Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches 2009 reports decline in Catholic, Southern Baptist membership New York, N.Y. /USA | 23.02.2009 | Book review The 2009 edition of the Yearbook, edited by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (New York) has just been released. Published in its seventy-seventh edition by Abingdon Press (Nashville), the volume provides membership and financial statistics, descriptions of denominations, contact information for denominational offices, historical data, a directory of theological schools and ecumenical agencies, a calendar of religious holidays and festivals, and a listing of religious peri
Adventists Aid in Zimbabwe Cholera Cleanup Harare/Zimbabwe | 23.02.2009 | ADRA As an increasingly deadly cholera outbreak sweeps across Zimbabwe, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is working to stop the spread of the disease through prevention training, health and hygiene education, and the distribution of disinfectants, water treatment tablets, and water containers. Since August 2008, the epidemic has killed nearly 800 people, the United Nations reported. ADRA is targeting 500 families, or approximately 2,500 people, in the Harare suburb of Kuwadzana,
Rebel attack postpones Adventist church visit to Equatorial Guinea Douala/Cameroon | 20.02.2009 | International An early-morning attack February 17 on Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, thwarted several Seventh-day Adventist church leaders' plans to visit the West African nation, postponing a rare opportunity to meet with church members in a country where Adventism was only established in 1986, local church leaders said. A plane scheduled to fly three church executives from Cameroon to Malabo was cancelled Monday evening, February 16, a few hours before gunmen in motorboats attacked the capital
In Venezuela, Adventists continue search for missing medical plane with 7 people on board <br> <br> National aviation authority ceases search after 72 hours; church hiring rescue service Gran Sabana, Bolivar/Venezuela | 20.02.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventists continue to search for a missing medical missionary plane, which disappeared Monday, February 16 in the jungles of La Gran Sabana, a vast southeastern region in Venezuela. The Cessna 182N plane (YV2480) piloted by Robert Norton, who volunteers for Adventist Medical Aviation (AMA) in Venezuela, is believed to have hit turbulent weather after taking off from the community of Carun en route to the community of Bethel. Also in the plane were six passengers: Neiba Norton,
Modern Translation of Chinese New Testament makes debut Nashville, Tennessee/USA, | 19.02.2009 | Bible The printing of 20,000 Chinese Standard Bible New Testaments, described as the first direct Chinese translation by scholars from the original Greek published by Holman Bible Publishers, reports the Baptist Press (BP). Copies are now being sold in the U.S.A., Canada and Brazil. Holman Bible Publishers is affiliated with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). "Our goal is that Chinese Christians would read this translation and love it," said Phill Burgess, executi
Adventist Church controlling costs during global financial challenge <br> Hiring freeze continues, most capital projects on hold Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 18.02.2009 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church are keeping an eye on expenditures as the church begins to feel the effects of the economic downturn. On February 12, the church's Administrative Committee (ADCOM) voted to continue several restraints on spending, though no employee layoffs were announced. An almost complete hiring freeze continues at the US-based world headquarters, with only the most essential positions being filled when they become open. According to Robert E. Lemon, Ad
India: Christian-Hindu relations in Orissa still tense Orissa/India | 17.02.2009 | Religious Liberty Adventists who fled from violence have not returned, church leaders say Six months after violent attacks left dozens of Christians dead in Orissa, India, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders report that conditions remain tense in the region. The August 2008 attacks began after right-wing Hindu groups blamed Christians for the assassination of a Hindu clergyman. Recent estimates put the death toll at 119, with over 4,000 homes destroyed and more than 50,000 people displaced from 360 villa
Thoughts on origins continue to evolve 200 years after Darwin: <br> Bicentennial celebration of scientist Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 17.02.2009 | International For some Christians, this year's bicentennial celebration of the birth of Charles Robert Darwin honours his contributions to science and education. For others, the anniversary might seem a reminder that his theories apparently threaten the Biblical account of creation. The famous British scientist and author of "The Origin of Species," Darwin is credited with pioneering the theory of evolution through natural selection. Born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, Darwin initially studi
Sudanese Civil War Returnees Struggle to Reach Home Khartoum/Sudan | 10.02.2009 | ADRA Four years after the end of the 22-year-old Sudanese civil war, returnees continue to face extreme hardships as they attempt to go back to their homes, many facing hunger, disease, and general neglect during their journeys from north Sudan, as well as various other countries, to their place of origin in the South, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). As part of an effort to help many returnees on transit make a smooth transition to their homelands, ADRA manages six way sta
Roma Children in Albania Fight Discrimination through Literacy and Language Skills Training Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 06.02.2009 | ADRA The ongoing social exclusion of Roma communities across Albania is creating significant gaps and deficiencies in education for thousands of children, a problem worsened by extreme poverty and few development opportunities, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). To address this problem, ADRA established an educational and social center for children in a Roma squatter community in Fushë Kruja, near Tirana, capital city of Albania, in 2004, that helps Roma children integrate in
