Young Fijian Gospel Singer Dolly Releases Second Gospel Album Suva, Fiji, | 30.01.2005 | International Young Gospel singing sensation Dolly Rabuka has launched her second album. Titled My Loving Father, the seven-year-old, who just started Class One has 12 songs on the album. Dolly's father, Viliame Rabuka, said the album was launched a week ago on Viti FM. "She is an asset to the family. Her singing has helped pay for her education," Mr Rabuka said. "We want to invest in her for the benefit of the family." Mr Rabuka said he wrote all the songs - two English and 10 Fijian Gospel songs a
UN Envoy To Sudan Appeals For Immediate Release of Three ADRA Aid Workers New York, N.Y.,/USA | 28.01.2005 | ADRA The Sudanese government has repeatedly violated its ceasefire agreement with rebels in Darfur by bombing villages across the region, aid agencies and peace monitors said January 27. The accusation came just days after the United Nations said renewed fighting in the region had killed at least 100 people and displaced more than 9,000. The latest reports from sources within aid agencies working in Sudan said the government had bombed the village of al-Malam in North Darfur state. The Africa
European Commission Worried About ADRA Aid Workers Abducted In Darfur Brussels, Belgium | 28.01.2005 | ADRA The European Commission voiced deep concern January 28 (Friday) about the fate of three aid workers abducted at gunpoint in a rebel-held area of Sudan's troubled Darfur region. The European Commission has urged the Government of Sudan to abide by its obligations regarding the protection of its own citizens. This includes actively disarming and prosecuting armed groups acting against civilians. The three Sudanese nationals, who worked for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
Internet Access - The Best Christmas Gift for the Adventist Church in Myanmar Dagon, Myanmar | 26.01.2005 | Media Staff at the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Union of Myanmar (Burma) gathered on Christmas Eve to celebrate their best Christmas gift ever: equipment that would grant them access to the Internet, a major breakthrough for the church there. In Myanmar, a US $80 airmail subscription to a church magazine costs a pastor two months' salary, so getting the Myanmar Adventist Church connected to the Internet -- a U.S. $3,000 expense -- was very important, national church lead
ADRA Appeals for Release of Abducted Workers in Sudan Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 25.01.2005 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) is appealing for the release of three agency workers that were abducted at gunpoint along with ADRA project vehicles on December 16th, 2004, while travelling through the then rebel-controlled area of Labado on their way from Khartoum to West Darfur, Sudan. Travelling in a humanitarian convoy, the three workers were part of a larger ADRA well drilling team carrying equipment and supplies to rehabilitate 65 damaged and abandoned
Teddy Bears of Hope comes in cuddly packages Oshawa, Ontario, Canada | 25.01.2005 | ADRA Miss Canada International Nicole Kotrosky watched the tsunami drama unfold a world away and knew she had to help. The Vernon native watched as aid poured in to the tsunami-ravaged areas of Asia to provide food and medical relief, but she wondered about the emotional needs of the children affected by the disaster. According to the U.N. News Centre that catastrophic event claimed more than 165,000 lives, injured half a million people, left up to 5 million more in need of basic services and caused
Former WEA general secretary Gary Edmonds to head Churches Together (CT) Seattle, Washington/USA | 24.01.2005 | Ecumenism Churches Together (CT), an Evangelical joint venture of North American churches, announced today that Gary Edmonds has accepted the position of Executive Director of Churches Together starting February 1, 2005. Churches Together is mobilizing North American churches to partner with African churches on HIV/AIDS, and to fostering grass-roots, African church-based ministry to African communities, families and individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Edmonds joins Churches Together (C
ADRA President Returns from Tsunami Disaster Sites in Sri Lanka, Thailand Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 21.01.2005 | ADRA Charles Sandefur, president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International, returned this week from visiting tsunami-affected areas in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Traveling down the Sri Lankan coast via helicopter, Sandefur noted, “The devastation is incredible in its breadth. We flew over a hundred miles of coastline. Knowing each village held a tale of suffering magnified the enormity of this disaster.” Sandefur also visited a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP
General Secretary of World Evangelical Alliance to Resign in February Edmonds, WA, USA | 19.01.2005 | Ecumenism The General Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) announced his resignation from his post on January 17. Rev Gary Edmonds, who has been serving the alliance since 2002, is being testified by his colleagues and WEA partners for his tireless efforts in advancing the global evangelical movement. In accepting the resignation on behalf of the WEA’s International Council (IC), the chairman, Ndaba Mazabane, Durban, said to the Evangelical news agency "idea" based in Wetzlar (Germany), "
The Netherlands: Groningen Adventist Outreach Brings In Unchurched Groningen, The Netherlands | 19.01.2005 | International A different style of public outreach has brought in dozens of visitors, including many who do not regularly attend any church, to special Seventh-day Adventist services in Holland's largest Northern city. The approach so far has been to avoid mass media advertising -- some young people from the church gave out small pastries and an invitation in the centre of town -- and, instead, to concentrate on having members invite friends, neighbours, colleagues and family members. Rob de Raad, pas
Britain: Adventists Join in Protest of Watford, Hertfordshire, U.K. | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics Britain's 24,000 Seventh-day Adventists were among many in this nation of 60 million who saw little humor in a recent television portrayal of a controversy between Christ and Satan. Instead, they saw blasphemy. A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) telecast of "Jerry Springer -- The Opera," taken from a hit musical stage play in London's West End, reportedly featured an obscenity-laden "shouting match" between a diaper-wearing actor portraying Jesus Christ and another portraying Satan. Su
Canada: Adventists Call for Prayer on Marriage Issue Oshawa, Ontario, Canada | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics "Our community needs to seek God's guidance on the issue of marriage," says Pastor Dan Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. Jackson is calling on all Seventh-day Adventist churches across Canada to have a special day of prayer on January 29 (Saturday). "Canada is about to make a monumental decision on our cultural framework by redefining marriage to include any two persons," he said. This is a social experiment with unforeseen consequences that will affect our childr
HIV/AIDS Pandemic Spreads, Adventist Church in Africa Aims to Help Johannesburg, South Africa | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics The numbers are going up every minute -- literally -- for the roster of people contracting HIV/AIDS. Globally, 11 people contract HIV every minute and, every minute, six die from AIDS. Nearly 40 million worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's (ADRA) 2004 DVD "The Face of AIDS," and health experts believe it is likely to surpass the bubonic plague, the deadliest-ever pandemic, within the next 10 years. ADRA's statistics also estimate
ADRA Continues With Projects In North Korea: Renovated Hospitals Lead To Considerably Lower Infection Rate P’yonyang, DPRK (North Korea) | 14.01.2005 | ADRA Two of the three hospitals in the East of North Korea have started operation again after the renovation of the operating theatres and the maternity wards. The renovation in the third hospital will also be concluded soon. The rooms are now heated, have water and electricity supply and can be maintained aseptic. "Mostly, when we pay a control visit, the rooms are off limits due to surgery in progress. In the past the rooms were unutilized and empty and accessible by visitors," says Marcel Wagne
ADRA Up-Date On Asia Tsunami St. Albans, Hertfordshire, U.K., | 13.01.2005 | ADRA Three weeks after the Asia tsunami disaster, the death toll is now estimated over 159,000 (this figure is now anticipated to rise to over 189,000), with over 24,000 still missing. Some 2.2 million people have been displaced while over 1,026,000 are believed to be homeless. These figures are expected to increase. Relief efforts are still critical: Some populations in remote areas in Banda Aceh Province in Indonesia remain difficult to reach. Treating injuries from the tsunami and earthquake i
ADRA President Visits Sri Lanka Disaster Sites Colombo, Sri Lanka | 11.01.2005 | ADRA Charles Sandefur, president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International is in Sri Lanka visiting sites affected by the devastating tsunami. Sandefur arrived with an airlift, provided by the humanitarian organization Heart to Heart International, that included 40 tons of medical supplies, water filtration systems, and drinking water to be distributed by ADRA. "The magnitude of the disaster is like nothing I've seen," said Sandefur, who got an aerial view of the destruc
Indonesia: Disaster Response Continues, Clinics to Open in Aceh Jakarta, Indonesia | 11.01.2005 | International As of January 5, the death toll in countries affected by the December tsunami in South Asia has gone beyond 155,000 with tens of thousands still missing. Indonesia suffered the most deaths, with fatalities surpassing 100,000. Hundreds of thousands of others have been severely affected physically, psychologically and through a loss of livelihood. Reports from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indonesia indicate that casualties in Banda Aceh, the capital of the province, reached at least 30,
Asia Tsunami Survivors Receive More Aid From ADRA Bangkok, Thailand | 07.01.2005 | ADRA In response to the deadly tsunami that struck parts of Asia, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) recent activities include the delivery of aid supplies in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India and assisting in water-system repair efforts in a Thailand village. In the northern coastal region of Aceh Province, Indonesia, a medical team in Banda Aceh opened a field hospital in coordination with the provincial health department. The team transported five metric tons of medical supplie
Adventist World Church: Church President Says Each Tsunami Victim is Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 06.01.2005 | International "In the midst of this pain and suffering, these people are not forgotten by God. Each one is precious to Him," said Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a statement commenting on the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami that struck Southern Asia which he called "an unprecedented humanitarian disaster." "It is a tragedy on a scale that is difficult to comprehend," Pastor Paulsen said. "We see its continuing impact in the grief of those who mourn their loved ones; in t
India: Adventists Among Those Who Died, Suffered Loss in Tsunami; Aid Continues Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India | 06.01.2005 | International Nine Seventh-day Adventists -- three children and six adults -- are known to be among the fatalities in 20 congregations located around the Bay of Bengal, part of the South Asia region struck by a deadly tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, church leaders report. Families in each of the 20 congregations suffered severe property and business losses as well. Aid is coming into the region from Adventist church members as well as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). While ADRA's relief is ta
Adventists In South Pacific Turn Grief Into Help Wahroonga, N.S.W.,/Australia | 05.01.2005 | International The Seventh-day Adventist church grieves for the people affected by the devastating effects of the tsunami tragedy. "Our hearts go out to the families, relatives and friends of those who died in this tragedy. We also think and pray for those who still wait for final word on their loved ones," says Pastor Laurie Evans, president of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the South Pacific. "But we are committed to turn our grief into practical help." The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (A
ADRA Increases Response to Tsunami Survivors Bangkok, Thailand | 04.01.2005 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to provide aid to tsunami survivors in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India. ADRA Indonesia coordinated a team of medical experts from regional hospitals to provide medical services along the coast near Banda Aceh. Hospital tents will be established to deliver medical services. ADRA Indonesia has partnered with a local non-governmental organization (NG) and recruited local volunteers to provide assistance in the delivery of foo
ADRA Response To Asia Tsunami (Up-dated with Trans-European support) St. Albans, England | 04.01.2005 | ADRA Following the huge loss of lives and massive destruction of infrastructure by the Tsunami that hit many Asian countries on 26 December 2004, the people and governments of the region have struggled to cope with the physical devastation and sheer human loss. To date the total death toll may now be as high as 155,000 with tens of thousands still missing. The current confirmed death tolls are: Indonesia 94,081; Sri Lanka 30,196; India 9,479; Thailand 5,046; Somalia 142; Burma 53; Maldives 74; Malays
ADRA Intensifies Its Work in Asia Sydney, Australia | 02.01.2005 | ADRA "We are fortunate to already have an established working relationship with the countries affected by this terrible disaster," says David Jack, Chief Executive Officer for ADRA Australia. "This has helped our teams on the ground to assess the needs quickly and respond immediately. We have also been working closely with the Adventist hospitals in most of the affected countries to provide medical assistance for the injured." The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia is using
UN Secretary: Tsunami Recovery 'To Take Years' New York, N.Y/USA | 02.01.2005 | International Areas hit by the Asian tsunami could take up to 10 years to recover, the UN secretary general has warned. Kofi Annan spoke of the "sheer complexity" of the relief effort, which is spread across a dozen nations. Mr Annan will travel to Indonesia on 6 January to take part in a meeting of world leaders to discuss further aid. Aid supplies are piling up in regional warehouses but in some places heavy rain has provided an extra obstacle to delivering them to outlying areas. Survivors are still e
