U.S. National Council of Churches chosen for faith-based health care survey New York/USA | 30.05.2006 | Health & Ethics The first nationwide, in-depth, systematic study of health services provided by religious communities is being undertaken by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCUSA). The project will survey more than 100,000 congregations to determine the level of health care education, delivery, and advocacy being offered. The study, made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner [pictured], deputy general secretary
ADRA Responding to Indonesia Earthquake Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 29.05.2006 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has emergency response teams already on the ground on the island of Java, Indonesia, where a powerful earthquake struck, killing more than 5,000 people and leaving thousands more injured and without shelter. The death toll and number of injured are expected to rise. The government declared a three-month emergency and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono moved his office to Yogyakarta. After a cabinet meeting late on May 28, Vice President Jusuf
Uzbekistan: Government Reportedly Closes Samarqand Adventist Church Samarqand/Uzbekistan | 19.05.2006 | Religious Liberty The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Samarqand (also known as Samarkand) has been closed by the Uzbekistan government, external media reports indicate. According to a May 17 bulletin from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Uzbek authorities ... said that they have closed down two Protestant churches on charges of violating the country's law on religious organizations." Also the Russian Press (The Moscow Times and Interfax) reported that the Uzbek government had closed down two Protestant churc
WCC Statement on new UN Human Rights Council Geneva/Switzerland | 19.05.2006 | Ecumenism WCC Advises New U.N. Human Rights Concil To Build On Strengths, Avoid Shortcomings Of Its Predecessor The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee on May 19y said that the new UN Human Rights Council needs to avoid "policies and practices of double standards, en-bloc voting and politicization of the human rights agenda that were so prevalent at the UN Commission on Human Rights" that they "virtually paralyzed" it before its "ignominious end". The statement affirms, however, the
ADRA Honored for Outstanding Web Site Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.05.2006 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International’s Web site is an honoree of the Webby Awards, awarded for its excellence in Web design, creativity, usability, and functionality. The Webbys are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, an organization consisting of leading Web experts, business executives, celebrities, and visionaries and creative personalities, numbering 500 in total. The Webby Awards were first established in 1996, when the World W
Russia: Arson Attack Damages Taganrog Adventist Church Taganrog, Rostov/Russia, | 19.05.2006 | International A suspicious fire on April 28 caused heavy damage to the Number 1 Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Tanganrog, Rostov, Russia, church officials confirmed. According to Pastor Michael Oleinik, he discovered the fire on that Friday morning: "Approaching the building, I felt a smell of burning. I hastened to open a door, and there was a thick fog of caustic smoke." Oleinik entered through the building, and upon going upstairs discovered the slow-burning, but dangerous, fire. A
Sao Tome and Principe: Minister of Health Appointment for Former ADRA Worker Sao Tome/Sao Tome and Principe | 18.05.2006 | ADRA On April 21, 2006, a former staff member of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) office in Sao Tome and Principe, Dr. Arlindo Carvalho, was named Minister of Health for that country. Carvalho joined ADRA in July of 2005, serving as the Health and Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Coordinator for its malaria-reduction program in the West African island republic. During his tenure at ADRA, Carvalho organized Roll Back Malaria workshops and coordinated several mal
Seventh-day Adventists Counsel Fairness in Approaching 'Conversion Code' Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 18.05.2006 | Religious Liberty Discussions by religious leaders over how conversion between faiths should be promoted must remember the rights of all individuals to select and follow the beliefs their conscience dictates, Seventh-day Adventist religious liberty leaders say. The Vatican based Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID) and the Programme of Inter-Religious Relations & Dialogue within the World Council of Churches (WCC), launched a three-year joint study project aimed at developing a shared code o
ADRA Provides Food Aid in Drought-affected Ethiopia Addis Abeba/Ethiopia | 17.05.2006 | ADRA The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency food aid for 13,000 people in the severely drought-affected area of Gode, in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. The primary goal of the project is to ensure the survival of those living in the hardest hit area of Ethiopia, in the southern Somali region. ADRA is working in one of the worst affected areas, Adadle Woreda, a district in the Gode Zone that consists of 40 villages, where malnutrition and death rates are higher t
Adventists Ready Da Vinci Code Response, Affirm Bible Account Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 16.05.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventist scholars, pastors and church members are readying a variety of responses to The Da Vinci Code, the blockbuster motion picture that has captured an enormous share of media attention. The movie version of author Dan Brown's 40-million-copy bestseller, with Tom Hanks in a leading role, is due to open in theatres worldwide on May 19. While the central themes of the book--that Jesus married Mary of Magdala, had children and that His physical bloodline continued in France
ADRA Responds to Crisis-hit Darfur, Sudan Darfur/Sudan, | 09.05.2006 | ADRA As tensions escalate in the Darfur region, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to provide aid to desperate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur, Sudan. More than two million people have fled their homes to escape violence between alleged government-backed militia — known as Janjaweed — and rebel armies, seeking refuge in camps set up for those who have been displaced within their own country. Widespread rape, murder and looting, as well as attacks on civilia
Northern Ireland: Vandals damage Adventist church Londonderry/Northern Ireland | 08.05.2006 | International Vandals have caused damage estimated at about £1,000 [€ 1.470] to a church in Londonderry, according to a BBC News report. Roof tiles and a church sign were damaged at the Seventh-day Adventist Church (58 Prehen Road) in the Waterside area of the city. The most recent attack, which occurred either late on May 5 or in the pre-dawn hours of May 6, resulted in damage to church roof tiles, graffiti being sprayed on the exterior brick walls, and chipping of several letters on the church sign.
United Kingdom: Adventist Christians and Muslims Share Perspectives London, United Kingdom | 05.05.2006 | International Adventist Christians and Muslims met on April 23 to share their perspectives on last day events. This was a joint venture between the Global Centre for Adventist-Muslim Relations (GCAMR), Newbold College – an Adventist institution of Higher Education, and the Shia Muslim community, whose main UK centre is in Maida Vale, London. [img id=752 align=left] Dr Jerald Whitehouse, director of the GCAMR, was the main speaker on behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Sheikh Bahmanpour, head of
Commission Begins Deliberations on Adventist Church Structures Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 05.05.2006 | International Global unity of the church, its mission, and the best use of resources to achieve that mission, were identified as three "big issues" to be considered by the Commission on Ministries, Services and Structures, established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church's leadership in October 2005. Explaining the rationale for the commission's appointment, Pastor Jan Paulsen, Adventist world church president, said these three "big concerns will drive [the commission's] considerations." Paulsen, who i
