Ghana: Media Must Accurately Report Religion, Newspaper Editor Says Accra/Ghana | 12.05.2005 | Media "People need accurate, timely and unbiased information, especially on religious issues," Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, editor of Ghana's "Daily Graphic" newspaper, told delegates at the recent All-Africa Conference on Religious Liberty. "People rely on the media to explain issues, policies and programs aimed at moving nations forward." In a speech entitled "The Role of the Media in Promoting Religious Liberty," Boadu-Ayeboafoh emphasized the public service nature of media, and the responsibilities th
Australia: Woman's Four-year Detention Ends Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 27.05.2005 | International A family from Papua New Guinea, who six months ago faced detention and deportation from Australia, is celebrating a reunion and the chance to remain in Australia. On April 29, Macarthur Adventist School in Macquarie Fields, Sydney, where two of Sereana Naikelekele's children attended, celebrated the release of Mrs. Naikelekele and three of her young children from the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. The family was held at the Centre after the Australian Migration Review Tribunal f
Peru: Adventist Evangelist Finley Leads Lima, Peru | 27.05.2005 | International The protestant mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church in Peru is continuing its astronomical growth with a series of evangelism meetings in five of the country's major cities from May 23 to 28. The meetings, called "Caravan of Hope," will be led by Pastor Mark Finley and the It Is Written television ministry. The meetings will be held in stadiums and coliseums, with capacities of up to 60,000 people, in Tacna, Arequipa, Trujillo, Lima South and Lima North. The meetings will also be broadcas
Christian Churches are growing more swiftly in the South, said Letter from Athens Athens/Grece, | 24.05.2005 | Ecumenism A letter from participants at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Conference on Mission and Evangelism recognizes that the centre of gravity of world Christianity has moved from the Northern hemisphere to the South and East. "We stand now at a particular moment in the history of mission. While the centres of power are still predominantly in the global North, it is in the South and the East that the churches are growing most rapidly," stated the letter. According to 2004 data from the Encyc
Bible Reading in Australia at Crisis Levels Canberra/Australia | 20.05.2005 | Bible The last Australian Church Life Survey showed that only 19% of church attendees read the Bible daily or on most days; 12% of respondents read the Bible a few times a week, 5% once a week, 27% occasionally and 37% hardly ever or never! In an attempt to improve these statistics, seven Scripture-promoting organisations have joined hands to encourage all Australian Christians to develop a habit of daily Bible reading. The Bible Society, Bible League Australia, Global Recordings, The Pocket Tes
ADRA Distributes Free World No Tobacco Day Kits Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.05.2005 | Health & Ethics To commemorate World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing free World No Tobacco Day kits. The kits include a poster, announcements, ADRA tobacco-free project updates and activity ideas. A free video and lapel stickers are also offered. The materials promote a tobacco-free lifestyle and educate on the impact of tobacco, especially on developing countries. The kits can be downloaded at www.adra.org or be requested by calling in the USA 1.80
Serbia: Law May Discriminate Against Religions Not Approved by State Belgrade, Serbia | 18.05.2005 | Religion + State The basic human right of freedom of conscience may be under siege in Serbia, as the government is reportedly waiting for input from the Serbian Orthodox Church on a proposed new law detailing religious rights. A formerly public process is now shrouded in secrecy, religious leaders and human rights watchers say. "At the moment there are no statements for the press and no information," Religion Minister Milan Radulovic told the Forum 18 News Service on May 12. "When the time comes, all will be
Rwanda: Adventist Church Can't 'Walk Away' From University, Paulsen Says Kigali, Rwanda | 13.05.2005 | International The Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) will soon be housed in a new 50-acre campus in Masoro, a Kigali neighborhood. Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, participated in a foundation-laying ceremony there May 12. The new campus will replace one formerly operated by the Adventist church that is now occupied by Rwandan armed forces. The government has purchased the old campus from the church. Classes are being held in a downtown Kigali facility to
44 Youth Killed In Road Accident in Zambia Kawambwa, Zambia | 12.05.2005 | International A fatal road accident killed 44 students of Kawambwa High School on April 8, near Tumbajushi falls, 17 km from Kawambwa, a district town of Zambia. Among them were 18 Adventist youth. It was the last day of the school term when 110 students packed into a truck on the way to their respective homes when the accident happened. The Mitsubishi truck was heading for Mununga, Chiengi and Kaputa. According to a witness who survived the accident, the driver of the truck lost control when descendi
Lesotho: Sewing Teaches Women with HIV/AIDS Self-Sufficiency Maseru, Lesotho | 12.05.2005 | Health & Ethics In a region where poverty and HIV/AIDS are inextricably linked, a recent workshop in Lesotho taught women sewing skills as a means of income generation. The "Workshop on Sewing for HIV Positive Women" is a small but significant step towards self-sufficiency where a third of the tiny country's adult population is living with HIV/AIDS. Twenty-four women attended the six-day workshop organized by Dr. Eugenia Giordano, associate director of Adventist - AIDS International Ministry (AAIM) and Hari
Zambia: Adventist Church Centenary Draws Country Rusangu, Monze, Zambia | 12.05.2005 | International Returning to the mission station where Seventh-day Adventist Church work first began in Zambia a century ago, Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa joined church officials and members in noting the 100th anniversary on May 6. The following day, former President Kenneth Kaunda, who led the nation for 27 years, visited the celebrations. "I want ... to commend the Seventh-day Adventist Church and other churches for the tireless efforts to fight evil in our society through the preaching of the word o
Adventist Church Opens New Regional Headquarters Building in Kenya Mbagathi, Nairobi, Kenya | 12.05.2005 | International Some 28 months after it was organized as a new division, or trans-national region, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the East-Central Africa Division's new headquarters complex in Mbagathi, a suburb of Nairobi, were officially opened on May 9 by Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, along with the Hon. Dr. A.A. Moody Awori, vice president and minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Kenya. In Kenya "we may look poor but are actually sitting on plenty! May you find our country an
Uganda President Museveni met Adventist World Church Leader; University Sabbath Resolution Pledged Kampala, Uganda | 12.05.2005 | International Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said his government will "see what we can do" to resolve Sabbath, or Saturday, scheduling conflicts faced by more than 300 Seventh-day Adventist students at the country's Makerere University, the nation's leading public tertiary school. "I will consult and we will see what we can do to resolve the issue," President Museveni said during a May 9 meeting with Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Adventist Church, who is on his first visit to Uganda.
Desired Bible Formats Changing in China Nanjing/China | 10.05.2005 | Bible For the first time in the recent history of Bible printing in China the production of pocket-sized Bibles in 2004 exceeded that of the standard-sized Bible by 500,000. The trend is continuing in 2005 with 500,000 produced in the first 4 months of the year compared with 300,000 of the standard-sized Bibles. The reason for the change in preference is an increasing demand for Bibles from young Chinese. More and more of them are asking for Bibles and the pocket-sized edition is the one they want.
News Coverage of Adventist World Session 2005 on Adventist World Radio St. Louis, Illinois/USA | 06.05.2005 | Media For 10 minutes each day for about two weeks this summer, Adventist World Radio (AWR) will add something new to its regular broadcast. It will broadcast highlights of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 58th General Conference Session, which will be held from June 30 to July 9, 2005, in the America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri (USA). In keeping with its mandate to share the Adventist hope in Christ with the hardest to reach people groups in their own languages, Adventist World Radio will be
Cameroon: Crash Claims Life of Local Adventist Church President Douala, Cameroon | 06.05.2005 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church Pastor Celestin Rakotoarisoa Hermanana , 44, was killed May 4 in a bus crash while returning to Douala from Yaounde, the nation's capital. He is survived by his wife and two young sons. Pastor Hermanana, a native of Madagascar and a missionary to Cameroon, was president of the church in West Cameroon. He was one of the first graduates of the Adventist University of Central Africa in Rwanda, and after pastoring churches in Madagascar and serving as local church pr
ADRA Launches Tsunami Recovery in Somalia Nairobi/Kenya | 05.05.2005 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is launching a recovery project in Somalia to aid survivors of last December’s tsunami. ADRA is supplying livelihood support items, improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and training and conducting seminars on hygiene and health topics. The project will provide livelihood support items including boats, fishing equipment, tents, and household items. The water and sanitation infrastructure component includes construction o
Poland: Current World Situation, Church-State Relations Discussed Warsaw, Poland | 04.05.2005 | International Poland's new status as a member of the European Union, and developments within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, were main topics of discussion between Aleksander Kwasniewski, president of the Republic of Poland, and Bert B. Beach, general secretary of the Adventist World Church's Council on Inter-Church Relations. The two met April 26. "It was both an honour and pleasure to meet President Kwasniewski again," said Beach. "He has always been open to and favourable to the Seventh-day Adventist
Editorial: The Papacy in Transition | 04.05.2005 | Commentary By William G. Johnsson, Adventist Review So much has been written about the late pope John Paul II that further comment is superfluous. His life, work, and influence have been analyzed at great length; there is nothing one could add. My remarks that follow attempt a personal, unofficial perspective on the Papacy as it transitions from one of its most powerful leaders to a new pontiff. First, a word to those Roman Catholics who will read this editorial. Some Seventh-day Adventists, with more z
Belarus: Adventist Publishing and Education Breakthroughs Minsk, Belarus | 04.05.2005 | International Considered a breakthrough for a protestant mainstream church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Belarus just released the first edition of a church magazine for public distribution. Adventists in Belarus have "lately experienced a number of achievements," said Valery Ivanov, communication director of the church in the Euro-Asia region. The Belarus minister of information signed the registration agreement for an Adventist missionary magazine, The Christian Family. It is anticipated that
