 and 39 years of age, followed by those aged 40-49, according to the 2000 Demographic Census. This is true both for Catholics and for Protestants, whether they are members of mission, historic or Pentecostal Churches. The data forms part of the results about the population by religion and by age groups, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in the 2000 Demographic Census. Among those who say t
Spanish Interior Ministry Project Unsettles Religious Leaders Madrid, Spain | 15.05.2004 | International A proposal from the Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso, to create a "registry of religious activities," supervising who is responsible for the worship services and what type of services are carried out "fills us with an undeniable concern," said Juame Llenas, general secretary of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE). The majority of Islamic associations present in Spain also repudiated the minister’s declarations. However, Monear Mahmoud, Imam of the Mosque of Madrid, the larges
U.S. Evangelist Billy Graham Admitted To Mission Hospitals Asheville, North Carolina, USA | 15.05.2004 | International Evangelist Billy Graham was admitted to Mission Hospitals in Asheville, NC for evaluation and treatment of injuries from a fall he suffered early morning, May 14. Reverend Graham had been home recovering from a partial hip replacement performed January 6 at Mayo Clinic's St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. His orthopaedic surgeon stated that he was in stable condition and that preliminary tests indicated a possible hairline fracture to the pelvis. Further tests will he performed to
China: Seventh-day Adventist Church Leaders Visit State Officials, Believers Beijing, China, | 09.05.2004 | International A 10-day visit by leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church to the People's Republic of China, April 22 to May 2, connected the delegation with local Adventists, as well as with government officials overseeing religious work in the world's most populous nation. Pastor Matthew Bediako, general secretary of the world church, headed the Adventist delegation. Dr. Lyn Behrens, president of Loma Linda University Medical Centre, was part of the group, as was Dr. Jairong Lee, president of th
Continuing Vandalism And Church Attack In Serbian Cities: Hatred Anti-Albanian, Anti-Semitic and Anti-Hungarian Graffiti Novi Sad, Serbia | 07.05.2004 | International Acts of vandalism were committed on different buildings of Novi Sad, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia on the last few days. According to the Serb media, the graffiti contained threats and Nazi symbols. The independent news service "Kosovonews" reports that slogans such as "Shiptars out of Serbia" (Shiptar is a Serb derogatory term for Albanians), "Kosovo is Serbia", "Serbia to Serbs only", "Expel all Hungarians from Serbia" and symbols like the Star of David with swastikas on top were wri
Pregnancy and Childbirth the Leading Cause of Death for Teen Girls in the Developing World Washington D.C:/U.S.A, | 04.05.2004 | International More than 1 million infants – and an estimated 70,000 adolescent mothers – die each year in the developing world because young girls are marrying and having children before they are physically ready for parenthood, according to the fifth annual State of the World’s Mothers report issued today by Save the Children, a leading U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization. The report includes an Early Motherhood Risk Ranking that identifies 50 countries where motherhood is most devast
New Bible Centre In Cultural Heart of Vienna Vienna/Austria | 02.05.2004 | Bible A new building being constructed by the Austrian Bible Society (Österreichische Bibelgesellschaft) is set to bring the Bible into the cultural heart of the Austrian capital Vienna. Located within the city’s museum area, the Bible Centre is intended to be a cultural attraction in its own right, both for its architecture and its contents. The old Bible House in central Vienna (Breite Gasse 8, 1070 Wien) had served the Bible Society well since the 1950s, but a few years ago it became clear that
