United Kingdom: Adventist Schools Lead in Multifaith Enrollments Watford, Hertfordshire/UK | 26.10.2006 | Religion + State The British government is proposing new religious-based schools that receive government funding will have to make at least 25 percent of their admissions available to "non-believing" students. Seventh-day Adventist educators say they have always welcomed pupils of all faiths. Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced October 17 that the government intends to introduce an amendment to the United Kingdom's Education Bill to make new faith schools more inclusive. This follows an announcement m
Adventists In United Kingdom Seek Greater Faith Guarantees After Meeting Tory Leader Watford, Hertfordshire/UK | 26.10.2006 | Religion + State The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Britain and Ireland, Pastor Don McFarlane, has called on David Cameron, leader of the nation's Conservative Party, to help ensure greater freedom for Christians to express themselves publicly and speak in harmony with their values and convictions. The call came in a letter to Cameron following an October 19 meeting between Cameron and two parliamentary colleagues and leaders from several churches, including McFarlane. McFarlane stated
Growing number of Women Serving as Pastors in US Adventist Church Washington DC/U/SA | 25.10.2006 | International The number of women serving as pastors in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is increasing. Using several sample surveys it was determined that between 2000 and 2005, the number doubled from 1 percent to 2 percent of the local churches in the United States. There are about 3,000 Adventist pastors serving across the U.S., so the total number of women serving as solo or senior pastors increased from about 30 in 2000 to about 60 in 2005. Another way to look at it: there are about 5,0
Adventist Lawyers Plan First-Ever Conference in South Africa Capetown/Washington, | 25.10.2006 | Religion + State Issues confronting Seventh-day Adventist lawyers world-wide will headline a first-ever conference for church members who practice law to be held in Cape Town, South Africa on February 26, 2007. The one-day session will precede the Sixth International Religious Liberty Association world conference, church officials said. It is expected that this event--the largest held for Adventist lawyers--will draw hundreds of lawyers from around the world, with a particular concentration on Africa, where
ADRA Provides Immediate Aid for Flash Flood Survivors in Thailand Bangkok/Thailand | 25.10.2006 | ADRA When sudden flash floods inundated the northern province of Chiangmai, Thailand in early October, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) responded immediately, providing survival kits for more than 150 households in two of the affected communities. Flash flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rain earlier this month killed nearly 40 people, and caused extensive damage to more than 42 villages, affecting 27,000 people. Nearly 30 homes were washed away, leaving approximately 700 peo
United Kingdom: Adventist Schools Lead in Multifaith Enrollments Watford, Hertfordshire/UK | 20.10.2006 | Religion + State The British government is proposing new religious-based schools that receive government funding will have to make at least 25 percent of their admissions available to "non-believing" students. Seventh-day Adventist educators say they have always welcomed pupils of all faiths. Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced October 17 that the government intends to introduce an amendment to the United Kingdom's Education Bill to make new faith schools more inclusive. This follows an announcement m
Typhoon Milenyo Pounds the Philippines, ADRA Responds Manila/Philippines | 19.10.2006 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) responded immediately when Typhoon Milenyo (international codename Xangsane) tore through the Philippines in late September, killing nearly 200, affecting one million persons, and destroying hundreds of thousands of homes. Milenyo flooded at least seven regions of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, with heavy rain and strong winds. Relief and disaster officials identified the provinces of Sorsogon and Albay as the areas worst hit by Mil
Iraq: Christians Fleeing Country in War Bagdad/Iraq | 19.10.2006 | International Civil unrest in Iraq--home to the cities of Nineveh, ancient Babylon, Ur of the Chaldees, and even the Biblical Garden of Eden--is taking a toll on the already-small Christian community. Many Christians who can leave the country are continuing to do so in the face of daily terrorism. "Yes, some member from our church are still leaving [Iraq]," said Pastor Basim Fargo, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iraq. "Of course, those who are leaving are [educated], well-to-do; those wh
ADRA Responds to Heavy Flooding in Mexico Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 18.10.2006 | ADRA In response to heavy flooding in northern Mexico in September, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing aid to 2,400 persons who lost their homes during the heavy seasonal rains. Emergency kits containing mattresses and blankets will be distributed to 300 families who have lost their furniture, beds, and linens to the floods. ADRA is also providing food baskets to 300 families. “The food will cover the immediate needs of families that have already received mattresses
Adventist "Women" of the Year 2006: Medical Doctor and HIV/AIDS Worker in South Africa Awarded Seattle, Washington/USA | 18.10.2006 | Health & Ethics During a banquet on October 14 at the 24th Annual Conference of Association of Adventist Women (AAW) in Seattle, Washington (USA), Argentinian born Dr. Eugenia Lopez-Sustache Giordano, associate director of the Adventist AIDS International Ministry (AAIM), has received a "Woman of the Year" award from the Association of Adventist Women (AAW). AAW is an independent group that considers itself an advocate for women in the church. Dr. Eugenia Giordano’s work focuses on women and children. In the la
Tenured Faculty and Board Members at Adventist Institutions Must Be Adventist Church Members, Leaders Decide - A Move to Discriminatory Behavior in Church Employment? Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 11.10.2006 | International Tenured faculty and board members at all Seventh-day Adventist-owned educational institutions must now be Adventist church members in "good and regular standing," church leaders agreed today during an Annual Council meeting at world church headquarters. In support of the motion limiting tenure and continuous teaching positions to Adventist faculty, several delegates felt it was difficult to transfer the mission and vision of the church to the next generation if professors at church instituti
Annual Council Votes Adventist Church-wide Web site Guidelines Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 11.10.2006 | Media Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church voted official guidelines for the construction and content of church-related Internet Web sites during a meeting of the church's Annual Council on Oct. 10. Delegates voted unanimously to accept the guidelines. "This is a very important development as we hope that it will provide a blueprint for all church entities in what constitutes a Seventh-day Adventist presence on the Internet," said Rajmund Dabrowski, communication director for the worl
Adventist Church Leaders Pray in Wake of Apparent North Korea Nuclear Test Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 10.10.2006 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church united in prayer on October 9 (Monday), in response to an apparent test of nuclear weapons by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, more widely known as North Korea. The United States Geological Survey, which tracks seismic activity worldwide, reported that it had detected a 4.2 magnitude quake in North Korea. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claims the country had tested a nuclear device. At the beginning of th
U.S. Journalist New Editor for "Adventist Review" and "Adventist World" Magazines Silver Spring, Maryland/USA, | 10.10.2006 | International U.S. journalist Bill Knott (49), a nine-year veteran associate editor of Adventist Review and Adventist World has been elected Editor and Executive Publisher of both publications. The vote came during the October 8 session of the Seventh-day Adventist world church's 2006 Annual Council, a gathering of close to 300 leaders from around the world. Before the Adventist Review Publishing Board recommended the final selection. "I am honored and humbled by the company you have placed me in,"
Pakistan President Awards ADRA with Medal for Service During South Asia Earthquake Washington D.C./USA | 05.10.2006 | ADRA On September 21, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) received the prestigious Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) award from the president of Pakistan for its work in providing emergency relief in response to the South Asia Earthquake of 2005. The Sitara-i-Eisaar award, Pakistan's highest award for humanitarian relief, created to recognize humanitarian aid organizations, community groups, and individuals that provided emergency relief and rehabilitation work in the wake of las
Adventists Reaffirm Commitment to Religious Liberty on 25th Anniversary of U.N. Declaration New York, N.Y./USA | 04.10.2006 | Religious Liberty This week, representatives of the United Nations' (U.N.) Non-Governmental Organizations, among them Seventh-day Adventist delegates, are expected to hold a conference marking the 25th anniversary of the 1981 "Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief," reaffirming the organization's commitment to religious liberty and human dignity around the world. Though the actual anniversary falls on November 25, due to the Thanksgiving h
Russia: Young Adventists Hold Music Festival in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg/Russia | 02.10.2006 | International Two hundred young people from the Seventh-day Adventist church in Western Russia attended the second youth music festival in St. Petersburg. The September 21 to 23 festival brought participants ranging in age from 16 years old to 35 years old from Russia, England, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. Attendees participated in a competition where their composition skills were tested in five categories of music: worship, gospel music, youth camps, bard and retro. One attendee, Paul Khiminets, said, "The
