The Adventist Church in Austria elected two new officers Vienna/Austria | 25.05.2018 | International The 19th General Assembly of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Austrian Union) in Vienna was held May 10-13. The 154 delegates elected two new officers and replaced some of the department directors.
“Contours of European Adventism” Symposium Held in Germany Milton Freewater, Oregon/USA | 30.04.2018 | International Titled “Contours of European Adventism” the third symposium of the Institute for Adventist Studies in Friedensau/Germany took place from April 23-26, 2018. In 21 lectures, Adventist academics from various European and non-European countries (e.g. Russia, Georgia, England, Sweden, France, USA and Germany) presented their contributions.
4,762 Seventh-day Adventists in Switzerland donated USD 13.3 million Zürich/Schweiz | 15.02.2018 | International 4,762 Seventh-day Adventists lived at the end of December 2017 in Switzerland. The number of members has increased by 110 people in one year. Adventists in Switzerland celebrate in 54 congregations and six groups the divine service on Saturday (Sabbath), the biblical day of rest. According to the communications department of the Adventist Church in Switzerland church members donated USD 13,3 million, an average of USD 2,800 per person, for the Adventist church worldwide and nationally. This amount does not include donations for the needs and tasks of the local churches.
The Audacity of Peacemaking - Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany on the end of the first World War in 1918 Ostfildern near Stuttgart/Germany | 02.02.2018 | International In commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany adopted the declaration "The Audacity of Peacemaking" ("Mut zum Frieden"). It was published in the February 2018 issue of the church magazine "Adventisten heute". In the statement the leadership of the Adventist Church recommends its members not to participate directly or indirectly in a war.
Germany: Adventist church leaders condemn ax-attack in regional train Munich and Ostfildern/Germany | 19.07.2016 | International Adventist church leaders in Germany have strongly condemnd an ax-attack on passengers of a train near Würzburg/Germany, that occurred Monday night. At least five people have been injured according to media reports. Adventist church leaders expressed their sympathy to the victims of the assault.
In Cuba, Adventist Church remains hopeful for positive change after U.S. Presidential Visit Havana/Cuba, 30.03.2016 | 30.03.2016 | International Church Leaders hope the Country’s current political condition will continue to be favorable to the Church U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba March 21-22 inspired hope in the Seventh-day Adventist Church on the island. The church believes that a thaw in U.S. - Cuba relations could mean greater opportunities for evangelism and the growth of the church. Aldo Perez, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cuba, was one of only 20 religious leaders selected by the Cu
Adventist Conference in Germany publishes declaration regarding ordination of women Hamburg/Germany | 10.12.2015 | International The executive board of the Hansa-Conference, a regional church leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the German federal states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has published a declaration that regrets the decision of the General Conference Session regarding the ordination of female Adventist pastors. The General Conference Session decided this summer in San Antonio, Texas/USA, that the global 13 Divisions of the Adventist Church are not allowed to ordain female pastors working in their territory. The Hansa-Conference encouraged in its letter female church members to opt for training and service as a pastor in spite of the decision of the General Conference Session.
President-elect of Fiji is an Adventist Christian Suva/Fiji | 21.10.2015 | International For the first time, a Seventh-day Adventist has been nominated president of the south pacific nation of Fiji. Major General Jioji Konousi Konrote, better known as George Konrote, has most recently been serving as Minister for Employment, Labour Relations and Productivity but will need to leave this position in order to take up the presidency, a mostly ceremonial role analogous to that of governor-general in other Commonwealth countries. In an official announcement of the nomination, Fiji
Adventists in Germany publish statement on the current refugee situation Hannover and Ostfildern/Germany | 13.10.2015 | International After a special conference on assistance to refugees, 22. September in Ostfildern/Germany, the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany published a statement about the current refugee situation: “Declaration Regarding the Current Refugee Situation by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Germany“. It emphasizes that the Adventist Church supports the protection of victims of political persecution, war refugees and their right of access to medical care, education and social services. The document also contains recommendations for local Adventist churches to provide aid for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Statement on the Tragic Shooting in Charleston, South Carolina Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.06.2015 | International The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, Daniel R. Jackson, issued the following statement on June 18, 2015 in response to shooting death of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South, Carolina: “The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is heartbroken by the senseless killing of the Reverend Clementa Pinckney and eight other worshipers during Wednesday evening service in their church. We are saddened by the hea
USA: Tornado Rips Through Train Carrying "Adventist World" - The Kansas storm delays shipment of 50,000 copies to four U.S. states. Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 21.05.2015 | International Thousands of "Adventist World" magazine subscribers will have to wait a few weeks longer to receive their next issue after a tornado tore through a freight train carrying the magazines to the U.S. West. The tornado struck the train loaded with 50,000 copies of the Adventist World’s North American Division edition as it passed through the U.S. state of Kansas last weekend, associate publisher Claude Richli said. No injuries were reported, but the tornado derailed about 100 train cars on the
Seventh-day Adventists in North America Call for Peace in West Baltimore Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 28.04.2015 | International In response to the growing number of demonstrations following the funeral of Freddy Gray who died tragically in Baltimore, Maryland, the Administration of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, issued the following statement on April 28, 2015: «The Seventh-day Adventist church in North America is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Freddy Gray and the heartache it has caused his family and the Baltimore community. We extend our deepest condolences and continue to pray for his f
Adventists Rush to Help After Deadly Quake Rocks Nepal Kathmandu/Nepal | 26.04.2015 | International Seventh-day Adventist doctors and ADRA workers sprang to work in Nepal after a powerful earthquake killed more than 1,800 people on April 25. The Adventist Scheer Memorial Hospital in Banepa, 15 kilometers east of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, was overflowing with patients injured by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which struck around midday about 80 kilometers from Kathmandu. The quake, which lasted about 10 minutes, flattened entire neighborhoods in Kathmandu, but the Scheer Memorial Hospita
Adventist Church Offers Condolences After Plane Crash in France Berne/Switzerland | 25.03.2015 | International A Germanwings Airbus A320 plane carrying 150 people crashed March 24 in the foothills near Digne-les-Bains, in the Alpes de Haute Provence in southeastern France, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told reporters. Valls said he fears those aboard the flight from Barcelona (Spain), to Dusseldorf (Germany) may be dead. French President Francois Hollande also said no survivors were expected. „The conditions of the accident are not yet clear but lead us to believe there will be no survivors," H
Adventist Church Offers Condolences After Terrorist Attack in Paris Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 09.01.2015 | International The church also thanks France for protecting religious freedom. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has sent condolences to France and praised its government for supporting religious freedom after an apparent militant Islamist attack on a satirical magazine killed 12 people in Paris. “On behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist world church and its president, allow me to convey to you our deepest sympathy in connection with the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris on Jan. 7,” the
Adventist Pastor in Ukraine released after 20 days of detention Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 17.10.2014 | International Sergei Litovchenko, pastor of the Horlivka Seventh-day Adventist Church in eastern Ukraine, has been released and is being reunited with his family after 20 days of detention. Local Adventist Church and family members would like to thank Adventists and others who have prayed for his freedom throughout the ordeal. “We are very happy to know that Pastor Litovchenko is in good health” said Garrett Caldwell, spokesman for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “We must continue to work and pray fo
Ebola deaths include 16 Adventists in West Africa Silver Spring, MD/USA | 13.10.2014 | International The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa has claimed the lives of 16 Seventh-day Adventists, a church official announced October 11. “The people are suffering,” said James Golay, president of the West Africa Union Mission, speaking from Liberia onto a video screen projected to hundreds of church leaders gathered at the denomination’s headquarters for the 2014 Annual Council. Golay would have attended the meeting, but stayed home. Global health organizations and church official
Nigeria Adventist leader says Boko Haram destroyed Adventist church Nyanya-Abuja/Nigeria | 24.09.2014 | International Terrorist group burned building in Northeast after Members fled A Seventh-day Adventist Church official in Northern Nigeria said the the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram destroyed an Adventist Church last month after members fled the area. The Magar Adventist Church in the Northeastern state of Borno was burned on Saturday, August 23, said Stephen H. Bindas, president of the Northern Nigeria Union Conference, based in Abuja. The incident happened after the congregation’s 67 members left
In India, Adventists seek inquiry after local members reconvert to Hinduism Asroi (India)/Silver Spring (MD/USA) | 03.09.2014 | International Reconversion ceremony prompts fears that hardline Hindus are compelling people to switch faiths Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders have appealed to Indian authorities to investigate the possible forced reconversion of Adventists to Hinduism in a northern Indian village. [img id=3167 align=left] Forced conversion is illegal in India, and a reconversion ceremony last week in Asroi, located about 110 miles (175 kilometers) south of India’s capital, New Delhi, raised fears in the wider Chri
Adventist Church recommends their staff and members not to travel to and from West Africa Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 10.08.2014 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church's top health official urged Church staff and members not travel to and from countries in West Africa affected by the Ebola epidemic. This recommendation came on the day the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international health emergency. Adventist Health Ministries Director Dr. Peter Landless also said officials at the Church’s world headquarters are working with two Adventist hospitals in West Africa to protect staff and patients from
"Hope Brazil" initiative empowered Adventists to serve, share mission during World Cup Brasilia/Brazil | 09.07.2014 | International Volunteers assisted with blood donation drives, distributed literature During the FIFA World Cup, thousands of Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil are participating in the Church’s local “Hope Brazil” initiative to offer ministry outreach and service to international football fans and tourists visiting during the tournament. At many of the Cup’s 12 stadium sites, Adventist volunteers donated blood and coordinated assistance ongoing blood drives, distributed a missionary book, and advocated
General Conference Session of Adventist Church starts one year from today Washington DC/San Antonio (Texas) | 02.07.2014 | International Global Adventist Spiritual Gathering, Business Meetings Set for July 2, 2015 in San Antonio (Texas/USA) [img id=3068 align=right]The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s General Conference Session is set to begin one year from today, July 2, 2015, and run through July 11, 2015. The 10-day meeting will be held at the 65,000-seat Alamodome and the adjacent Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio (Texas/USA). Session, which has been held every five years since 1970, is a spiritual gathe
Adventists urged to pray June 28 for peace in Ukraine Kyiv/Ukraine | 28.06.2014 | International Division President Biaggi asks members to help ADRA assist displaced residents The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Euro-Asia Division is calling on all Adventists to pray for peace in Ukraine and has urged church members across the division to give a freewill offering in support of people who have lost their belongings in the unrest. President Guillermo Biaggi has declared Sabbath, June 28, as a day of prayer across the division, which includes Ukraine, Russia and 10 other
Jan Paulsen: Challenges for a global Church in the 21st Century Stuttgart/Germany | 02.06.2014 | International Pastor Dr Jan Paulsen, former President of the General Conference (headquarter of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist church) spoke in the Seventh-day Adventist church Stuttgart/Germany about the church’s challenges in the 21st century. He stressed that the decision about women’s ordination as pastors was one of the top priorities. A wide range of committees in the world church have tackled this question for the past 40 years. In 1990 the General Assembly of the General Conference (World Council
“Guilt and Failure” - Statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church regarding the outbreak of the First World War Lüneburg/Germany | 12.05.2014 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany has published a statement pertaining to actions it took in the context of the outbreak of World War I. The Southern and Northern German Union Conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist church adopted the statement on April 6 and April 13, 2014 respectively, and published it the May edition of the Church magazine “Adventisten heute” (Adventist Today), under the title “Guilt and Failure”. The Presidents of both Conferences, Pastors Johannes Naether (Han
USA: Cyber Criminals Target Adventist Church Funds Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 03.01.2014 | International Personal Information not involved; Federal Authorities investigating The world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventists Church, based in Silver Spring (Maryland/USA), has been the victim of cyber theft which has defrauded the church of approximately five hundred thousand dollars. The theft involved funds that were being transferred on behalf of a denominational entity. Adventist Church officials are cooperating with U.S. federal authorities in the ongoing investigation and working with
Adventist president offers condolences at passing of Mandela Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 11.12.2013 | International “The global Seventh-day Adventist Church joins the people of South Africa and the world in mourning the loss of Nelson Mandela”, wrote Seventh-day Adventist Church President Ted N. C. Wilson in a statement released December, 7, regarding the passing of statesman Nelson Mandela. “His life of forgiveness and reconciliation served as a light in a world that too often lives in the shadow of reprisal, anger and malice. May all reflect on his important efforts to bring people together in peace. What a
Cyprus: Adventist Church celebrates one hundred years Nicosia/Cyprus | 06.12.2013 | International Over 150 members and friends of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cyprus gathered end of October to celebrate the centenary of the arrival of Adventism on the eastern Mediterranean island. The first Adventists, Moses Boursalian and his family, came to Cyprus as refugees from Antioch in 1912 as tentmaker-style missionaries. Moses was not the typical missionary, he sold homemade combs, travelling by donkey from village to village telling people about his beliefs along the way. Moses’ son, J
Christmas card campaign to offer support for imprisoned Adventist church members | 04.12.2013 | International Silver Spring, Maryland/USA, 04.12.2013 (ANN/APD) Seventh-day Adventist human rights advocates are urging church members worldwide to send encouragement in the form of Christmas cards to three members in prison on what church officials say are false charges. More than a year and a half has passed since Seventh-day Adventist pastor Antonio Monteiro and church elder Bruno Amah were imprisoned in the West African country of Togo in a criminal case without evidence or a trial. Cards for Monte
First Country In The World To Grant Suffrage To Women, Celebrates Its 175th Anniversary Adamstown/Pitcairn Islands | 28.11.2013 | International When you’re small, as is the tiny, isolated Pacific isle called Pitcairn, its sweet to be “first.” That’s the distinction the women Pitcairn will celebrate on Friday, November 29, 2013, - the distinction of being the first “country” in the world to grant suffrage to women. In their own way, the men of this little South Pacific isle will be celebrating it too. It was in 1838, while calling at Pitcairn Island, that Captain Russell Elliott of the British warship H.M.S. Fly, answered pleas of the
US Seventh-day Adventist Tribal Chairman, Brian Cladoosby, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community elected new NCAI president Tulsa, Oklahoma/USA | 30.10.2013 | International On October 18, a Seventh-day Adventist Tribal Chairman, Brian Cladoosby, of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, was elected president of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), at their 70th Annual Convention & Marketplace in Tulsa (Oklahoma/USA). Chairman Cladoosby is one of many tribal chairmen who are members of the Adventist Church. In his first statement after being sworn in as the 21st president of the NCAI Brian Cladoosby called for reduced thresholds for federal tribal d
Death Toll from Philippines Earthquake Rises to 222 - Sustained damage of Adventist properties Manila/Philippines | 30.10.2013 | International A hospital and several other properties owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in central Philippines sustained damage when a massive earthquake hit the island of Bohol last week. The 7.2-magnitude quake killed at least 222 people, injured hundreds more and reduced thousands of buildings to rubble and twisted metal. An estimated 500,000 families are displaced or affected, among them 14 Adventist families. More families, fearing powerful aftershocks, are living outside their homes in makesh
France: Adventists not involved in reported Exorcism incident Paris/France | 13.10.2013 | International Several News Agencies Mistakenly Identified Defandants as Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Four defendants on trial from October 7-11 in France for performing an alleged exorcism are not members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as mistakenly reported by several news agencies. The defendants were arrested on charges of kidnapping, acts of torture and barbarism after French law enforcement officials discovered a teenage Cameroonian girl bound to a mattress in a southern suburb
Adventist family among victims of Nairobi terror attack Nairobi/Kenya | 25.09.2013 | International The husband of an Adventist church member from Nairobi lost a relative during the terrorist attack in Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall in which more than 60 people were killed and more than 170 injured. Harun Oyieke, a lecturer at Co-operative University College of Kenya, was among those killed in the attack. He was the husband of Florence Awino, a professor at the University of Nairobi. The attack occurred at about 11 a.m. on Saturday. Between 10 and 15 terrorists armed with automatic weapon
Central African Republic: Adventist church members mostly under radar amid coup Yaoundé, Cameroon | 03.04.2013 | International Sunday’s mass lootings in the capital of the Central African Republic have not affected Seventh-day Adventist Church operations, but several incidents in recent months have taken a toll on a few church employees amid the ongoing civil war. The Adventist Church in this landlocked African nation organized a peace procession earlier this month, but in January a mission worker was beaten and a pastor was arrested by rebel soldiers in a case of mistaken identity. Media reports indicate Central
Pakistan: Mob burns homes in anti-Christian violence Lahore/Pakistan | 12.03.2013 | International Residents of a Christian community in eastern Pakistan, among them Seventh-day Adventists, are reeling after a mob torched their homes and businesses in response to alleged insults against Muhammad. The unrest began last week after a report circulated that a young Christian man had committed blasphemy against Islam’s prophet. By March 9, the situation had escalated and thousands of protestors began setting fire to property owned by Christians in a Lahore neighborhood. While some residents
Adventist Church President Wilson offers message of condolence for Connecticut shooting victims, community Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 16.12.2012 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church World President Ted N. C. Wilson offered a message of condolence following a mass shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut/USA. News agencies reported that a 20-year-old man shot to death 26 children and adults before taking his own life. "The tragic killing of young children and others in Connecticut fills us with great sympathy and enormous sadness,” Wilson said from Germany, where he is attending a youth meeting. “On behalf of the
Adventist Church in the Netherlands on Women’s Ordination St Albans/United Kingdom | 15.11.2012 | International Two hundred delegates representing 56 Adventist Churches across the Netherlands spent considerable time discussing a motion on the ordination of women, which eventually passed with a large majority. The action that was taken seeks to involve the Adventist Church in the Netherlands (“Union”) in the current study process led by the leadership of the Adventists Church in North- and South of Europe (“Trans-European Division”) and the time-table for dealing with the issue of a Seventh-day Adventist T
Pastor Wilson is first sitting Adventist Church president to visit Belarus Minsk/Belarus | 14.11.2012 | International In what marked the first visit to Belarus by a sitting Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson last week toured Adventist church infrastructure and met with government officials in the Eastern European country. Wilson was on hand for the dedication of a new church center in Minsk built by Adventist pastors from Belarus. Complete with a sanctuary, fellowship hall, apartments for church workers and studio space for the newly established Hope Channel Belarus, the ce
Adventist Church message of condolences in aftermath of Hurricane Sandy Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 02.11.2012 | International Special offering will raise funds for hardest-hit areas of New York Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson this week offered a message of condolence to residents of the United States East Coast in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. “Please accept our sympathy and sadness for the devastation that has taken place, especially in New Jersey and the metropolitan New York area,” Wilson said. “We will continue to pray for members, churches, church organizations and the wider co
Albania: Adventist Church Delegation Met Albania Tirana/Albania | 09.10.2012 | International A Seventh-Adventist Church delegation held a courtesy meeting with Albania's Prime Minister, Prof Dr Sali Berisha. The Adventist representatives were headed by Pastor Branko Bistrovic, president of the church’s Adriatic Union Conference, headquartered in Zagreb (Croatia) In his opening address, Pr. Bistrovic transmitted to Prime Minister Berisha greetings on behalf of Dr Bertil Wiklander, Trans-European Division (TED) President, who visited Albania earlier this year to mark 20 years of offic
Togo: Cape Verdean Adventist pastor imprisoned on dubious charges Lomé/Togo | 03.10.2012 | International Adventist lawyers, human rights advocates pledge to expedite release, exoneration Seventh-day Adventist lawyers and human rights advocates are calling for the immediate release of an Adventist pastor imprisoned in Togo on what they say are spurious charges. Antonio dos Anjos Monteiro was detained in March for conspiracy to commit murder after a Togolese man implicated him and two other Christians, one an Adventist, as conspirators in an alleged blood trafficking network. The accuser ha
On ordination questions, Adventist leadership appeals for orderly process Silver Spring, Maryland/USA, | 29.06.2012 | International The world leadership of the Seventh-day Adventists has issued a highly unusual “appeal for unity” to regional administrative units of the church that have either taken or are considering independent action regarding the ordination of women to gospel ministry. The request comes in a statement issued on June 29 in response to actions by several union conferences, including two in North America. The union conferences, the key constituent elements of the church’s worldwide General Conference (GC)
Seventh-Day Adventist church delegation visit China Shanghai/China | 11.04.2012 | International The president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, and other Adventist church leaders, are in the middle of a 10-day official visit to China, seeking to strengthen ties between the global Adventist family and an estimated 400,000 Adventists in the People’s Republic of China. Joining church president Wilson are G. T. Ng and Robert Lemon, Adventist world church secretary and treasurer, respectively, along with Jairyong Lee, president of the denomination’s Northern
Adventist leaders offer condolences on death of Coptic Pope Shenouda III Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 20.03.2012 | International Leaders from the Seventh-day Adventist world church’s department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty offered condolences to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria on the passing of Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Shenouda died on March 17 at age 88 after serving four decades as patriarch. "The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department offers it
In Nigeria, escalating religious conflict impacts Adventist Church Abidjan/Ivory Coast | 24.01.2012 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria is seeing a drop in church attendance and some church closures amid worsening religious conflict in the country. An upsurge of attacks against Christian churches by the extremist group Boko Haram beginning late last year has led to ongoing sectarian violence between Muslim and Christian groups in northeast Nigeria. Adding to the tumult, the country’s government recently eliminated energy subsidies, doubling the price of gasoline and inciting nati
Chinese Protestant leaders visit Adventist church world headquarters Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 15.10.2011 | International Leaders from the official Protestant church in China paid a courtesy visit to the Seventh-day Adventist Church headquarters on October 4, the second time in two years. The visit of representatives of the China Christian Council and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) Committee precedes the visit of the denomination's president to China next year. Adventist Church President, Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, and a small delegation from the church's headquarters is scheduled to visit China durin
Inception of European Sunday Alliance in Brussels Brussels/Belgium | 20.06.2011 | International On 20 June 2011 the European Sunday Alliance was formed on the occasion of an expert conference on Sunday Protection at the seat of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels. The European Sunday Alliance is a network of existing national Sunday alliances, trade unions, civil society organizations and religious communities which promotes fair and balanced work conditions and the harmony of a balanced lifestyle comprising work, family and free time to strengthen social cohesion
In Ivory Coast, Adventist Church headquarters staff moved to Ghana during national unrest Abidjan/Ivory Coast | 06.04.2011 | International Acording to Gilbert Wari, President of the Sevcenth-day Adventist Church’s West-Central Africa Division families of headquarters' employees in Abidjan have been temporarily relocated to the neighboring country of Ghana, a precautionary move during political unrest. About 10 employees remain at the division headquarters, which is located about 330 yards from the presidential palace, he said. In Abidjan and across Ivory Coast violence is growing, with mounting civilian casualties and over a
In Cuba, Adventists dedicate first seminary campus church <br> An example of country's growing religious liberties, Cuba's minister of religion says Havana/Cuba | 06.04.2011 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church dedicated the Cuba Seventh-day Adventist Seminary's first church building in Havana last week in a ceremony that capped a long process of obtaining building permits and fundraising. Maranatha Volunteers International, a non-profit organization, and supporting ministry of the Adventist Church, built the seminary there 10 years ago. Maranatha broke ground on the new church three years ago, only halting progress when donations later ran out. The remaining do
In Egypt, Adventist schools suspended this week, but church operations not affected St. Albans/England, Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 02.02.2011 | International “The members are courageous and services were conducted in the churches last Sabbath in spite of the turmoil in the country. The Nile Union Academy, the boarding high school operated by the church, has been closed temporally. Most of the students have gone home but some, that have nowhere else to go. They will remain at the academy. Although there has been gunfire nearby, they feel safe and also feel that they have support of the local community”, said Pastor Llewellyn R. Edwards, President of t
Exhibition on Protestantisms in independent Ukraine opened in Lviv Lviv/Ukraine | 08.10.2010 | International A new exhibition titled "Protestantism in Independent Ukraine", highlighting the history and the development of current Protestant churches worldwide and in modern Ukraine, was opened in Lviv at the Museum of Religion. The exhibition theme is represented by lithographs, clerical and liturgical clothings of ministers, preachers, pastors and bishops, various religious objects, publications (books, magazines, calendars), numerous photographs, and the Bible translation of Martin Luther. Accord
In Northern Mexico, Adventists mourn killings of two young members <br> Case of mistaken identity in border town with warring drug cartels Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua/Mexico | 22.09.2010 | International Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Ciudad Juarez are concerned about the safety of their church members following last week's murder of two young Adventists. The killings are believed to be a case of mistaken identity in a border city at the center of an ongoing war between drug cartels. Jose Ines Martinez, 18, and his sister Maribel Martinez, 26, both active members of the Zaragoza Adventist Church, were found shot to death in their vehicle on September 12. Both were among 17 victims killed i
New Adventist president envisions a church marked by prayer, revival <br> Emphasis on evangelism and stewardship practical keys to 5-year strategic plan Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 29.07.2010 | International In his first address to employees at Seventh-day Adventist world church headquarters, newly elected church President Ted N. C. Wilson outlined July 28 a strategic plan for the denomination meant to spur a renewal of members' commitment to the church's mission. An emphasis on personal and corporate prayer and the launch of a Revival and Reformation Committee at church headquarters featured prominently in the plan. The belief that Christians cannot "hasten or delay" the Second Coming is a
«Christian Leaders Sweeping Money Under The Carpet» <br> <br> New UK Survey on Christian giving shows leaders' timidity over money means churches risk losing out Colchester, Essex/UK | 23.06.2010 | International Most church leaders in the United Kingdom dislike talking about the need to give money, according to a new survey on Christian giving. As a result, churchgoers are being given "an array of mixed messages" by ministers about the need to give. According to the report "Why Christians Give – Understanding the hearts and minds of 21st century evangelical donors" churches risk losing out on large amounts of potential giving due to an unnecessary timidity when it comes to talking about financial ne
Atlanta, home of the fastest growing Adventist church in the U.S. <br> <br> Business-minded pastor mobilizes members for ministry Atlanta, Georgia/USA | 19.06.2010 | International A Seventh-day Adventist church in Atlanta (Georgia/USA) is growing quickly in a country where the rest of the denomination is growing slowly. While young adults are absent from many of the country's congregations, the Atlanta Berean Adventist Church has attracted and mobilized them, along with other members, to conduct community outreach and traditional evangelism. The 3,800-member church last year gained the most members of any church in the United States. It could earn the same distincti
Adventist Church contributed to Edinburgh World Mission Conference 2010 Edinburgh/Scotland | 11.06.2010 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church contributed to the Centenary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2 - 6 June. The event marked 100 years since the last Edinburgh World Missionary Conference, when more than 1,200 Christians representing numerous faiths and countries gathered to discuss the future of mission. One hundred years later, the 1910 conference is still recognized as a significant event in modern mission. Seventh-day Adventist missiologist, Ganoune Diop,
City of Baeza honors Spain's first Adventist missionary Baeza/Spain | 11.06.2010 | International Officials of the southern Spanish city Baeza have honored the memory of the country's first Adventist missionary, one of several early 20th-century religious freedom and democracy martyrs whose graves were later desecrated. In 1914, Walter Bond, a missionary from the United States, died at age 35, reportedly poisoned for preaching Adventist teachings. Bond's name was added to Baeza's Wall of Honor last month during a ceremony that included the mayor, city officials and Adventist Church leader
Edinburgh 2010: «Common Call» Released <br> <br> Christian Church Leaders Reaffirmed Commitment to Witnessing to Christ | 06.06.2010 | International Leaders of the Christian World Communions and delegates from over 50 denominations have reaffirmed their commitment to witnessing to Christ during an international conference in Edinburgh to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Missionary Conference held in the Scottish capital in 1910. The conference culminated on June 6 with a "Common Call" to Christians and a special historic celebration at the Assembly Halls of the Church of Scotland, the venue of the 1910 gathering. Keynote spe
In East-Central Africa, Adventist president urges 'ownership' of church <br> <br> Involvement, financial contribution necessary to support growth, Paulsen says Nairobi/Kenya | 30.05.2010 | International Seventh-day Adventist world church President Jan Paulsen recently encouraged local leadership and members in East-Central Africa to "take ownership" of the church. During a four-day tour end of May, Paulsen met with local church leaders, laypeople and Adventist University of Africa (AUA) administration and partners, encouraging self-sufficiency in the region. "The Adventist church in Africa must be able to provide for its own needs for the future because of its rapid growth," he said, cit
Evangelical Alliance in the UK calls on Cameron and Clegg to lead in a spirit of trust and co-operation London/UK | 12.05.2010 | International The Evangelical Alliance in the UK has congratulated David Cameron as the country's 52nd prime minister, and Nick Clegg his deputy for coming together to form a Government and called for them to lead in a spirit of trust and co-operation. Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, said: ”Out of the potential chaos that followed Thursday's indecisive result, we have seen our political leaders act with a dignity that accords their high office. “I hope that the coming week
70,000 Visitors Expected at 2010 Adventist World Synod in Atlanta, Georgia, USA Atlanta, Georgia/USA | 23.04.2010 | International The world synod of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, being held June 23-July 3, will bring additional international flavor to the already diverse city of Atlanta, Georgia, business meeting planners said. "Atlanta is well known for its rich cultural diversity, heritage, and Southern hospitality throughout the USA," said Sheri Clemmer, associate session meeting planner for the Adventist Church. "Atlanta has a long history of hosting national religious organizations and gatherings, " Clemmer sa
Women's ordination issue not on World Session agenda, Adventist president says Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 10.04.2010 | International The issue of women's ordination will not be added to the agenda for the 59th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the church's President Jan Paulsen said April 6. Speaking to leadership at Spring Meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, Paulsen said that a canvass of the church's 13 world church divisions revealed only three willing to accept a change in the current policy of not ordaining women to pastoral ministry, and eight divisions reporting the move would negativel
Belize: Adventist Church closes schools to protest alleged police violence <br> <br> Young church member latest in string of related deaths Belize City/Belize | 17.03.2010 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Belize closed all 25 of its schools last Friday to demonstrate against escalating alleged police violence in the country, most recently the killing of a church member. Teddy R. Murillo Jr was reported shot to death early on Saturday, February 27, by a law enforcement officer who was questioned and later released. Murillo, 21, was a member of the Mount Zion Adventist Tabernacle in Belize City -- the first church established in the city. He was an active
Victims of Violence against Women must be supported, Perpetrators punished New York, N.Y./USA | 16.03.2010 | International Violence against women devastates individuals and societies alike, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said March 11, calling for united action to demand accountability, end impunity and support the victims of this global scourge. Whether it is domestic violence, sex trafficking, so-called “honour” crimes or female genital cutting, violence against women and girls continues to be a horrific and all-too common crime, Mr. Ban said in remarks to a panel at UN Headquarters on the issue. In ad
Police rescue 31 Adventist Pathfinders in Tasmania Devonport, Tasmania/Australia | 13.03.2010 | International Police have rescued a group of 31 hikers stranded by a flooded river in Tasmania's central highlands, reports the Australian Associated Press (AAP). The group, from the Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinder Club, had become stranded on the eastern side of the Fisher River, south of Devonport, police said. Aged from 10 to 63, they had been camping in the Lake McKenzie area but heavy rain caused the Fisher River to rise, preventing them from leaving. Police were notified in the late afternoon
Lutheran Bishop Resigned as Chairperson of the Evangelical Church and as bishop Berlin/Germany | 24.02.2010 | International The German Lutheran bishop Margot Kaessmann has given up on February 24 her posts as head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, but will continue as a pastor. She is resigning days after she was apprehended for an alleged drunk-driving offense. Fifty-one-year-old Kaessmann has been elected only four month ago, as the youngest ever chairperson of the EKD council, to lead the 24-million Protestant members of the Evangelical Churc
Russian Pioneering Adventist Leader Mikhail P. Kulakov died <br> <br> Kulakov secretly operated Adventist work in former Soviet Union Washington D.C./Moscow | 12.02.2010 | International Mikhail P. Kulakov Sr., the first president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Euro-Asia region, and a pioneering Adventist leader who endured imprisonment in the former Soviet Union for his faith, died of brain cancer February 10 at his home in Highland, California (USA). He was 83. Once exiled as an enemy of the state, Kulakov in the 1980s was able to openly write in leading national Soviet publications on freedom of conscience, winning him respect from fellow believers, dissidents and
First Adventist church planned for Gulf region Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates | 26.01.2010 | International Seventh-day Adventists in the Middle Eastern Gulf region anticipate worshipping in their first permanent church building by year's end, local church officials said at a January 8 groundbreaking ceremony. Victor Harewood, church leader for the United Arab Emirates and Oman, along with some 250 local members met on the plot in Ras Al Khaimah to unveil the building's cornerstone, officially opening the construction site. Ras Al Khaimah is one of seven emirates in the UAE. Its crown prince a
Adventist Church President Jan Paulsen speaks to Haitian Adventists: 'Don't lose courage' | 26.01.2010 | International In a statement aired on the Seventh-day Adventist Church's television station, the Hope Channel, church President Jan Paulsen urged Haitians to not lose courage in the aftermath of the earthquake. "Your brothers and sisters around the world, they think about you, they pray for you, they want to be involved and want you to know that they are your family," Paulsen said during the televised statement. Paulsen's words came hours after a magnitude 6.1 aftershock struck Haiti, renewing anxiety
Adventist headquarters for UK, Ireland nears completion after fire Stanborough Park/UK | 26.01.2010 | International Administrative offices for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland are nearing completion 14 months after a fire gutted previous headquarters. The final phase of rebuilding -- including a foyer, training rooms, boardroom and additional offices -- is expected to take place within the year, regional church officials said. The fire started November 16, 2008 in the roof space above the boardroom and quickly spread to 75 percent of the building. Employees moved back
Adventist World Church president celebrates 75th birthday <br> <br> Paulsen sees church embrace diversity, engage community Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 06.01.2010 | International As Seventh-day Adventist Christians worldwide gear up for a new decade, their world church's president, Jan Paulsen, celebrated on January 5 his 75th birthday, affording the veteran leader an opportunity to reflect on a different decade -- the nearly ten years he's spent at the helm of the global Protestant denomination with 16-million adult baptized members. During those years, Paulsen said he has seen Adventists unite to focus perhaps more deliberately than ever on their mission to spread
France: Adventist Church Opens House of Hope in Paris Paris/France | 18.12.2009 | International The protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church celebrated in Paris the official opening of the "House of Hope". This is the new spiritual and cultural center for more than 8.000 000 adult baptised Adventist Christians, living in the Northern part of France. During the opening ceremony, November 27, the deputy Mayor of Paris, Mr. Jean Tibeiri, said, "It's good that a church like yours is open to society. It's a good thing to have created such a cultural and spiritual center, and I am delighted th
Adventist leaders comment on Copenhagen climate summit <br> <br> Caring for environment is "Christian issue," Church president says Copenhagen/London/Silver Spring (USA) | 16.12.2009 | International Adventist News Network (ANN) recently reported on official Adventist church reactions to the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. Should Christians be concerned about caring for the environment? The president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, Jan Paulsen, says "yes," in a video released on YouTube, coinciding with the Copenhagen Summit. "Quite fundamentally, caring for the environment goes back to our [Adventist] earliest beginnings," Paulsen said. The archbishop of Canterbury,
Study Center for Adventist Muslim Relations with new director <br> <br> Pastor, seminary professor Merklin has served internationally Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 16.12.2009 | International Former mission institute director Lester Merklin assumed his new post December 1 as head of the Global Center for Adventist Muslim Relations of the Seventh-day Adventist world church. The center is one of five Global Mission religious study operations by the church's Office of Adventist Mission established to build bridges of understanding between the protestant Adventist Church and major world religions. The center consists of Merklin, who will also continue as a faculty member at Andre
Adventist Church adds 1 million members sixth year in a row <br> <br> Leaders encourage honest look at records; cite membership audits as catalyst for growth Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 21.10.2009 | International More than 1 million people joined the protestant mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church during the year ending June 30, 2009, marking the sixth consecutive year of million-member gains, church officials said. Adventist Church' Office of Archives and Statistics said an average of 2,818 people joined the church daily, bringing the world membership total to 16,049,101 baptized believers. Church leaders initially projected a world church membership of 17 million by 2009. However, partially d
Reconciliation, unity, involvement are Adventist Church's Annual Council 2009 themes <br> <br> World church president emphasizes cross of Christ as central to Adventist message Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.10.2009 | International Without preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ, "there is no gospel," declared Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, on October 10 during a Sabbath morning worship service held at the church's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. In a wide-ranging sermon, Paulsen noted areas where tensions may rise within the movement, which claims over 16 million baptized members and more than 25 million people attending weekly worship around the world. For ex
Adventist Church votes guidelines for mission unity, contextualization <br> <br> Statement urges core beliefs in outreach to other faiths, cultures Silver Springs, Maryland/USA | 14.10.2009 | International Meeting at the Seventh-day Adventist church's world headquarters for annual business meetings, the Executive Committee approved October 13 guidelines for balancing the need for contextualization against possible religious syncretism as the church ramps up outreach to other cultures and religions. The Roadmap to Mission policy statement comes at a time when religious expressions among Hindus, Buddhists, animists, could be at odds with core Adventist beliefs, leaders said. The document recogniz
Statistics of Religions: More Muslims than Catholics, More Adventists than Jews Rome/Basel | 26.09.2009 | International According to recent information provided by the Vatican, Muslims outnumber Catholics worldwide. At the end of 2008, there were 1.280 billion Muslims and 1.165 billion Catholics, reported Vittorio Formenti, director of the head office for statistics of the Roman Catholic Church. The Italian newspaper "Il Tempo" stated that the number of Christians worldwide totals 2.145 billion. The figure for Muslims was not divided into Shia and Sunni or other Muslim communities. Formenti also said that the app
«We Are A Bridge Between The Voiceless And Hopeless» <br> <br> Adventist Womens Ministries International Congress for West-Central Africa Ikeja, Lagos/Nigeria | 09.08.2009 | International The Director of Women's Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church, Heather Dawn Small, has stressed the need to empower and revive African women from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and indiscrimination, which, according to her, has remained a stumbling block to the development of our society. Small said this during the Adventist Women's Ministries International Congress to mark the 50th Golden Jubilee of Babcock University as an educational instituti
Delegate selection begins for Adventist Churchs General Conference Session 2010 Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 30.07.2009 | International More than 2,400 voting members expected to gather in Atlanta; push for younger delegates Though it's nearly a year away, some 2,400 delegates are already being selected for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's 59th General Conference Session, scheduled for June 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Last week, the executive secretary's office of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists sent each of the church's 13 world regions, or "divisions," their quota of voting delegates for the 10-da
Knighthood, Reception & Vision for New Governor-General of Jamaica London/UK, | 22.06.2009 | International A knighthood at Buckingham Palace, a reception at the Jamaican High Commission in London and visits to the Adventist Camp Meetings of North and South England Conference in Southport and Prestayn made for a very busy weekend for Sir Patrick Allen, Governor-General of Jamaica. The first Seventh-day Adventist to serve as Governor-General of Jamaica was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace on Friday, 12 June. The same afternoon, the High Commissioner for Jamaica, His
Pitcairn Island has greater Freedom and Responsibility under New Constitution Adamstown/Pitcairn Island, South Pacific Ocean | 12.06.2009 | International Pitcairn Island has a new Constitution, the fourth in the island’s 219-year European-Polynesian history, and although its provisions are being followed on the island its people have not yet formally voted on it. The new Constitution was accepted by the Pitcairn Island Council in August 2008, on the urging of the Auckland-based Pitcairn Commissioner Leslie Jacques, but the Pitcairn people have as yet not voted to accept the document, nor has it been officially promulgated on the island. Cha
British Adventists Vote To Streamline Future Business Sessions Stanborough Park, Watford/United Kingdom, | 07.06.2009 | International The Seventh-day Adventist administration of the countries of Britain and Ireland, known as the British Union Conference (BUC), voted a plan that is described as “more efficient and streamlined as well as giving a greater level of input for delegates and more information for members as a whole”. This took place at a special one day Extraordinary Session of the BUC on 17 May at Stanborough Park, Watford. Over 320 delegates heard that the current system could be seen as a drain on finances that
World Environment Day, 5 June 2009: <br> <br> Christian Communicators call for environmental actions Ontario/Canada | 05.06.2009 | International To commemorate World Environment Day, 5 June 2009, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is calling for action rather than words to solve environmental problems. "Global greenhouse emissions need to be dramatically reduced, while at the same time raising the quality of life for the majority of the world’s people." The full text of the WACC statement, released June 5, reads, as follows: "On World Environment Day 2009, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
In Mexico, Adventist churches, institutions resume normal operations Mexico City/Mexico | 03.06.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist churches and schools in Mexico are open and operating normally a month after an alarming number of H1N1 flu cases in the country led its government to close schools and discourage large gatherings, such as church services. "We are thankful that things are back to normal for our churches and schools in Mexico," said Israel Leito, president of the Adventist Church in Inter-America. Letio credited precautions taken by local church leaders for safeguarding students and
Video conferencing brings Adventist leadership together for Inter-America church business meetings Miami, Florida/USA | 21.05.2009 | International Two weeks after Seventh-day Adventist leaders at the Inter-American Division (IAD) headquarters in Miami (Florida/USA) cancelled its mid-year executive committee meetings due to the health concerns of the Influenza A (H1N1), church business meetings have taken another form: video conferencing. Top church officials video conferenced with 16 of the 17 major church regions administrators to discuss growth, finances, soul-winning, conditions of the church and other pressing issues during a one-h
Church president calls Chinese Adventist faith Wuxi/People's Republic of China | 20.05.2009 | International A rendition of a popular Adventist hymn by a 45-member choir of the Wuxi Seventh-day Adventist Church, "Lift up the Trumpet," welcomed Pastor Jan Paulsen on his first official visit to the People's Republic of China as the world president of the Adventist world church. "I am often asked, 'How are our brothers and sisters in China?' Now, I will be able to say -- they are well and vibrant," Paulsen told the congregation of several hundred gathered in a 108-year-old city-center Protestant church
Adventist president's visit to China first by a top church leader in decades <br> Hub congregations support nearly 40,000 Adventists Shenyang/China | 20.05.2009 | International Two Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the Northeast Chinese city of Shenyang illustrate the dynamics of the church in China, where local churches often serve as both ministry and administrative hubs for smaller congregations. The Beiguan Church, with nearly 3,000 members, worships in a building situated in a modern neighbourhood and is often visited by sightseeing tours. Four miles away, the Beishi congregation shares an aging, overcrowded structure with another Protestant church amid a
Nighttime Hurricane Force Winds Topple Buildings and Trees On Pitcairn Island Adamstown/Pitcairn Island, South Pacific Ocean | 11.05.2009 | International Pitcairn Island is today, May 12, struggling to recover from night-time hurricane-force winds on Friday, May 8, which sent small buildings flying off their foundations, broke windows, damaged all the island’s banana groves, and plucked hundreds of oranges from fruit trees. "It was quite a whopper," said Pitcairner Kari Young. "It was the dreaded Headache wind, that is from the direction of Headache (a named geographical spot on the island) in Tedside (a section of land on the island’s northwe
Adventist Church cancels mid-year meetings for Inter-America region Miami, Florida/USA | 06.05.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist Executive Committee leaders for the Inter-American region, headquartered in Miami, Florida (USA), have cancelled mid-year business meetings scheduled for this month due to the spread of the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu. Four countries in the Inter-America region have confirmed cases of the virus, according to the World Health Organization. Mexico's four major church regions cancelled services last week and through the weekend. Adventist schools and universities
Understanding Islam conferences to amp Adventist interfaith outreach - <br> Areas of cooperation include mutual effort against alcohol, other drugs Washington D.C./USA | 05.05.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders say two conferences exploring areas of common understanding between Adventists and Muslims will bolster the church's interfaith outreach. Earlier this month, dozens of international church officials met in Grenada, Spain, to help erode misperceptions of Islam among Adventists and learn how focusing on mutual beliefs -- such as God, creation and healthy living -- can help members of both faiths build meaningful relationships. "We're living in a world w
Adventist Church Manila/Philippine | 29.04.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist world church leaders recognized spiritual maturity and financial stability last month when they voted a change of administrative status for the North Philippine region of the church. As a 'union conference,' the region is fully self-sufficient and responsible for electing its three main administrative officers: president, secretary and treasurer. Under their former 'union mission' status, the North Philippines received appropriation for operation from the Southern Asia-
Pitcairn Islanders, Whose Ancestors Once Hid Away From the World Now Say 'Come Visit Us.' Adamstown/Pitcairn Island, South Pacific | 26.04.2009 | International On the eve of the 220th anniversary of the famed mutiny at sea that led to its becoming a hiding place from the world, tiny Pitcairn is now inviting the world to its shores. On April 28, 1789, sailors aboard the British naval vessel H.M.S. Bounty, revolted against their captain while the ship was sailing among the Tongan islands. To escape punishment, a number of them fled to remote Pitcairn island. It was nearly two decades later before the world knew the mutineers had settled on the then un
Student riot closes Adventist school in Uganda <br> Lack of national standards, administration negligence cited; 37 students expelled, 17 students injured Kampala/Uganda | 14.04.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist-run Katikamu Secondary School in Uganda has expelled 37 students and closed late last month after students rioted, destroying property, looting the cafeteria and pelting Police officers. The rioting, which began March 22 and lasted for two days, came after rumors spread that the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) had shut down the school's examinations board when administrators failed to comply with the national standards. At least 17 students sought medical
Adventist Church reaffirm mission focus; saving relationships with Christ <br> 'Roadmap to Mission' document Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.04.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist world church leaders affirmed last week that evangelistic and outreach efforts among adherents of world religions are to bring people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and not to simply enhance their current spiritual experience. The world church's Executive Committee tentatively approved a statement concerning church working policy during the 2009 Spring Meeting, one of two yearly business meetings held by the church. "God is constantly engaged in saving whomever H
Adventist Church finance report highlights giving patterns, economy Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 07.04.2009 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders from around the world gathered to discuss financial adjustments, outreach strategies and other organizational issues during the 2009 Spring Meeting, April 5 and 6. About 200 delegates and other attendants continued to monitor the economy as it relates to tithing patterns and how the world headquarters reacts to the current economic situation. In a report to the world church's Executive Committee presented April 5, finance officers revealed savings from
British Adventist Headquarters Coming Back from Flames <br> <br> Repair work continues; to be complete by 2010 <br> Watford, Hertsfordshire/UK | 27.03.2009 | International Less than six months after a devastating fire in Watford to the headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland on November 16, 2008, the first stage of restoration is almost complete, officials report. Builders have been hard at work restoring the 'new wing' of the building that houses the Adventist Discovery Center, the Adventist Book Center and the Media Center. Work involved repairing or replacing water and smoke damaged walls and ceilings, rewiring parts of
Three Adventist families were killed in US plane crash Butte, Montana/USA | 24.03.2009 | International Three Seventh-day Adventist families are among the 14 victims killed in a March 22 airplane crash in Butte, Montana (USA). All three families were members or regular attendees at congregations in Northern California; the three husbands were longtime friends who attended both church-owned Pacific Union College and Loma Linda University. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it could be months before a cause is determined. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administratio
In Guatemala, Adventists mourn murdered pastor Guatemala City, Guatemala | 08.03.2009 | International Guatemalan Seventh-day Adventists are mourning the loss of a minister after he was gunned down in Guatemala's southern region February 26. Erick Cerritos (33), a native of Guatemala, was travelling in his car with his family when he was intercepted by another car and shot several times. Cerritos, who had spent more than a decade serving as a minister in the neighbouring country of Honduras, is the latest victim in a string of escalating violence the church in Guatemala has experienced.
Philippines: First Adventist woman earns theology doctorate Silang, Cavite/Philippines | 08.03.2009 | International A former engineer has become the first Seventh-day Adventist woman in the Philippines to earn a doctorate of theology. Jadaza M. Hintay (45), known to many as "Sister Jade," received her diploma during graduation exercises on March 1 from the Adventist International Institute of Advance Studies (AIIAS), in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. The graduate school is one of a handful of institutions directly affiliated with the Adventist church's world headquarters, located near Washington, D.C. in the
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,
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
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
Active faith at core of Adventist Church president's Christmas holiday address Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 16.12.2008 | International God's creative and restorative power is a "compelling" motive for Christians to impact their communities, Seventh-day Adventist world church president Jan Paulsen said during a Christmas holiday address recently recorded for the global Protestant denomination's nearly 16-million members. Drawing from a Biblical picture of renewal in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, Paulsen said God's power is not limited to the promised "new Earth," but "begins now -- even in incomplete and feeble ways."
New Adventist Church in Kiev cements Christian presence, leaders say Kiev/Ukraine | 05.12.2008 | International A new Seventh-day Adventist church in Ukraine's capital city Kiev has provided more than just a new place to worship. After decades of struggling with limited religious freedoms, Adventists say last month's opening of the Podol Adventist Church in Kiev marks their place in the Orthodox country. For years, government officials wouldn't allow Adventists to build a permanent structure within city limits, church leaders said. But a proposed church that blended into the area with similar architect
Adventist Church elects new leadership for Euro-Africa, West-Central Africa, Southern Asia Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 28.11.2008 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church's Executive Committee elected November 25 four new church officers to ensure a smooth leadership transition when several current leaders retire at the end of the year. Church officials voted current Ministerial Association director for Euro-Africa, Pastor Bruno Vertallier, to serve as president for that region, replacing Ulrich W. Frikart. In August Frikart announced his early retirement on December 31 to eliminate the need to replace two major regional churc
Four Adventist college students die in car accident Angwin, California/USA | 18.11.2008 | International Pacific Union College community gathers to offer prayers, support [img id=1381 align=left]Four Pacific Union College (PUC) students died in a car accident late Saturday night, November 15, after their vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic. The Napa County Sheriff's Department identified the victims as Boaz Pak, 20, Luke Nishikawa, 22, Simon Son, 19, and Chong Shin, 20. The four men were riding in a car along a mountain road when they collided with an oncoming vehicle at an intersection, po
British Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Destroyed By Fire. Watford, Hertordshire/UK | 17.11.2008 | International On Sunday 16 November a major fire at the Headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the United Kingdom and Ireland has left the building devastated. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene at approximately 2.10 pm and ten fire tenders battled the blaze throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Much of the main part of the building is destroyed. There were no casualties or injuries. Fire crews are expected to continue dealing with the blaze into the
Slovenia: Adventist Church Marks 100th Anniversary Maribor/Slovenia | 17.10.2008 | International Hundreds of Seventh-day Adventists in Slovenia gathered in their country's second largest city, Maribor, last month to mark 100 years of Adventism in the southern Central European country. Celebrations began in January with an exhibition at the City Museum in the country's capital, Ljubljana, presenting the church's beliefs and history, according to Zmago Godina, president of the Slovenian Conference of the Christian Adventist Church. Slovenian Adventists also offered concerts, panel discuss
Adventist Church budget adjusts for tough financial times Manila/Philippines | 15.10.2008 | International World headquarters eyes hiring freeze, pledges prudence The financial situation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is under pressure from the turbulence rocking world financial markets, church financial officials report, but world church leaders are taking what they call prudent steps to manage during the crisis. On October 13, the Annual Council of the Seventh-day Adventist world church voted to accept a 2009 budget based on 2007's income levels, along with a resolution allowing the worl
Seeking efficiency, Adventist Annual Council votes administrative changes Manila/Philippines | 14.10.2008 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church have voted during Annual Council in Manila (Philippines) to ask the next General Conference session in 2010 for broad authority to change church departmental structures and hiring, as they pursue greater efficiency than the current process, leaders say. "It is important for the church to be able to move with flexibility and dexterity," Adventist Church president Jan Paulsen said after the ballot. The decision, he said, "is a signal of the fact
Four new Adventist church leaders appointed Manila/Philippines | 14.10.2008 | International Rathinaraj to lead Southern Asia, Bussey elected U.S. Congress liaison; two new associate secretaries The Seventh-day Adventist Church's Executive Committee elected four new church officers and leaders on October 12 at the first full-day business session of its Annual Council, meeting this year in Manila. The committee voted new leaders for Southern Asia, North America, the world church headquarters and a legislative liaison for the United States Congress. John Rathinaraj, secretary of
Adventist Church president emphasizes Manila/Philippines | 12.10.2008 | International 'Mission of Hope' theme expected to steer policy decisions, elections The Seventh-day Adventist Church's "message of hope" and commitment to scripture marked the opening of the protestant denomination's fall business session, Annual Council, at the International Convention Center (PICC) in Manila, October 10. Seventh-day Adventist Church President Jan Paulsen greeted more than 300 meeting delegates and hundreds of church member guests from Manila during a live broadcast from the Philippin
Adventist Church in Australia urges members to "go green" Canberra/Australia | 10.10.2008 | International In response to Professor Ross Garnaut's report on how Australia can take up the fight against climate change, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific is reminding church members of their obligation to care for the environment and the simple steps they can take to achieve it. Delivering his 652-page study on the cost of climate change to the Governments of the eight States and Territories of Australia, Professor Garnaut said the effort required by Australians to get a global clim
India: Aftermath of religious clashes leaves scars on Orissa Orissa/India | 30.09.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in India have reported at least 27 Adventist Christians dead from anti-Christian brutality that developed in the eastern India region of Orissa since late August. Church leaders said there are still violent outbreaks in the area despite India's Central Reserve Police forces patrolling the state. Choudampalli John, president of the Adventist Church in east India, reported that he was not allowed to enter the areas where extremist violence occurred. John al
Cyprus: Adventist 'Meeting Point' in Limassol to provide spiritual, public services Limassol/Cyprus | 23.09.2008 | International Adventist ministry center 'hub of belonging' for island's locals, tourists, church leader says Seventh-day Adventists in the south coast town of Limassol, the island's largest seaside resort, have converted a former seafront taxi office into a ministry center. "Our purpose is to meet the needs of the surrounding people, many of whom are immigrants and tourists," David J. Cox, church president for Cyprus, said of Meeting Point, which opened this month. "We want it to be a hub of belonging
Romania: First Congress of Adventist Roma builds community Bucharest/Romania | 18.09.2008 | International Meetings address issues, challenges of nomadic group Hundreds of participants gathered for the first Seventh-day Adventist National Roma Congress in Romania, a meeting that organizers hoped would create a sense of unity in the scattered ethnic group and foster understanding between Roma and non-Roma Adventists. The congress, which ran August 29 to 31, reached out to the 3,000 to 4,000 Adventist Roma in Europe. The Roma, commonly referred to as gypsies, face ingrained prejudice from non-Ro
Puerto Rico: Adventists march in campaign against domestic violence San Juan/Puerto Rico | 12.09.2008 | International Senator Orlando Parga told hundreds of Seventh-day Adventists gathered outside their country's capitol building August 30 that their prayers and example could help Puerto Rico overcome a steady rise in violence against women, children and the elderly over the past decade. "It is an honour to welcome you to the capitol," Parga, vice president of the nation's senate, told the more than 500 marchers. "Puerto Rico needs much prayer and spiritual strength." [img id=1335 align=left]Community a
Kenya: Visit from Adventist president bolsters unity Nairobi/Kenya | 29.08.2008 | International Be 'ambassadors of peace,' Paulsen says; Christianity a 'higher identity, new humanity' Seventh-day Adventist world church president Jan Paulsen called for forgiveness and reconciliation during his first visit to Kenya since violence fueled by contested presidential elections erupted there in January. Acknowledging the ethnically driven conflict, Paulsen said while the church cannot change the inevitability of war, it can change its response. Faith in God transcends ethnic loyalties, a me
Dead Sea Scrolls going online Jerusalem/Israel, | 29.08.2008 | International Israel Israel Antiquities Authority, the custodian of the Dead Sea Scrolls that shed light on the life of Jews and early Christians at the time of Jesus, said it would take more than two years to complete the project to make the ancient documents available online. Using powerful cameras and lights that emit no damaging heat or ultraviolet beams, scientists in Israel have been able to decipher sections and letters in the scrolls invisible to the naked eye. The scrolls, most of them on parc
India: Saffron Mob burns Adventist pastor Berhampur, Orissa/India | 28.08.2008 | International Violence leaves14 dead, sends Christians fleeing for their lives Hindu extremists are being blamed for the death of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor in the East Indian State of Orissa, late last week, local church leaders reported. The pastor of the Phulwani Adventist Church, M. Samuel Nayak, and his mother were burned to death during anti-Christian violence sweeping the region of India, said Gordon Christo, communication director for the Adventist Church in Southern Asia. Nayak's family
Adventist Euro-Africa president to retire December 2008 Berne/Switzerland | 19.08.2008 | International The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Euro-Africa Division, pastor Ulrich Frikart, announced his retirement August 12. Frikart will officially leave office at the end of December 2008. The Swiss theologian Frikart became president of the region in 1995. He previously served as secretary of that Church division, with headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. During his presidency, Frikart promoted outreach to postmoderns and young people and updated church communication methods in an e
Adventist West-Central Africa president announces retirement Abidjan/Cote d'Ivoire, | 19.08.2008 | International Daniel to leave office at end of year Luka T. Daniel, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's West-Central Africa Division, announced his retirement August 15. Daniel will officially leave office at the end of December 2008. Daniel became president of the region in 2003. He previously served as president of what is now the church's Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. Daniel, 65, said the decision was based upon reaching retirement age and his recent health issues. "Our th
First Adventist woman commissioned to serve as U.S. Navy chaplain Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 11.08.2008 | International Townsend calls military 'mission field' [img id=1301 align=right]Adrienne Townsend accepted the oath of office and was officially sworn in July 24 as the first Seventh-day Adventist woman to serve as an active duty chaplain in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Junior Grade Townsend said her four years as associate dean of women at Adventist-owned Andrews University prepared her for chaplaincy and called her new post a "huge mission field" where she could minister to similarly aged young
Adventist Church in New Zealand pumps churches up for prayer Auckland/New Zealand | 18.07.2008 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Zealand has called for church members to unite in prayer as part of worship services on August 2, in response to the rising costs of fuel prices, mortgages and rent in the country. “New Zealanders, and many people around the world, are facing one of the toughest time in history,” says president of the Adventist Church in the New Zealand Pacific region, Pastor Jerry Matthews. “The rising cost of fuel has had a snowball effect on costs of living everywhe
Adventist Church president continues urging women and youth issues Jacarei, SP/Brazil | 03.07.2008 | International The President of the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Jan Paulsen, brought the latest episode of his live, televised dialogues with pastors to South America yesterday, encouraging local churches to include women and young members in leadership. Paulsen spoke through a translator during two separate episodes with seven pastors from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in "Pastors: In Conversation." The third and fourth unscripted telecasts were broadcast internationally on
Papua New Guinea Tribesmen Confess to Killing Adventist Missionary Port Moresby/Papua New Guinea | 20.06.2008 | International Relatives of one of the pioneering Seventh-day Adventists missionary to Papua New Guinea (PNG) were presented with a confession and apology by members of a tribe that murdered him 110 years ago. Fijian missionary, Peni Tavodi accompanied by Pastor Septimus and wife, Edith Carr from Australia arrived in PNG on June 13, 1908. In an emotional ceremony held, the descendants of the Taburi clan in the Koiari district that first received the Adventist gospel in 1908, expressed remorse over the
Life and work of Salvationist 'Major Bosshardt' recognised in Dutch commemorative stamp set Utrecht/The Netherlands | 15.06.2008 | International A set of nine postage stamps has been produced in The Netherlands to celebrate the life of the country's most famous Salvationist – and one of its best-loved citizens – Lieut-Colonel Alida M. Bosshardt OF. Ms. Bosshardt joined the Salvation Army in 1934 and was instructed to work with women in the city's Red Light District shortly after the end of World War II. The colonel died in June 2007 - 94 years old - after a lifetime serving the poor and needy. She spent more than 50 years working fo
First Adventist Business Meeting in North Korea since more than 50 years Kumgangsan/North Korea | 04.06.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in Northern Asia held their mid-year Executive Committee meeting in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea last month, the first such meeting there since the country closed its borders in 1953. Meeting for one day in the city of Kumgangsan, church officers established Chinese theology education and examined implementation of the world church's extraordinary tithe for this region of the world. "We have no organized work in North Korea, so to hav
U.S. State of Maryland: Adventists urged to vote against slot machines gambling Baltimore, Maryland/USA | 22.05.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church members should join concerned Maryland residents by voting against a referendum on their November ballot to legalize 15,000 slot machines across the state, church officials agreed in a leadership meeting this week. In a May 22 editorial in the Adventist Review, associate editor Roy Adams urged Maryland Adventists to join him in galvanizing concerned citizens against the "critical" referendum, which, if passed, would amend the state's constitution. He suggeste
Myanmar Baptists suffer heavy toll Yangon/Washington D.C., | 22.05.2008 | International Baptist Christians in Myanmar were among those hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis, which struck the country on May 2 and 3, packing winds of 200 kilometers per hour and causing widespread flooding. The Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) lost more than 10,000 members who died as a result of the cyclone. More than 94,000 other members have suffered loss of home and other property. Many church buildings were destroyed, and the headquarters of the MBC was badly damaged. The estimated cost of repairing
Chinese Adventist Church leaders call for prayer, help after earthquake Hong Kong/SAR | 15.05.2008 | International Eight Adventist churches levelled; Sabbath worship still on Despite some congregations losing their churches in a May 12 earthquake, some Seventh-day Adventists in China are still planning to meet for worship this Sabbath, church leaders said. Adventist leaders are also calling for prayer after the 7.9 earthquake in Central China killed thousands, destroyed buildings and left many people buried. Several Adventist Church members have died and several are buried, said David Ng, a ministri
Adventist Missionary family among survivors of Congo plane crash Goma/Democratic Republic of the Congo | 22.04.2008 | International A Seventh-day Adventist missionary family survived a plane crash April 15, emerging from the wreckage just moments before it exploded. the 79 passengers aboard the plane survived, but Airline officials put the confirmed death toll so far at 21, and said he believed all were killed on the ground in the Birere market district struck by the airliner when it failed to lift off. Barry and Marybeth Mosier of Dodge Center, Minnesota (USA), and two of their young children were aboard a DC-9 passenger
Adventist Missionary family among survivors of Congo plane crash Goma/Democratic Republic of the Congo | 18.04.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventist missionary family survived a plane crash April 15, emerging from the wreckage just moments before it exploded. the majority of the 79 passengers aboard the plane survived, but Airline officials put the confirmed death toll so far at 21, and said he believed all were killed on the ground in the Birere market district struck by the airliner when it failed to lift off Barry and Marybeth Mosier of Dodge Center, Minnesota (USA), and two of their young children were aboard a D
Cuba: Adventist Church allowed to use sports facilities; hundreds are baptized Santiago/Cuba | 17.04.2008 | International For the first time in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cuba, the Polivalento Stadium in Santiago was the venue for an evangelism crusade presented by Mark Finley, re-knowned evangelist, television speaker and vice president of the Adventist World Church. The series drew more than 2,500 people each night. At the crusade's conclusion the Adventist church was given permission to use the city's olympic size pool in Santiago to hold a baptismal ceremony, where 235 people were ba
Adventists join world faith, aid agency leaders against poverty Washington, D.C., /USA | 16.04.2008 | International US$1 billion in funds to empower women, girls committed; 'When you educate a girl, you educate a nation' Linking poverty to economically fettered women, world faith, aid agency and government representatives said April 13 that it's no coincidence an estimated 70 percent of the 1.2 billion people who subsist on just US$1 a day are women and girls. Reversing such troubling statistics is a "moral imperative," leaders agreed at the Women, Faith and Development Summit to End Global Poverty, a
Prominent Fijian and head of public institution passes away Tamavua/Fiji | 15.04.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventists on Fiji Islands are mourning the death of a prominent Adventist and head of a public institution who passed away last week in Fiji. Semi Tabakanalagi, 46, was the general manager of the Native Land Trust Board (NLTB). Native land, managed by NLTB, an independent body outside the control of government, comprises 87% of all the land in Fiji and was permanently deeded by the British Crown in the 1880’s. And at the time of his death, he was helping to find a resolution
Zambia: Adventist Church leader dies of sudden illness Lusaka, Lusaka Province/Zambia | 09.04.2008 | International Seventh-day Adventists in Zambia are mourning the death of their country's church leader who passed away unexpectedly last week. Cornelius M. Matandiko, 48, who had served as the Adventist Church's executive director in the southern African nation since 2004, died after a short illness April 2 in Lusaka, a church spokesman said. Matandiko was also chancellor of Zambia Adventist University, a television evangelist for Voice of Prophecy and a member of the National Constitutional Conference
Muslims now outnumber Catholics Rome/Italy | 31.03.2008 | International For the first time in history Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion. According to the Vatican statistical bureau the number of the world's population that are Muslims is 19.2%, with the number of Catholics trailing behind at 17.4 %. When considering all Christians and not just Roman Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population. The most recent figures from the Vatican have been published by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano on March 3
Salvation Army and Adventist Church Complete Conversations London/UK | 30.03.2008 | International Representatives of the Salvation Army and the Seventh-day Adventist church met February 25-27, 2008, at Adventist world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland for conversations concerning theology and possible areas of cooperation. The meeting completed a process that began in 2004, when the Adventists hosted Salvationists at the General Conference office. A second round of conversations took place in 2005, at The Salvation Army conference center in Jackson's Point, Ontario, Canada. Contacts
Number of Adventist pastors in Mongolia up 50 percent Ulaanbaatar/Mongolia | 05.03.2008 | International The number of ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastors in Mongolia rose from four to six with the February 23 ordination of two Korean pastors. Park NoYoung and Park SangBum were ordained to ministry in a dedication service at the Ulaanbaatar Central Church. The two pastors are serving in Mongolia as part of the church's Global Mission initiative and supported by the Pioneer Mission Movement (PMM) program in Northern Asia. The PMM program places Adventist pastors, mostly from Korea, as mission
First Adventist leadership development conference trains future church leaders Rogaska Slatina/Slovenia | 19.02.2008 | International Quality leadership will strengthen world church, vice president says Responding to the urging of church leaders around the world, the Seventh-day Adventist world church held its first leadership development conference in Slovenia from February 11 to 12. "Our church leaders see leadership development as one of the major issues that [our churches] will face in the immediate future," said Michael L. Ryan, facilitator for the meeting and a vice president for the world church. "Providing more
Sabbath observance rooted in Africa, says Adventist historian Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 15.02.2008 | International Black History celebration at Adventist university highlights Christian history in Africa A study of Black history reveals that Christianity in Africa might more closely reflect an Adventist view of the seventh-day Sabbath than previously thought, according to one Adventist historian. Bertram Melbourne, an Adventist pastor and Interim Dean of U.S. based Howard University School of Divinity(Washington D.C.) said the Basotho tribe of 15th century southern Africa worshipped a God called Molimo
Cameroon: Adventist students escape bus crash unharmed Yaoundé/Cameroon | 08.02.2008 | International Careless driver caused accident, students say Forty students at the Seventh-day Adventist College of Yaoundé, Cameroon escaped unharmed from a bus crash on February 6. The students, ages 10 to 15, were heading to the zoo as part of a series of youth week activities. According to the students the accident was caused by the driver's carelessness. They said he scolded them when they started singing "Unto Jesus I Surrender" and asked them to stop. When they would not, he put on loud, secular
Adventist Church president a guest on international television network show New York, N.Y./USA | 07.02.2008 | International Paulsen discusses church's history, growth on Bloomberg's Night Talk [img id=1148 align=right]Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, is scheduled to appear as a guest on the February 11 edition of Night Talk with Mike Schneider, a one-hour program airing on Bloomberg TV. This is the first time the church's president has granted an interview with a major international television network. "We've never, as a church, had the opportunity to present our face to the
Chad: Adventist leader urges peace, calls for prayers amid rebellion N'Djamena/Chad | 07.02.2008 | International 50,000 flee country; some seek refuge in churches A Seventh-day Adventist Church leader in North Cameroon called for peace and stability during an interview with state-run Cameroon Radio Television February 2 following a bloody rebel assault of the Chadian capital of N'djamena. Allah-Ridy Kone, president of the church for the region, also requested prayers and support from the international Adventist community for his native country. Weekend violence spurred at least 50,000 Chadians t
Adventist financial officers to review church's appropriations Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 05.02.2008 | International For decades, history dictated how the Seventh-day Adventist Church's world headquarters divvies up funds among its now 13 world regions, or divisions. But for the five church officials on the newly created Appropriations Review Committee (ARC), "because that's how we've always done it" is no longer an adequate explanation. Beyond the "minor adjustments" that accompanied shifts in division boundaries over the years, the group estimates that Adventist church leaders last comprehensively review
Kenya: Adventist University re-opens after post-election violence forced evacuation Eldoret/Kenia | 17.01.2008 | International Some faculty, students and staff are returning to the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton after post-election violence in Kenya forced a January 6 evacuation of some 280 people from the campus. The school reopened Monday January 14 with classes started January 16. The school's vice-chancellor, Nathaniel Walemba, said he is expecting some 1,600 students out of the full 2,300-student body to return this quarter. Some of the lecturers have not yet returned from the church's regional headquart
Live communion service to link Adventists across North America Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.12.2007 | International Pastor Don Schneider, president of the Adventist Church in North America, will lead the first live televised communion service for the church Seventh-day Adventists will unite in sharing the sacred act of communion through a live televised program that will transcend the boundaries of church buildings and join hundreds of thousands of church members across North America. Pastor Don Schneider, president of the Adventist Church in North America, will lead the December 28 service "From the Heart
Adventist world church president Paulsen: "Christ is 'true hope' of the holidays" Silver Spring, Maryland/U.S.A., | 17.12.2007 | International With a strong focus on the hope that inherently comes from a relationship with God, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, recorded greetings for the season for the nearly 16 million church members worldwide. Acknowledging the past year's "fires, storms, earthquakes, and accidents," Paulsen reminded members that "true hope is anchored in something solid and secure -- in the sureness of Christ's victory over death, and in His pledge to return and 'make all things n
Partnership between Adventist Church and Mozambique Government to battle Illiteracy Maputo/Mozambique, | 03.12.2007 | International Under a new literacy education program, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mozambique is partnering with national leadership to address the country's abysmal illiteracy rates, including among new Adventists. An agreement signed November 20 by the church's Education director, Miguel Simoque, and Maria da Conceicao Bila, secretary for Mozambique's Ministry of Education, is an attempt to boost the nation's estimated 47 percent literacy rate. At the signing, Bila noted the Adventist Church'
Polish Adventists join other Protestants in denouncing posters attacking Luther Lublin/Poland | 08.11.2007 | International Protestant leaders in one of Poland's largest cities have condemned a poster campaign denouncing Martin Luther, the 16th century German Protestant leader, as a blasphemer and heretic, a November 7 news release by Ecumenical News International (ENI) reported. "What would happen if someone hung placards outside a Roman Catholic church attacking the 'blasphemy and heresy of John Paul II,' or the 'blasphemy of Muhammad' at a mosque?" said Mariusz Maikowski, a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist
Billy Graham's 89th Birthday Caps Year Of Transition Charlotte, North Carolina/USA | 06.11.2007 | International As evangelist William (Billy) F. Graham marks another birthday, turning 89 on November 7 (Wednesday), he expressed gratitude for his health, his family and the ongoing hope of being reunited with his wife Ruth in Heaven. Since the passing of his marriage and ministry partner of nearly 64 years on June 14 this year, Billy Graham said he has been surprised at the depth of his grief, but simultaneously encouraged by the commensurate magnitude of God's grace. "At times, I feel as if part of m
Urban population overtakes rural areas; Adventist Church focusing mission Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 06.11.2007 | International Populations in urban areas now outnumber those in rural areas, United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) officials said in an announcement earlier this year. But as Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders create strategic plans, leaders say the church's presence in urban areas remains minimal. "When you see the raw statistics it's frightening," says Gary Krause, director of the world church's Office of Adventist Mission. "We're just not touching the cities." But he notes that the Adventist Church h
Loma Linda University Centennial Complex: New Global Gateway Loma Linda, California/USA | 05.11.2007 | International By David James Heiss, Staff Writer [img id=1067 align=right]The US$78 million Centennial Complex at Loma Linda University promises to be a virtual global gateway. The four-story complex, started in January, is being built by McCarthy Construction Inc. of Newport Beach and was designed by Los Angeles-based Cannon and Associates. So far US$51 million has been raised, funded mostly through philanthropic efforts, according to university Chancellor Richard Hart. The Centennial Complex will
Jamaica: Government leaders commend Adventist church's integrity, community visibility Mandeville, Manchester Parish/Jamaica | 30.10.2007 | International Jamaican government leaders commended Seventh-day Adventists for their integrity and leadership role in the island nation during a recent visit to the country by the Adventist world church's President Jan Paulsen. Governor-General Sir Kenneth Octavius Hall thanked the church for its "committed public citizenship" in a meeting with Paulsen on October 26. "Adventists can be trusted," Hall said, adding that the church is in an ideal position to offer guidance and moral leadership to the cou
Adventist world church leader urges greater role for young people Mandeville/Jamaica | 30.10.2007 | International Seventh-day Adventist world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen gave a resounding endorsement of Adventist young people October 27 -- even offering a "yeah mon!" in Jamaican slang -- during "Let's Talk Caribbean", the 17th such program in a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between the Adventist church president and its under-30 crowd. "You don't have to be elected to an office to own the church. You don't have to be a local elder to own the church. The church is a place of mutual
Cayman Islands Christmas stamps with stained-glass windows series from major Churches George Town, Grand Cayman/Cayman Islands | 29.10.2007 | International Churches in the Cayman Islands boast some beautiful stained–glass windows, and the Cayman Islands Postal Service (CIPS) wants to share them with stamp collectors and remind residents of their beauty. The CIPS has therefore released six stamps and a First Day Cover in the Christmas 2007 – Stained–glass windows series. The stamps feature stained–glass windows at Wesleyan Holiness Church (25¢); Elmslie Memorial Church (50¢); St. George’s Anglican Church (75¢); East End Seventh–Day Adventist Chur
Jewish Philosopher Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Dies Basel/Switzerland | 22.10.2007 | International Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich, a Jewish religious philosopher who escaped the Nazis and became a European bridge-builder between Christians and Jews, has died at age 86. According to a family notice, Ehrlich died on October 22 at his home in Riehen, a suburb of Basel. The Berlin-born Ehrlich studied at Higher Institute for Jewish Studies, Rabbi Leo Baeck's rabbinical seminary, until the Nazis closed it in 1942. He was made to perform forced labour until he was able to find shelter with a Berlin coupl
Adventist Church approves 10-year mission initiative for Central Asia Washington D.C./USA | 17.10.2007 | International The Adventist Mission Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church recently approved a 10-year initiative for the 60 million indigenous people of Central Asia. The five countries of Central Asia--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan--represent a highly challenging area to Christian mission, Adventist church leaders said. In September, two Adventist pastors in Uzbekistan were sentenced by a court for "unduly organizing and holding worships." In 1999 an Adventis
Adventists with largest church growth rate since 2002 audit Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 15.10.2007 | International Every Seventh-day Adventist -- worshipping from Albania to Zimbabwe -- is now in the company of 15,433,470 likeminded members of the global Protestant denomination, Adventist world church secretary Matthew A. Bediako told some 300 Annual Council delegates gathered at world church headquarters October 14. More than 1 million of those members joined the Adventist Church between July 2006 and June 2007, making the year in review the fifth consecutive to net such a measurable response to the Gos
Adventist World Church president: Leaders share responsibility, trust Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.10.2007 | International More than 300 leaders hear President Jan Paulsen's Saturday sermon October 13 at the church's world headquarters near Washington, D.C. Paulsen addressed leaders as part of Annual Council, the world church's business meeting, which runs through October 17. Church leaders should focus on their own responsibilities and trust leaders in other areas of the world to do the same, the Seventh-day Adventist world church president told leaders of the global Protestant denomination. During worship,
Russia: Monument dedicated to Adventists killed during Stalin regime St. Petersburg/Russia | 10.10.2007 | International Seventh-day Adventists and community members in St. Petersburg, Russia, dedicated a monument on October 7 to Adventists killed during the Great Purge political repressions under Soviet Leader Josef Stalin in the 1930s. About 100 people, including a representative of the city's governor, gathered for the memorial at the Levashovsky Cemetery, according to Viktor Vitko, the Adventist Church's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the church's Euro-Asia Division based in Moscow.
Jamaikaner leitet Siebenten-Tags-Baptisten in Nordamerika Kingston/Jamaika | 01.10.2007 | International Der aus Jamaika stammende Pastor Andrew Samuels (45) ist neuer Präsident der Generalkonferenz der Siebenten-Tags-Baptisten in den USA und Kanada. Seine Grosseltern und Eltern gehörten bereits der Kirche an. Er ist mit der Grundschullehrerin Kay verheiratet und hat zwei Töchter. Samuels arbeitete zunächst im Aussenministerium und ab 1982 in der Ständigen Vertretung Jamaikas bei den Vereinten Nationen in New York. Dort studierte er berufsbegleitend Theologie. 1988 wurde er zum Pastor der Seventh-d
Pakistan Territorial Commander of Salvation Army Murdered Lahore/Pakistan | 30.09.2007 | International Colonel Bo Brekke (50), Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army's Pakistan Territory, was shot and killed on September 27 at the territorial headquarters compound in Lahore. The incident occurred shortly after the Norwegian born colonel had presided a meeting and returned alone in his office. Information to date points to an individual act of criminality. There is nothing to suggest that this is related in any way to terrorism. Lahore police reported that a man has been arrested on possib
E-tithing across North America expands Adventist church's donor base Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 05.09.2007 | International When the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kettering, Ohio (USA), decided to accept donations through the Internet, treasurer Ed Mann noticed contributions from people who hadn't usually given. The increase came mostly from college students away at school who maintained their membership back at their home church. "It wasn't a huge amount of money but they had an opportunity to give that they wouldn't have otherwise," Mann says. After the Adventist Church in North America launched the I
Peru earthquake damages Adventist churches, schools Lima/Peru | 23.08.2007 | International Seventh-day Adventists are struggling with recovery and grief while assisting survivors after a magnitude-8 earthquake struck off the coast of Peru 90 miles southeast of the capital, Lima, on August 15. The earthquake has killed more than 510 people and left more than 2.000 injured throughout the coastal region, according to reports issued by Peruvian Civil Defense authorities. Adventist Church officials in the region said three church members are among the dead and that the earthquake d
Fiji: New Indigenous Land Rights Might Relocate Adventist College Tailevu/Fiji | 29.07.2007 | International The future of a Seventh-day Adventist college in Fiji is uncertain after a court ruled this month that indigenous people can now deny the lease of their land. The Suva High Court confirmed that Fulton College in Tailevu -- about 50 kilometers northeast of Fiji's capital, Suva -- is built on an indigenous reserve. Native reserve land is set aside in Fiji for exclusive use by indigenous people and can only be leased by others if first de-reserved. The Adventist Church in Fiji has leased th
Serbia: Neo-Nazi Vandals Post Message on Adventist Church Belgrade/Serbia, | 16.07.2007 | International Seventh-day Adventist Church in Serbia was the target of vandalism July 10 in the posting of a message signed by a neo-Nazi group. A poster, which read "sects are the death of the Serbian nation" and signed by the "Nacionalni Stroj" movement, was posted on the wall of the Adventist Church in Belgrade. Several young men arrived on a motorcycle to post the message, said Miodrag Zivanovic, president of the Adventist Church in South-east Europe. The incident was caught on surveillance ta
Ukraine: Arson Causes Fire at Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kharkiv Kharkiv/Ukraine | 05.07.2007 | International A fire broke out in Community Number One (#1) Seventh-day Adventist Church in eastern Ukrainian Kharkiv during the night from June 21 to 22. The fire-fighters said arson was the cause. According to Local Adventist Pastor Petr Popelishko, there was a married couple who temporarily resided in a small semi-detached utility room to look after the church building. They were sleeping and woke up only when the roof in the mail building collapsed. The neighbours had already called the fire-fighters.
French, German Adventist Universities Partnership Offers Joint Degree with State Recognition Berne/Switzerland, | 19.06.2007 | International Members of Salève Adventist University (Campus Adventiste du Salève) and Friedensau Adventist University (Theologische Hochschule Friedensau) academic administrations signed a joint degree agreement offering a fully-accredited master's degree in theology, during a regular mid-year meeting of the Adventist Church's Euro-Africa region, held May 21-23 in Krattigen, Switzerland. Salève Adventist University in Collonges-sous-Salève, France, announced plans last month to adopt a German university m
Adventist Youth March in Central London London/UK, | 30.05.2007 | International The banging of drums and the sounds of some 700 marching Pathfinders and young people from Adventist churches around Southern England brought Central London to a standstill on Saturday, May 19. Spectators lined the streets and burst into spontaneous applause at the sight of the London Youth Federation's "Put It Down" anti-gun crime sign. Adventist youth flowed past Temple Place, Downing Street, Parliament Square and Big Ben on route to the majestic 2,300-seater Westminster Central Hall, for
Adventist Woman Nominated as U.S. Brigadier General Washington D.C./USA | 25.05.2007 | International The U.S. Department of Defense has announced, that President George W. Bush has nominated Colonel Loree K. Sutton (47), a Seventh-day Adventist, for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Colonel Sutton, a psychiatrist by training, is commander of Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort. Hood, Texas. She assumed command of the center in July 2005. "Colonel Sutton would be the first female Adventist to ever obtain that rank," said Gary Councell, associate director of Adventist Cha
Adventist Church Humanitarian Assistance Arrives in North Korea Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 28.04.2007 | International Following the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the government authorities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Pyongyang, in June, 2006, Pastor Jairyong Lee, president of the Northern Asia-Pacific region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (NSD), visited the country again in late March. He led a delegation of South Korean church leaders to discuss shipments of humanitarian supplies to the country. According to Pastor Lee, the first shipment took place on February
World Evangelical Alliance Responds to Turkey Murders New York, N.Y./USA, | 20.04.2007 | International Three workers at a Bible publishing house in Malatya, Turkey were killed on Wednesday, April 18, in the latest apparent attack on Turkey's minority Christian community. The three Christian men -- Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel of Turkey, and Tilman Ekkehart Geske of Germany -- were bound and had their throats slit in a Christian book publishing office. Several people have been detained for questioning regarding the killings. The murder has sent shockwaves across the Christian minority in Tu
Adventist Andrew’s University Student Arrested After Beating Professor Berrien Springs, MI/USA, | 18.04.2007 | International A student at Adventist-owned Andrews University threatened and assaulted Seminary professor Russell Burrill in his office at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on campus. There was no weapon involved. The 28-year-old student Romana Baciu from Romania also assaulted a police officer and medic personnel. The student is in police custody, and has been dismissed from the university. Rusell Burrill received medical attention, was released, and returned to the classroom in the afternoo
Adventist World Church President Responds to Virginia Tech Tragedy Washington D.C./USA | 18.04.2007 | International Commenting on the deadly mass shooting that claimed the lives of 33 students and teachers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia on April 16, Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, offered a message of compassion and solidarity to family members, friends and classmates of the victims in a statement released yesterday evening. "What words are sufficient in the face of a tragedy such as this?" said Pastor Paulsen. "Within momen
United Kingdom: New Research Report Finds Only Teddington, Middlesex/U.K | 05.04.2007 | International A research report on church attendance in the United Kingdom (UK) published on April 3 by the British Charity, Tearfund, makes somber reading for church leaders. It found only one in 10 people in the United Kingdom attend church on a weekly basis even though 53 percent of the British population identify themselves as Christian. This reflects a drop of 20 percent from a similar survey conducted just six years ago. The survey is based on a representative poll of 7,000 adults indicated that 26.
UN Expert Defends Importance of Combating Religious Intolerance Geneva/Switzerland, | 28.03.2007 | International The U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir In her report to the UN Human Rights Council, notes with concern that freedom of religion or belief is not a reality for many individuals throughout the world. She reiterated her concerns at a special meeting with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on March 28 at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva. Responding to a question from the U.N. representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jonathan Gallagher, she s
Adventist Statement on Islam to Provide Strovolos/Cyprus | 28.03.2007 | International On the initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Middle East (MEU), Adventist leaders in the church's Trans-European (TED) recently adopted an official Statement on Islam to help foster a more constructive relationship between Muslims and Christians. "As [the Adventist] movement continues to grow in the world," the statement begins, "we are looking for [a] good relationship with Islam, a faith with a similar sense of godly calling that is followed by one-fifth of the world's populati
Brazilian Police Arrest Man Who Raped and Strangled 20-month-old child in Adventist Church Joinville/Brazil, | 14.03.2007 | International The Brazilian police say they have solved a macabre crime involving a rapist and a one and a half year old girl, who after being raped was thrown in the baptismal font of a Seventh-day Adventist church in Joinville, a small town in the southern state of Santa Catarina. Gabrielli Cristina Eichholz, was violated and strangled on March 3, during the church's Saturday services. According to authorities, the murderer is Oscar Gonçalves do Rosário, a 22-year-old jobless mason who has confessed t
Iraq: Adventist College Graduate Killed Washington D.C./USA | 14.03.2007 | International U.S. Army Sergeant Jonathan D. Cadavero, 24, a medic and 2004 psychology graduate of Seventh-day Adventist-owned Columbia Union College (CUC) in Takoma Park, Maryland (USA), died soon after sustaining major head injuries improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Baghdad (Iraq) on February 27. Cadavero was on a Operation Iraqi Freedom mission when the explosion occurred. Also killed in the blast were Sergant Richard A. Soukenka, 30, and Corporal. Lorne E. Henry, Jr., 21. The men
Adventists Back Movement to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls New York, N.Y./USA | 09.03.2007 | International A delegation of five Seventh-day Adventists joined some 5,000 women at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York this week for the organization's 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The session, which began Feb. 26 and ends March 9, gives voice to the plight of millions of women and girls worldwide for whom abuse and basic human rights violation is a way of life. Reports from UN member states and experts indicated some 55 million girls do not attend formal school
Brazil: Local Adventist Church Leaders Denounce Crime that Occurred in the Joinville Church, Reiterate Commitment to Child Safety, Welfare Brasília, Brazil | 07.03.2007 | International Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil are grieving after a 20-month-old child was discovered strangled in the baptismal tank of an Adventist church in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil on March 3. Church leaders there have released a statement denouncing the heinous crime and reiterating the Adventist church's commitment to the safety and welfare of all children. "The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Santa Catarina comes before the public, in light of this unfortunate episode ... to state that the
Thailand chosen for 2008 World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly Washington D.C./USA | 01.03.2007 | International The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), based in Vancouver, Canada, announced today, that its next General Assembly will be held in Thailand, October 27-31, 2008. "The General Assembly of the World Evangelical Alliance meets every four years to endorse WEA programs and brings together representatives of various regional and national evangelical alliance and fellowships," reports Geoff Tunnicliffe, WEA International Director. These WEA programs are then carried out through the office of the Int
Brazil: Adventists Plan Outreach During Pan American Games Niterói, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil | 28.02.2007 | International "While athletes will be breaking sports records, Seventh-day Adventist university students ... are going to transform Rio de Janeiro into the capital of service and witness," says Pastor Otimar Gonçalves, youth ministries leader for the Adventist church in South America. He spoke to a work group planning public outreach during the July 13 to 29 Pan American Games (CO-RIO) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With delegations from 42 countries and 5,500 athletes competing for titles in 28 sports, the P
Adventist Representative Commends UN Initiative to Curb Violence against Women New York, N.Y.,/USA | 20.02.2007 | International Far more action is needed to curb the world-wide problem of violence directed against women, according to Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s representative to the United Nations. Attending a Communications workshop on "Addressing gender issues with the United Nations: Present and future" held in New York on February 15, Gallagher commended the ongoing UN initiative designed to develop practical methods to end gender-related violence and discrimination. The meeting was org
Mexico: Adventist Health Food Company Branch Manager Killed Navojoa, Sonora/Mexico | 16.02.2007 | International Local Mexican police authorities are investigating the February 15 shooting death of Joel Amilcar Hernandez, who served as general manager of the Seventh-day Adventist-owned Inter-American Health Food branch in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. Hernandez died near his home. He was 43 years old. "We are shocked and saddened by his death," said Joel Zukovski, director of the Inter-American Health Food Company, headquartered in Miami, Florida. "Our prayers go out to his family and the staff at Colpac...
Australian Adventists Declare National Day of Prayer for Drought Ringwood, Victoria/Australia | 01.02.2007 | International In light of the continuing drought and water crisis in many parts of Australia, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia has called for church members to pray for this situation as part of worship services on February 17. "Australia is experiencing drought conditions unparalleled since records have been kept in many areas of the country," says Pastor Chester Stanley, president of the Adventist Church in Australia. The statistics, figures and broken records keep coming. "I have had a n
U.S. President Bush Pleads For War Support In State Of The Union Address - Adventist as Official Record Keeper Washington D.C./USA | 24.01.2007 | International U.S. President George Bush says sending more troops to Iraq will make both Iraqis and Americans safer. White House Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA), Scott Stearns, reports: In his first State of the Union before a Congress led by political opponents, U.S. President George W. Bush congratulated Democrats now leading both the House and Senate, saying Congress has changed but its responsibilities have not. "We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty
Adventist World Church Holiday Message Calls for 'Acts of Mercy and Compassion' as Church Moves Into New Year Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 28.12.2006 | International Are we compassionate toward those who are vulnerable? [Do] we reach out to them and offer our constant support? Are we the peacemakers in society? Do we offer words and actions of mercy and compassion to the people we meet?" asked Seventh-day Adventist world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen, during his holiday message recorded for some 30 million Adventist Christians worldwide, including 15 million adult baptized church members. As the New Year approaches, Pastor Paulsen urged church memb
Tribute to an American Adventist Who Saved Lives During the Genocide in Rwanda Kigali/Rwanda | 10.12.2006 | International On the international human rights day on December 10th, African Rights pays a vibrant tribute to Carl Wilkens, an American who saved many lives during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Carl Wilkens was the director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Kigali. In 2003 already, African Rights, a human rights defence organization based in London which specializes in collecting testimonies about the genocide, had identified nineteen persons, Rwandans and foreigners alike, who
South Africa: Adventist World President Calls For an 'Accepting Church,' Lights Candle to Commemorate World AIDS Day Port Elizabeth/South Africa | 01.12.2006 | International On December 1, a day the world community recognized the challenge of HIV and AIDS, Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church reaffirmed the Adventist commitment "to an be active, and not a silent partner" in addressing what has become a curse for mankind. As he arrived in Port Elizabeth, Pastor Paulsen was met by hundreds of Adventist believers and recognized World AIDS Day by lighting a symbolic candle. Speaking at the airport, Pastor Paulsen said that HIV
Adventist Church Leaders Appeal for Peace in Tonga Nuku’alofa/Tonga | 29.11.2006 | International National Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tonga appealed to the public for peace on November 17, the day after riots broke out in the Kingdom of Tonga in the western South Pacific. "We heva been invited to address an appeal for peace to the puplic on the radio by the Prime Minister," says Pastor Sione Moala, General Secretary of the Adventist Church in Tonga. "After the recording at the radio station we went to the Premier's office for meetings with Premier Hon Dr. Feleti Sevele
Jamaica Adventist Church Celebrates 100 Years Mandeville, Manchester/Jamaica | 24.11.2006 | International Thousands of Seventh-day Adventist Christians from the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Islands, the Cayman Islands and other parts of the West Indies met in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica on the weekend of November 10 to celebrate 100 years of the church in that area. Beginning with a praise and thanksgiving vesper service on November 10 evening and culminating in an extensive recognition ceremony on November 11, the activities centered on othemes of thanksgiving to God, and building on the legacy
Chile: Adventist University Celebrates Centennial With Events, National Commemoration Chillán, Ñuble Province/Chile | 01.11.2006 | International Chilean Adventist University (Universidad Adventista de Chile, or UNACH), which began with nine students meeting on donated land, marked 100 years of service with celebrations and community events on October 20. Noting the milestone, Chile's postal corporation released three commemorative postage stamps featuring events from the university's history. The university was inaugurated on April 15, 1906, on lands donated by a Swiss immigrant, Carlos E. Krieghoff. The initial nine students were tr
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
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
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
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,"
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
United Kingdom: Lord Carey Urges End to Religious Violence Bracknell, Berkshire/UK | 21.09.2006 | International "We must deplore violence wherever it is found and especially deplore its association with religion," declared Lord Carey of Clifton, a former head of the Church of England, to an audience of 450 people at Adventist-owned Newbold College in the Berkshire suburbs of London on September 19. Lord Carey, who as 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury led the worldwide Anglican fellowship from 1991 to 2002, gave the 2006 Beach Lecture entitled "The Crescent and the Cross - The Clash of Faiths in an Age of
Adventist Pastors of Euro-Asia Region Meet In First-Ever Theological Pastoral Congress Zaokski, Tula Region, Russia | 20.09.2006 | International An estimated 1,500 Seventh-day Adventist pastors from all over the church's Euro-Asia region gathered for a four-day congress in Zaokski - about two hours outside of Moscow - where they were educated and challenged, church leaders say. It is believed to be the first time that such an event has been held for field pastors, many of whom are serving in remote locations across a region that spans 11 time zones. "This wasn't only fellowship, but we all gained a lot of insight," said Pastor Ted N.
Adventist World Church Representative Adds Voice to Global Concerns New York, N.Y./USA | 16.09.2006 | International Continuing concern for the deplorable living standards and threats of violence facing people in many parts of the world was expressed by Jonathan Gallagher, a Seventh-day Adventist representative from the world church's department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL), who joined over 2,500 other delegates from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the United Nations (UN) building in New York for the 59th Annual NGO Conference. Their mission? To draw up a better and more effectiv
Adventist Choir in the Philippines Ranks Among Best in World Manila/Philippines | 06.09.2006 | International The Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) is home to one of the world's best choirs. The official choir of the Seventh-day Adventist-owned institution, the Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassadors, recently won the 4th World Choir Games (formerly known as the Choir Olympics). The highly competitive event was held from July 15 to 26 in Xiamen, People's Republic of China. The AUP Ambassadors earned two gold medals--in the Mixed Chamber Choir and Gospel and Spirituals categories-
Adventist Andrews University advances in ratings Berien Springs, Michigan/USA | 06.09.2006 | International Adventist Andrews University has been ranked a third tier National University in the recently released U.S. News and World Report’s 2007 America’s Best Colleges special report. Andrews University, which moved up from a fourth tier placement in 2006, is the only Seventh-day Adventist educational institution to be considered a National University. A National University is one of “the 248 American universities (162 public, 86 private) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as
U.S. Adventist College Ranks Among Nation's Best Union, Nebraska/USA | 06.09.2006 | International For the first time, Union College, a Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher education located in Union, Nebraska, ranks in the top tier of schools for its category in U.S. News America's Best Colleges 2007. The issue lists Union College as 46th in the "Midwest Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's" category. "While no one ranking system can capture the spirit of this campus, we are honored to be recognized as a top pick among our peer institutions," said Union College president David Smith.
Christian Pathfinders from all over the world gathered in Denmark Stevninghus/Denmark | 02.08.2006 | International Nearly 3.000 Christian pathfinders came together for the Camporee 2006, organised by Trans-European region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in Stevninghus in the southern part of Denmark. The participants were from 26 countries, primarily from northern and eastern Europe, along with representatives from more distant nations such as Kuwait, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. The highlights of the Pathfinder Camporee included 18 young people giving their lives to the Lord in a very moving y
Beirut: Adventist University Prepared Campus Bomb Shelter Beirut, Lebanon | 24.07.2006 | International On July 21 we started cleaning the bomb shelter of the apartment building on Middle East University campus, anticipating that we may need it in the coming days," reports Pastor Levon Maksoudian, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the East Mediterranean Region, whose family resides in one of the apartments. The Middle East University is an Adventist institution situated on the summit of the Sabtieh Hill, overlooking Beirut city. It is a relatively considerable distance away from
Northern Israel: Refugees Sheltered In Adventist Churches Haifa/Israel, | 24.07.2006 | International "The situation in Northern Israel continues to be difficult," reports Richard Elofer, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel. "Many Adventist Christians and Jews celebrated the Sabbath on July 22nd in bomb shelters with frequent interruptions by blaring sirens and explosions of fired rockets." On July 21 one of these rockets fell down on Herzl Street, downtown Haifa, which is very close to three Adventist Churches: the Hebrew, Romanian and English speaking congregations. "We
European Adventist Leader Call For Peace in the Middle East St. Albans, United Kingdom | 21.07.2006 | International Joining earlier calls from regional Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in the Middle East region, Pastor Bertil Wiklander, president of the church's Trans-European region, said the current crisis must not endanger the hope for peace.[img id=780 align=right] "I share the alarm and sadness of our church members in Israel and Lebanon, many of whom have had to leave their homes and flee for their lives. We entrust them and all other people who mourn the loss of lives and struggle for their own
Middle East: Adventist Church Postpones Headquarters' Relocation To Beirut Nicosia/Cyprus | 18.07.2006 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Middle East (MEU) voted July 17 to postpone the much-anticipated September 2006 relocation of its headquarters offices to Beirut, Lebanon. An emergency meeting of the MEU executive committee was called at the present headquarters in Nicosia, Cyprus where the escalating consequences of the regional conflict were acknowledged. The situation will be reappraised at the church's year-end executive committee meetings in December to determine wheth
Adventist Theologians Affirm Role of Bible, Call for Theological Unity Ephesus, Izmir/Turkey | 18.07.2006 | International Theologians, scholars and administrators of the Seventh-day Adventist world church closed the organization's Second International Bible Conference in Ephesus, Izmir Province, Turkey, on July 15 with a call for theological unity. In a "consensus statement" passed by a show of hands among the nearly 250 in attendance, the group passed six affirmations and three "calls" addressed to various segments of the worldwide Adventist community. The affirmations centered on the importance of the Bible,
Israel: "Be Makers of Peace," Adventist Leader Urges Jerusalem/Israel | 16.07.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventists in Israel are encouraging peace in the midst of the recent escalation of violence in Israel, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. "We condemn the killing of innocent people in any area of our region," said Pastor Richard Elofer, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel. "We also condemn provocations, and reaffirm the right of every nation to live as independent states with secured borders and in peace with their neighbors." "We urge all people -- Israelis, Pa
Lebanon: Rocket Attacks Near Beirut Adventist School Beirut/Lebanon | 16.07.2006 | International Subsequent to the recent upsurge in regional violence the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Middle East is calling for restraint on all sides of the conflict and between various factions in Lebanon and Israel. Early on Thursday morning, July 13, rockets fired from Israeli warplanes took out all three runways of Beirut International Airport, the only international airport in Lebanon, as well as specific targets in Beirut, some close to the Mouseitbeh Adventist School which
Adventist World Church Secretary Gets Ghana National Honour Accra/Ghana | 05.07.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Matthew Ango Bediako, born in rural Ghana, has received on June 30 the "Order of the Volta" award from Ghana's president, John Agyekum Kufuor, as a memorable distincton. Bediako is Secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, with headquarters in Silver Spring/Maryland (USA). In the past Bediako received three honorary degrees and the leaders of Kenya, the Gambia and Malawi have given him awards for service. "When it comes from your own count
Adventist Missiologist Joins Edinburgh 2010 Planning Group College Place, Washington/USA | 28.06.2006 | International The upcoming centenary of the Edinburgh 1910 World Missionary Conference, the first worldwide missionary conference. representing most denominations, is proving to be a suggestive moment for many people who are seeking direction for Christian mission in the 21st century. Several different constituencies within world Christianity have begun to plan significant events in the centenary year. Since 2005 a number have been working collaboratively under the aegis of “Towards 2010”. This initiative see
Kenya: 30,000 Adventists Join in Thanksgiving for Rain Nairobi, Kenya | 20.06.2006 | International Nairobi's Uhuru (Freedom) Park resounded June 17 with prayers of thanksgiving for rain that recently ended a three-month drought in Kenya. The drought resulted in the deaths of numerous people and animals, and caused heavy crop losses. Pastor Geoffrey Mbwana, leader of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the region led a spiritual convocation that brought together some 30,000 believers to "give thanks to our God for hearing His children as they petitioned Him to end the suffering of so many.
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
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
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
South America: Largest Adventist Church Dedicated in Brazil Campinas, Brazil | 26.04.2006 | International What is recognized as the largest Seventh-day Adventist house of worship in South America was dedicated and officially opened on the campus of the São Paulo Adventist University, (UNASP) near the city of Campinas, Brazil. "In this part of the world we do not build large churches," commented Williams Costa Jr., communication director for the church in the region. "We are more inclined to have smaller congregations, and have more congregations at the same time. But this one is different. This
Brazil: Adventist Television Dramatically Expands Under New License São Paulo/Brazil | 24.04.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil are dramatically increasing their public outreach possibilities after acquiring a license to rebroadcast television programming through the so-called High and Low Power rebroadcast stations. A broadcasting agreement, called Geradora, was signed with the Brazilian government on April 20, and grants the church authority to retransmit TV programs throughout the country. In practical terms, the Geradora license will give the Adventist broadcasting company, SISTEM
Diversity, Growth and Youth on Agenda During Adventist World Church's Spring Meeting Loma Linda, California/USA | 23.04.2006 | International Approval for a second world youth conference, how to deal with rapid church growth in the world's most challenging areas, and leadership elections were discussed during the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Spring Meeting April 12 to 13. The meeting concluded at noon local time on April 13. The committee approved a proposal to convene a second World Conference on Youth and Community Service to be held July 14 to 26, 2008, in an area of the 10/40 Window -- an imaginary rectangular area covering
Fire Destroys Adventist Church Dormitory in Thailand Chiang Mai/Thailand, | 13.04.2006 | International On April 7 a fire destroyed half of a dormitory that houses up to 30 women in Chiang Mai, Thailand on April 7. The night of the fire there were six women in the dormitory as well as a three-year-old toddler. Thai schools are currently on summer holiday so the dormitory was not full. During the school year the dormitory can house up to 30 women. Wanpen Sanyang woke to discover that there was a fire burning in the building directly across from her second story window. Within minutes the fire j
Adventist Church Affirm Role of Ten Commandments Loma Linda, California/USA | 13.04.2006 | International Noting recent public interest in the Ten Commandments, the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted April 12 to affirm the Decalogue's importance in society. "The Seventh-day Adventist Church applauds interest in the role of the Ten Commandments in public life. The Decalogue, as given on Mount Sinai, is a reflection of God's character. It contains universal and unchanging principles of morality and describes our relationship to God and our fellow human beings," a statement voted by the Spring Meet
Adventist Church Spring Meeting Opens, Emphasis on Mission, Tithe, Offerings Increase Loma Linda, California/USA | 13.04.2006 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church's first Spring Meeting session opened April 12 with an emphasis on the church's mission activities, focusing on the Tell the World vision. During the world church session in 2005, delegates voted seven specific areas of emphasis for the current quinquennium: spiritual growth, community involvement, personal witness, city outreach, church planting, evangelistic programming and media ministry. "The challenge for us is to keep this vision before our people," sai
Adventist World Church Spring Meeting Set to Begin at Loma Linda Loma Linda, California | 12.04.2006 | International Financial trends and reports on church growth are on the planned agenda for the Seventh-day Adventist world church's executive Spring Meeting, held this year at Loma Linda University in California. The meetings, which will include elections for world church leadership positions including that of the editor of the church's official paper, the Adventist Review, and the reorganization of the church in Peru, are being held at the conclusion of centennial celebrations for Loma Linda University.
Adventist Scholars See 'Gospel of Judas' as Neither an Authentic Gospel Nor 'Good News' Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 12.04.2006 | International News Feature: The discovery of a 1,700-year-old copy of the "Gospel of Judas," an early Gnostic text purporting to contain a dialogue between Jesus of Nazareth and Judas Iscariot, is neither an authentic Gospel nor is it good news, scholars in the Seventh-day Adventist Church say. "It was heresy then and it's heresy now," was the blunt assessment of Dr. Gerhard Pfandl, an associate director of the church's Biblical Research Institute who counts Near Eastern Archaeology among his professio
Adventist Women's Ministries: Women Learn of Ways to Help Other Women Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 31.03.2006 | International It's a vicious circle. And many of the world's women are trapped in that cycle of illiteracy, overwork, abuse, ill health, lack of training and ultimately poverty. Some may view these huge, difficult problems as impossible to overcome and walk away, but Seventh-day Adventist women are finding significant ways for women to reach out to those in need. The Women's Ministries department at the church's world headquarters re-released six brochures on March 28 that spotlight and explain the six cr
Adventist Church in Iraq Has a New Leader Bagdad/Iraq | 30.03.2006 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iraq, beset by war and the loss of members who have emigrated to other nations, has a new president: Basim Fargo, formerly secretary-treasurer of the church there. He was elected by leaders of the church's Middle East region, who met with Iraqi Adventist leaders. During the meeting, according to Pastor Kjell Aune, regional church president, it was disclosed that adult baptised membership, formerly at 250, has probably dropped to around 100 Adventists in Iraq,
Adventist U.S. Army Colonel Broome Selected as New Pentagon Chaplain Washington D.C./USA | 25.03.2006 | International Adventist chaplain Colonel William B. Broome, United States Army, currently the installation chaplain of Fort Sill in Oklahoma, has been selected to serve as Pentagon chaplain in Washington, D.C., beginning in June 2006. He will succeed Colonel Ralph G. Benson, who is retiring. Broome is not new to the Washington area. In 2001, he served as assignment officer for the Office of the Chief of Chaplains at DACH-PER (Department of the Army, Chaplains, Personnel and Ecclesiastical Relations) at the
Conscientious objector who received U.S. Medal of Honour dies Calhoun, Georgia/USA, | 24.03.2006 | International Desmond T. Doss Sr., the only conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honour for non-combatant achievements in World War II, died March 23. He was 87. His death was announced by Seventh-day Adventist Church officials in Calhoun, not far from the northwest Georgia town of Rising Fawn where Doss lived for many years. Doss, who refused to carry a weapon during his wartime service as a medic, was the subject of a 2004 documentary, "The Conscientious Objector" and a previously published
World Church: Ministerial, Publishing, PARL Advisories Among Headquarters Meetings Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 22.03.2006 | International Representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's global ministerial, public affairs and religious liberty and publishing ministries held separate advisory sessions at the world church headquarters the week of March 13, sharing strategies and plans for the next five years. These sessions bring together departmental leaders from the Adventist church's 13 world regions for a time of fellowship, instruction and sharing. Strategies are considered and discussed, visions shared and accomplishm
Russia: Adventist Church Leader Discusses Religious Wars, Freedom, Church Growth Moscow/Russia | 17.03.2006 | International "Concerning human society, everything is possible," Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, told an interviewer for Russia's daily newspaper "Kommersant" during a February visit to Moscow during the 120th anniversary celebrations of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Russia. Asked if the possibility of "religious war" exists, Paulsen said, "There are so many unpredictable things in this world. If the religious driving forces become destructive, then some prob
Adventist Women Advocate Gender Equality at United Nations Adventist Women Advocate Gender Equality at United Nations | 12.03.2006 | International Seven Seventh-day Adventist women added their voices to thousands of other women in calling for drastic improvements in the lives of women worldwide at the United Nations' 50th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women. The Adventist delegation attended from February 27 to March 3 the meeting. The meeting ran until March 10. "The denial of women's rights touches every aspect of women's lives," explained Viola Hughes, the church's United Nations liaison specialist, who led the delegati
Baltic Region: Adventist Youth Director Brings Passion to Work, Church Life Riga/Latvia | 02.03.2006 | International The 21-year-old, blue-eyed, blonde from Latvia has a passion for working with youth: "I really breathe it. I just live with it and wake up with it and that's really what I love to do," Aira Arina quips. The young Arina has already served as the youth director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Baltic region, which includes Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, for nearly one year. She attends school full-time, studying economics and accounting. And, did we mention that she leads a youth/young a
Denmark: Adventists Aim for Bridge Building to Muslim Neighbours Naerum/Denmark | 01.03.2006 | International Responding to the global uproar over a series of controversial cartoons published in a Danish newspaper, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denmark is reaching out to build bridges of understanding with its Muslim neighbours. In their sermons pastors have taken up questions on freedom of speech and the relationship between Islam and Christianity. Members of the church have participated in the public debate on this issue by contributing letters and articles to the papers. The Danish Adventis
India: Largest Christian House of Worship to be Dedicated in Pune Pune/India | 28.02.2006 | International A new and spacious house of worship, considered as the largest Christian church in the city of Pune, is being completed on the campus of the Seventh-day Adventist college there. It seems that "we have talked about it for generations, but now we are about ready to open it," says Dr. Justus Devadas, president of Spicer Memorial College. "It will seat 2,000 worshippers and will be the largest such [church] structure in this city," he explained. Illusion, however, suggests the place feels smalle
Adventist Church Plans Live Satellite, Webcast Preaching Seminar for Christian Clergy Members Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 22.02.2006 | International Thousands of Christian clergy members from around the world -- from a variety of denominations -- are expected to unite in a global audience for "Here We Grow Again," a professional development seminar due March 21 from the Adventist Church's Ministerial Association. The broadcast will originate from the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland (U.S.A.) and will commence at 1 p.m. (1800 hrs GMT). Distinguished preachers will talk about the importance of spiritual growth ce
Adventist President Joins Russian Adventist Church in 120th Anniversary Celebrations Moscow/Russia | 21.02.2006 | International For many years we in the West were encouraged by the faith and courage of Russian Adventists," Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, told members and leaders during a Moscow visit to share in the celebrations of 120 years of Adventism in Russia. During the five-day trip, he also met with officials of the Russian Federation, including representatives of President Vladimir Putin. Heading the Russian Federation delegation was Michael Ostrovsky, the associate t
Russia: Adventist World Church President Greeted at Start of Anniversary Visit Moscow/Russia | 19.02.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventist world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen and his wife, Kari, received an enthusiastic welcome at Mocscow's Sheremetyevo airport on February 16. The Paulsen's are visiting in part to inaugurate celebrations of 120 years of the Adventist movement in Russia. Leaders of church's Euro-Asia region, including president Artur Stele, secretary Michael Kaminsky, and treasurer Bill Biaggi were among those who greeted the Paulsens. Among the anniversary celebrations will be a
Israel: Adventists and Jewish Scholars Meet in Friendship Conference Jerusalem, Israel | 10.02.2006 | International Seventh-day Adventists from 23 countries gathered February 6 for a six-day "Adventist Jewish Friendship Conference" aimed at building bridges between Adventists and Jews. In his opening address to the 140 delegates, Dr. Bertil Wiklander, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European region, noted several Adventist beliefs that suggest a close connection with Judaism and Jewish people. "We have the Sabbath in common and with it a high regard for God's law as an ethic
New Adventist Church Leader for Egypt Field Cairo/Egypt | 15.02.2006 | International Pastor Samir Berbawy has been elected as the new President of the Egypt Field of Seventh-Day Adventists. He succeeds Dr. Kjell Aune, who was called to be President of the Adventist Church Middle East Union in last November . Samir Berbawy is Egyptian by birth, and spent childhood years there and in Lebanon, before his family emigrated to the US. Samir was a teacher and school administrator for over 26 years in the Middle East and the U.S.A. He worked as local church elder and church educator, an
USA: Peace Conference Talks About Peacemaking in Adventism Riverside, California/USA | 14.02.2006 | International At the first formal conference of its kind to be held on a Seventh-day Adventist university campus, some 170 people gathered to talk about ways to increase peacemaking. The one-day conference, "Talking Peace, Making Peace: An Adventist Conversation," was held on the campus of La Sierra University, an Adventist institution, on January 28. "The purpose of the peace conference was to widen a local dialog on Adventism and peace/war, and identify individuals who were interested in pursuing the di
Cuba: New Adventist Church Dedication Planned in Pilon Havana/Cuba | 15.02.2006 | International Excitement is growing among Seventh-day Adventists in Pilon, Cuba, as their new house of worship is nearing completion for a March 25 dedication. Adventist pastor Israel Leito, president of the church's Inter-America region, is expected to preside at the ceremony. According to church sources in Havana, in addition to the dedication celebration, the weekend will also include a special event Friday March 24 at La Vibora Church in Havana, on the opposite side of the island from Pilon.
South Pacific Conference Explores Adventist Identity Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia | 10.02.2006 | International "We preach a message that is distinct, but if it is not relevant it will not be perceived as part of my personal identity, which means when I am faced with a crisis it won't help me," declared Dr. Paul Petersen, field secretary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church's South Pacific region and coordinator of a recent four-day Bible conference that examined the question of Adventist identity. Representatives from the South Pacific church region gathered at Avondale College in Cooranbong, New Sou
Adventist Church Formed Internet Ministry Coordinating Committee Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 08.02.2006 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted February 7 to establish a Coordinating Committee for Internet Ministries (CCIM), aimed at serving the Adventist world church and its regions. The committee, to be chaired by world church vice president Mark Finley, who heads the church's Centre for Global Evangelism, will focus on facilitating initiatives and services for global Internet evangelism and ministries, including allocation of funding as available, making recommendations to church
Israel: World Adventist Leaders Visit Knesset, Meet Parliamentarians Jerusalem/Israel, | 08.02.2006 | International Responding to an invitation from the Israeli Parliament's "Christian Allies Caucus," 12 leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, including general vice presidents Armando Miranda and Michael L. Ryan and Trans-European regional church president Bertil Wiklander, visited the Israeli Parliament, known as the Knesset. Pastor Richard Elofer, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel, was also part of the group. "We are here to look for a better future and how we can work t
Adventist World President Responds to Muslim Caricature Controversy Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 03.02.2006 | International Following an increase in global tension surrounding the publication - in newspapers in Denmark and other European countries - of cartoons that some Muslims worldwide have found insulting, Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist church issued a call for the responsible use of the right of free expression. The drawings were first published in a Danish newspaper in September 2005. The appearance of the cartoons provoked emotions in the Muslim world because the Islamic t
Seventh-day Adventists Voted Biblical Research Committee Guidelines Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 03.02.2006 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church voted a set of guidelines for regions considering the establishment of a Biblical Research Committee. These bodies are not mandatory, leaders say, but can be established in a world church region, known as a division, if the leadership there approves. The Seventh-day Adventist Church sponsors a Biblical Research Institute (BRI) at the world headquarters in the greater Washington D.C. area at Silver Spring, Maryland. Among its primary purposes
Australia: Adventist Honoured for Mission Work in Thailand Canberra/Australia | 01.02.2006 | International An Australian educator involved in establishing schools for Karen refugees in Thailand has received one of her nation's top honours for public service. Helen Hall, a Seventh-day Adventist working in northwestern Thailand, has been named a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, the Australian government announced on January 26. She is believed to be the first Adventist to receive the medal. Hall, founder and volunteer principal of Eden Valley Academy, is being recognized "for servic
Iraq: Car Bomber Targets Baghdad Adventist Church; Christians Protest Attacks Baghdad/Iraq | 31.01.2006 | International The Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church has been targeted by a car bomb for the second time in two years, injuring an armed guard, one of two permanently stationed to protect the church compound. The Vatican embassy in Baghdad and another Christian church in the city, as well as two churches in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk were also targeted in the attack, according to the IRIN news service, a United Nations news and humanitarian information service, which also reports that some Christ
Germany Mourns Outstanding Former President Johannes Rau Berlin/Germany | 27.01.2006 | International Germany is mourning the death of one of its outstanding Protestant Christians. Former President Johannes Rau died January 27, aged 75, after a long illness. Rau, who was President from 1999 2004, came from an evangelical family, was well versed in the Bible and often seasoned his speeches with quotes from the ³book of books². He was affectionately known as "Brother John". President Horst Koehler described his predecessor a "believing and happy Christian". Rau felt that he was sustained
Adventist Women Tell the World About Jesus Through Touching the World Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 20.01.2006 | International Does your church love Jesus? If they do, does anybody else know? Seventh-day Adventist women are becoming more purposeful about answering that question. While the church has long relied on public evangelism campaigns to get their messages across, they are now encouraging all areas of the church to find new and innovative ways to reach outside sanctuary walls and into their communities. In an interview with Adventist News Network (ANN), Heather-Dawn Small, Women's Ministries director for the
Ivory Coast: Protests, Threat of More Violence Disrupt Adventist Church Activities Abidjan/Ivory Coast | 19.01.2006 | International Three days of protests by students in Ivory Coast's fractious political atmosphere have disrupted administrative and ministry activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church there, including the West-Central Africa regional headquarters, according to Adventist Church Communication Director Jean Emmanuel Nlo Nlo. Right now, he said, all Adventist workers in the country are believed to be safe. The Ivory Coast, known as Cote d'Ivoire in French, is located in Western Africa, between Ghana and Li
United Kingdom: Former Wolverhampton Pub to House Adventist Church Wolverhampton/United Kingdom | 18.01.2006 | International In a nation where some dormant churches have become public houses, or "pubs," as they are popularly called, a Seventh-day Adventist congregation is moving things in the opposite direction: they're taking a former pub and converting it into a church. The Wolverhampton Pendeford Adventist Church completed the purchase of the new building shortly before Christmas 2005. The new building is a former pub, close to where the congregation currently meets at the Dovecotes Community Hall on Ryefield R
Spiritual Nurture, Mission Involvement Crucial, Adventist World President Says Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 11.01.2006 | International Spiritual nurture centered on the Bible and involvement in the church's mission to "Tell the World" the Gospel message are essential hallmarks of a Christian's life, Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said in an interview that will be broadcast beginning January 20. "We've got to start with that which is personal and that which is private, and that is for me to take time with the Word of God. ... We have to nurture ourselves," Pastor Paulsen, who this mo
India's U.S. Ambassadors Visit Adventist Headquarters, Meet World Church President Paulsen Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 05.01.2006 | International India's U.S. ambassador and deputy head of mission were welcomed to the Seventh-day Adventist Church's world headquarters on Jan. 4. Ambassadors Ronen Sen and Raminder Singh Jassal of India were guests of church leaders, including Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, who soon will visit India again. During a private meeting and, later, a protocol luncheon, both visitors and hosts spoke on common themes of societal development. "While we are a confessional community, we also are ve
Egypt: Sudanese Adventist Killed in Cairo Violence Cairo, Egypt | 04.01.2006 | International An active member of the Sudanese Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cairo, Betty Asenzo Bernard, was killed when thousands of Egyptian police officers broke up a squatter camp near the Cairo offices of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR on December 30, 2005. Several members of the Adventist congregation are still missing after the event. Many families have been separated as police raided Sudanese homes and took people away for questioning. Media reports indicate that more than 3,500 Sudanese mig
Tanzania: Four Adventist Church Leaders, Driver Are Killed In Crash En Route to Funeral Dar es Salaam/Tanzania | 23.12.2005 | International Four leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Tanzania, along with the son of one leader, were killed in a head-on vehicle collision December 21. The men died while en route to the funeral of Dr. Witson Mwamakamba, former publishing director of the Adventist church in East Africa, according to Pastor Steven Bina, regional church communication director. Killed were Pastor Geoffrey Simon, local church president; Pastor Loitopuak Lebabu, secretary; Mzuma Wikahi, treasurer; and Pastor
South Pacific Adventist Church Leaders to Discuss Identity Wahroonga, New South Wales/Australia | 23.12.2005 | International Theologians and administrators from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific Division will meet in late January next year to discuss the identity of Adventism to help formulate strategic plans for the next five years. The Bible Congress, themed "Past, Present, and Future: Who is the Seventh-day Adventist?" is coordinated by Dr Paul Petersen, an Old Testament scholar and Director of Biblical Research for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific. About 120 delegates are expected t
Adventist World Church Leader Urges Care for the Poor as 2006 Draws Near Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 16.12.2005 | International Along with preaching the Gospel message, Seventh-day Adventists must also express practical concern for "the very poorest" of the world, Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, said in a year-end message recorded for 14.3 million church members in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. "Whether they are poor, carry the HIV virus, or whatever, they are loved by our Lord," Pastor Paulsen said of the world's less fortunate. "It is our duty to express that love, and to giv
Papua New Guinea: Crocodile Attacks Sepik River Villagers Port Moresby/PNG | 02.12.2005 | International A Seventh-day Adventist Church elder from Kanganamun village in Angoram, East Sepik Province, located on the north coast of Papua New Guinea, says crocodiles are running amok on the Sepik River and has called for help. Isaac Wambun, who is in Madang to seek assistance from authorities on what could be done, said killer crocodiles were threatening the livelihood of his people living along the banks of the Sepik River, the national newspaper Post Courier reports. Mr Wambun said this was a
Oman: Muscat Adventist Church Celebrates Fifteenth Anniversary Muscat/Oman | 16.11.2005 | International Located at the Eastern horn of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sultanate of Oman has a relatively small population -- around 3 million people -- of which about 550,000 are workers from other lands. Overwhelmingly Muslim, the presence of Christianity, though permitted, is tiny, to say the least. Yet, last week, about 130 people attended the local Adventist Church of Muscat, Oman's largest city, to celebrate the 15th anniversary with a special commemorative service. Addressing the church in the
Adventists Should Embrace Environmental Concern, Church Experts Say Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 16.11.2005 | International Even though the Bible promises a "new heaven and a new Earth" at the conclusion of the book of Revelation, that's not a reason for Seventh-day Adventist Christians to ignore pressing environmental concerns, said experts who spoke with Adventist News Network (ANN). "I believe deeply that as stewards of God's creation we've been entrusted with responsibilities that we sometimes neglect out of ignorance," said Dr. Zdravko (Zack) Plantak, chairman of the Department of Religion at Columbia Union
Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Pioneer, Touched Adventist Lives in Her City Washington, D.C./USA | 03.11.2005 | International Sometimes it is the end of a journey that lets you see where you've been. The recent passing of Rosa Parks has had that effect on many in the United States of America and around the world. Among those who reminisced about the historic action of this humble woman and its far-reaching consequences were three who were there in 1955. Or at least they were close by. Laura Smith and Dorothy Webb had known each other only about one year in 1955. They were both baptized as new members of the Seventh
Switzerland: Leaders of Christian World Communions Meet, HIV/AIDS a Major Focus Geneva/Switzerland | 02.11.2005 | International Leaders of a wide range of Christian churches met in Geneva, Switzerland, for a series of consultations October 16 to 22. The Conference of Secretaries of the Christian World Communions (CS/CWC), a loosely structured group, has met annually since 1957, providing a venue for frank and open dialogue in an informal setting, according to conference secretary Dr. John Graz, who is also the director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. "This confe
Iraq: Insurgent Blasts Damage Baghdad Adventist Church Baghdad/Iraq | 27.10.2005 | International For the fourth time in two years, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in central Baghdad was damaged as a result of bomb blasts. The October 24 explosions were aimed at the Palestine Hotel, located 802.2 feet (250 meters) from the church building. Media reports indicate the attack, which killed 17 and injured 9, was the work of insurgent bombers, whose first two explosions first breached a wall in the hotel's perimeter. They then drove a third vehicle in to the hotel, which was detonated. The P
European Evangelical Leaders Address Role as God Tavira/Portugal | 26.10.2005 | International European Evangelical leaders addressed their roles as transforming agents in an increasingly secularized Europe at the conclusion of their four day annual assembly in Tavira, Portugal on October 22. Over 200 Christian leaders representing 35 countries gathered for the joint four-day assembly held by the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA), the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance (EEMA) and Hope for Europe (HfE), building stronger ties and renewing their faith focused on the theme, "Gosp
"God's 'Business' is Salvation", Adventist World Church President Tells University Students Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 21.10.2005 | International "God is in the business of saving everyone He can lay His hands on," Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist church, told a group of students during an informal discussion October 16 at Andrews University, the protestant mainstream church's flagship educational institution. The meeting followed dedication of a new Campus Ministries center. Students who participated in the dialogue represented a range of degree tracks and interests. Guillermo Magana, president of
Guatemala: Adventist Church Members Among Dead in Mudslides Guatemala City, Guatemala | 16.10.2005 | International Just days after Guatemala was hit by Hurricane Stan, which caused deadly mudslides that buried hundreds of people, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is still trying to account for missing church members. So far, church leaders confirm 22 members are dead and nearly 3,400 members' families' homes were damaged or destroyed in the wake of the hurricane and mudslides. The deadly mudslide was triggered last week after heavy rains overflowed Lake Atitlan in the Southwest region combined with the er
Report Finds Seventh-day Adventist Schools Doing Well, But Lists Areas of Concern Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.10.2005 | International Imagine an Adventist school with few or no Adventist teachers or students. Such a school might well have trouble maintaining an "Adventist environment," but that is the future facing several of the church's colleges and universities worldwide if they do not work to reverse current trends, an October 12 report concluded. The report, from the Adventist world church's Commission on Higher Education, was presented to members of the church's executive committee at its autumn business meeting. The
South Asian earthquake more devastating than tsunami Cairo/Egypt | 13.10.2005 | International South Asia's earthquake was more devastating than last year's Indian Ocean tsunami in terms of the number of homeless and destruction to infrastructure, a UN official said. Hussein Gezairy, who heads the World Health Organisation's Cairo-based regional office that covers Pakistan, said it would be "much, much more difficult" to reach quake victims in the Himalayas than the tsunami survivors. "In the tsunami 1.5 million people were made homeless, but in this case we expect more than 2.5 m
Adventist-Jewish Relationships In Serbia Celebrated Belgrade/Serbia | 13.10.2005 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Serbia has celebrated a special week of "Adventist-Jewish Relationships". Pastor Richard Elofer, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Israel and a Jew by birth, was invited by the Serbian Adventists as guest speaker for the celebration week from September 26 to October 2. Travelling throughout the country Elofer lectured, ran courses and demonstrated Jewish style worship. Eight hundred people attended lectures and a special worship in Belgrade,
Adventist World Church President Paulsen: Opening Annual Council, Points to Jesus as Unique One Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 07.10.2005 | International "The Second Coming of Christ is very good news indeed; and it is a unique event to be believed and preached," Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, declared in an October 7 sermon opening the church's Annual Council. "And, Seventh-day Adventists have a specific mandate to do that," he added. Paulsen delivered his sermon, "Embracing the Unique," at the start of the world church's administrative session to an audience of 500 delegates, guests and friends gath
Andrews University Gets Top Ranking in Diversity, International Makeup Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 05.10.2005 | International When Erica Slikkers and Kristin Denslow sit in their university classroom today, they sit next to students representing a rich tapestry of races and countries. Slikkers and Denslow attend a school that is regarded as one of the top educational institutions in the United States recognized for its diversity and international makeup of the student body. They are at Andrews University, a private school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and one of the denomina
Upcoming Adventist Church Annual Council Focuses on Organizational Matters Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 05.10.2005 | International More than 200 leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from around the world will meet at the church's world headquarters starting October 10 for an annual meeting of the movement's Executive Committee. The event comes on the heels of the quinquennial world church session in St. Louis, Missouri, in July, and will address issues raised there as well as pending administrative matters. One of the major aspects of the, gathering, will be continued presentations on "Tell the World: A Vision fo
Hungarian Jewish-Christian Theology Day Budapest/Hungary | 03.10.2005 | International The Hungarian Jewish-Christian Society (KZST) met on September 26 in the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Budapest to hear lectures, participate in discussion and listen to music organized by Catholic theologian József Szécsi, President of the Society. The opening address was presented by Andras Szilvási, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hungary. Csaba Török, a Catholic theologian, emphasized in his presentation that "it is very important to 'remember'" referring his a
Adventist Peace Movement: Giving Peace a Chance in a World of Strife Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 21.09.2005 | International International Day of Peace 2005 In an often brutal world, one in which wars abound and chaos is everywhere, peace may be hard to find. But Seventh-day Adventists have a duty to promote peace, says Doug Morgan who, along with Ronald Osborn, began the Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) in 2002, a society that exists to raise awareness of peacemaking. The organization's purpose is to "raise awareness and educate Adventists about the centrality of peacemaking," says Morgan, chair of the History
Protestant Missiologist: Do Not Replace Mission With Dialogue Bad Blankenburg/Germany | 18.09.2005 | International Protestant theologian Peter Beyerhaus, one of the best-known German missiologists, has urged Christians not to replace the proclamation of the Gospel with religious dialogue. Evangelicals should seek dialogue without neglecting mission, said Beyerhaus at a meeting of evangelical theologians in Blankenburg, Thuringia, in September. It would be detrimental for the church to neglect or disregard the Great Commission, emphasized Beyerhaus. Christians should not bow to the pressure of popular exp
UN World Summit adopts landmark outcome document on raft of crucial issues New York, N.Y./USA | 16.09.2005 | International Culminating the largest-ever gathering of world leaders, the United Nations General Assembly today adopted a historic outcome document encapsulating a unified stance by the international community on a broad array of crucial issues, from concrete steps towards combating poverty and promoting development to unqualified condemnation of all forms of terrorism along with the acceptance of collective responsibility to protect civilians against genocide and other crimes against humanity. "We reaff
World Issues: Global Poverty, A View From the Trenches New York, N.Y./USA | 16.09.2005 | International They are in the trenches everyday feeding, clothing, teaching, empowering and fighting diseases among other things. They are the ones that the world's governments and world bodies depend on to carry out plans to help make the world a better place. They are nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). More than 4,000 of them met in New York for three days starting September 7 to examine goals set by heads of state at the United Nations five years ago to improve life for every human being. The issues
Christian Leaders Call for Partnership Against Poverty Washington, D.C./USA | 15.09.2005 | International Churches and governments must pursue partnerships to eradicate extreme poverty if the Millennium Declaration of 2000 is to meet its 2015 deadline, faith leaders who met at a two-day summit at the Washington National Cathedral, said in a communiqué. Religious leaders from a wide range of denominations crafted and signed the communiqué outlining steps for governments and churches to take in building a global movement to help the poor. [img id=576 align=right]On Sept. 13, the document was p
U.S. Adventist Churches, Schools Begin to Tally Hurricane Damage as Relief Efforts Continue Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 13.09.2005 | International As relief in the hurricane and flood-damaged Gulf Coast region of the Southern United States continues, Seventh-day Adventists are also surveying churches and schools that have been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Students from Southern Adventist University (SAU) in Collegedale, Tennessee, are actively involved in relief efforts in Mississippi and other areas, while Adventist churches throughout the United States are offering help to as many as possible. Meanwhile, satellite photos reveal
Jamaica: Adventists Commit Church Resources to Stop Violence Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica | 13.09.2005 | International Two years ago, Pastor Glen O. Samuels was sitting in his car outside the home of a colleague when he found a gun pointed at his face. The man holding the gun was a well-known gang leader in the area. He wanted money and threatened to kill Samuels if he didn't get it. "I told him who I was, where I lived, and where I worked, and told him I had to go home and get my wallet as I had left it at home," Samuels recalls. He returned with his wallet and told the gang leader he would try to help him
Religious Leaders Challenge Churches To Partner With Governments In Eradicating Poverty Washington D.C./USA | 13.09.2005 | International Churches and governments must pursue partnerships to eradicate extreme poverty if the Millennium Declaration of 2000 is to meet its 2015 deadline concludes faith leaders who met at a two-day summit (September 11-13, 2005) at Washington National Cathedral. [img id=574 align=right]Religious leaders from the Northern and Southern hemispheres representing a wide range of denominations, including Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Reformed, Methodists, Evangelicals, Lutherans, Greek Orthodox, and Seventh
Adventist Church's Hope Channel to Air Katrina Relief Television Special Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 09.09.2005 | International Thousands of Seventh-day Adventists, their churches and institutions are among the millions of people suffering in the Gulf Coast region of the United States following Hurricane Katrina. The storm's effect on the church and its members in the area is the subject of an international television special to air on the church's Hope Channel beginning September 9. The one-hour show includes interviews with Adventist relief workers and others. Nearly a dozen Adventist churches were either damaged o
'Kare Katrina' Team Provides Relief to U.S. Hurricane Victims Purvis, Mississippi/USA | 07.09.2005 | International Four days after a devastating hurricane slammed into the Southern gulf coast of the U.S.A., more than 100 students, faculty, and staff from Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution in Berrien Springs, Michigan, arrived in the area to help provide disaster relief. The convoy, which included two busses, a van, and a truck full of supplies, arrived at Bass Memorial Academy, an Adventist boarding school, just outside Purvis, Mississippi, approximately 50 miles from the gulf coast,
U.S.A.: Adventists Aid Hurricane Survivors Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 31.08.2005 | International Hurricane Katrina's devastating effects can be seen in the flooded streets and homes of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi as residents try to recover from one of the worse hurricanes ever to hit the United States. The driving 165-mph winds and battering rains irrevocably changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, leaving behind flooded streets, damaged homes and nowhere to go. Katrina is responsible for at least 110 deaths and may claim hundreds or even thousands more, government
Liberian Adventist Women Observe Abuse Prevention Day Monrovia, Liberia | 31.08.2005 | International Women of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Liberia paraded the principal streets of Monrovia August 26, carrying placards, some of which read: "I am not a punching bag"; "I am your child"; If you teach me hostility, I learn to fight"; among others. As they observed the National Abused Emphasis Day, they later assembled at the Monrovia City Hall for an indoor program. Since Liberia has been in the vanguard of the promotion of peace and dignity, the women argued that Liberians need to cont
Adventist Relief Crews From Region Set Out to Help Gulf Coast Victims Washington D.C./USA | 30.08.2005 | International Relief Crews From Region Set Out to Help By Michael Laris, Washington Post Staff Writer Volunteers and professional disaster workers from the Washington region began the launch yesterday of what will be a far-reaching relief effort to help Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina. They tried to contact their hurricane-buffeted colleagues in Louisiana and Mississippi, readied canine search teams and headed south in mobile canteens. In Fairfax County, a 34-person rescue team that inclu
New 'Seventh-day Adventists Believe' Book Published Nampa, Idaho/USA | 23.08.2005 | International Six weeks after world church leaders voted a new fundamental belief statement, Seventh-day Adventists can now consult a 446-page reference volume offering a deeper explanation of what Adventist Christians believe, and why. The new paperbound volume, titled "Seventh-day Adventists Believe: An exposition of the fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church," has just been printed by the Pacific Press Publishing Association, one of the church's North American publishing houses, a church o
Adventist World' Magazine Will Launch in September Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 18.08.2005 | International The "Adventist World," the international paper for Seventh-day Adventists, will launch in September, Dr. William G. Johnsson, Adventist World editor, said in an interview. The initial print run is for at least 1 million copies in English, with additional copies expected in Spanish and French. "We anticipate that at least 5 million people will read each issue of the Adventist World" magazine, Johnsson said, who also edits the Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119), the weekly general paper of the c
Hiroshima remembers atomic bomb Hiroshima/Japan | 06.08.2005 | International The Japanese city of Hiroshima has marked the anniversary of the moment an atomic bomb exploded above the city 60 years ago. Around 140,000 people were killed by the bomb and its aftermath. Nuclear survivors, known as Hibakusha, joined dignitaries at the annual commemoration in the Peace Park, built at the epicentre of the blast. The head of the UN has said the world has made little progress in tackling the spread of nuclear weapons. "Today, we are all Hibakusha," Kofi Annan said in a st
Sydney is Next Stop For Adventist Church President Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 04.08.2005 | International To Seventh-day Adventist young people worldwide who wonder if the church is really listening to them, world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, says, "Yes." [img id=541 align=right]On September 5 Paulsen will continue a two-year series of conversations with young people. The program, called "Let's Talk... South Pacific," will broadcast from Sydney. It will air live, unscripted and unedited exchanges where Adventist young people from all over the South Pacific will speak with Paulsen about
Number of Christians surges in China Beijing/China | 03.08.2005 | International A report in the Australian Daily newspaper "The Age" says that Chinese Christians currently outnumber members of the Communist Party. The Gospel message is being spread everywhere, in the countryside and in the cities, and even in uncommon places, like beauty salons. Xun Jinzhen, owner of a beauty salon near Beijing Zoo gives its customers more than they bargain for: not just facials and manicures, but the Word of God. Mr. Xun sees beauty salons as a good place to transform souls as well as
APD-Feature: Student-led Adventist Churches Grow on Public Campuses in Kenya Nairobi/Kenya | 03.08.2005 | International On a typical Saturday morning in the East Central African country of Kenya, more than half a million Christian gather in Seventh-day Adventist churches all over the country for worship and fellowship. On many of these mornings last year, 25-year-old Richard Mc'Otieno could be found standing behind the pulpit looking at the hundreds of faces of his fellow students at Kenyatta University as he delivered the morning sermon. As an ordained elder, or lay leader, for the Adventist Church on campus
Sudan: Adventist Students Stranded as Rioters Move Through Khartoum Khartoum, Sudan | 03.08.2005 | International Intense rioting and looting broke out in Khartoum, Sudan, after Monday's official announcement that the country's vice president, John Garang, had been killed in a helicopter crash. "I've been in contact with the church's regional office in Khartoum all morning and things are not good," says Michael Porter, president of the Adventist Church in the Middle East region. He adds that most of the students from the elementary self-help school, located in the same compound as the church offices
Adventist World Church Vice Presidents Assume Wide-Range of Roles Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 03.08.2005 | International Leaders at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring (Maryland/USA) have a special challenge: think globally, but also work to serve the interests of the church's fast growing membership. A faith community of 25 million Christian, Adventists live and worship in more than 200 countries around the world, with a wide variety of local needs. Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, works with a team of nine vice presidents whose responsibilities range from overse
Hiroshima Remembered Hiroshima, Japan | 29.07.2005 | International Prayers for peace will pass the lips of tens of thousands of people across the world on August 6. Sixty years ago on that day, the world entered the atomic age when a bomb detonated 1,900 feet (580 meters) above the center of Hiroshima and instantly killed 70,000 people. Within a few months, the longer term effects of radiation sickness killed that many again. Just three days after the Hiroshima blast, another atomic bomb was detonated over Nagasaki, killing thousands more. Among the few rem
USA: Adventist Lake Region Church Area Meets After Audit Finds Irregularities Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 27.07.2005 | International Leaders of the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a five-state Adventist church region, are assisting with developments in the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a local church administrative area. A special constituency meeting was held July 24 at which Lake Union leaders helped explain to members and pastors decisions that led to major leadership and employment changes in the Lake Region. "Please pray for your church, for the Lake Region Conference, and for all
Include More Women in Adventist Ministry, Group Says St. Louis, Missouri/USA | 27.07.2005 | International They are teachers, preachers, healers and innovators. They are six Seventh-day Adventist women whose contributions to the church and community were recognized at a recent "Woman of the Year" awards ceremony during the annual conference of the Association of Adventist Women (AAW) in St. Louis, Missouri (USA). AAW is an independent group that considers itself an advocate for women in the Adventist church. "The AAW are ... interested in the full participation of women in the church. They have p
Statement Of Adventist World Session On The Terrorist Attack On London St. Louis, Missouri/USA | 07.07.2005 | International On behalf of all of us attending the 58th world session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church here in St Louis we would like to express our shock and horror at the mindless acts of terror, brutality and extremism seen in London today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and bereaved. We are living in an increasingly unstable and dangerous world. We recognize that there are those who mistakenly see violence as the way to promote their cause claiming that their cause is absolute and t
Adventists Condemn London Acts of Terror, Pray for Victims St. Louis, Missouri/USA | 07.07.2005 | International Delegates to the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church today expressed their "shock and horror at the mindless acts of terror, brutality and extremism seen in London today," according to a statement read to delegates by Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, a general vice president of the world church. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and bereaved," Wilson read at the opening of the Thursday, July 7 business session. "We are living in an increasingly unstable
Korea: New Adventist Teenager Seoul, South Korea | 29.06.2005 | International A newly-organized church designed for young people -- the first of its kind in South Korea -- is attracting teenagers to the Toegyewon Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10 kilometers Northeast of Seoul, the nation's capital. The church structure is along the same lines as a church for young adults which opened in 2004 in the same city. "There is not enough suitable culture or programs for the youth or teens in church," says Joshua Dong Hee Shin, youth director for the church in the Northern Asia
Adventist Church In Sweden At 125 Years Commits To Evangelism Ekebyholm, Sweden | 29.06.2005 | International Swedish Seventh-day Adventists celebrated the 125th anniversary of the church's organization in their country with a five-day business meeting and spiritual session. The event was held in Ekebyholm, Sweden, and focused on ways to share the gospel story with yet more people. With a theme of "Come, Lord Jesus," 300 attendees responded positively to the challenge to win someone for the Lord in the next two years. "Throughout the business sessions and other meetings the emphasis has been on evan
Jamaica: Adventists Issue New Guidelines For Funerals Mandeville/Jamaica | 19.06.2005 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Cayman and Turks and Caicos will no longer conduct funerals in its sanctuaries for deceased persons whose lifestyle were lawless and devoid of good principle. At the same time, the church will insist on a code of conduct barring mourners from wearing flesh-revealing attire, drinking alcohol, bearing firearms or vending in the precincts of the church. The decisions come as part of several companion measures recommended by the Issues
New President for U.S. Adventist Publishing House Pacific Press Nampa, Idaho/USA, | 15.06.2005 | International A 10-year veteran sales executive will become president of the Pacific Press Publishing Association, a Seventh-day Adventist owned publishing house, on August 11. Dale Galusha, currently vice president of sales and ministries, will succeed Robert Kyte, a 25-year veteran of Pacific Press who was its president for the past 16 years. Under Kyte's leadership, Pacific Press achieved and maintained financial stability while keeping pace with publishing industry technology. Kyte, an attorney, w
Religious Leaders Promise To Advocate The End Of Hunger In The World Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.06.2005 | International With fervour and conviction, religious leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist traditions, urged more than 1,000 participants at the first Interfaith Convocation on Hunger at the Washington National Cathedral in the U.S. capital on June 6 to advocate for the end of hunger in the United States and abroad. Increasing worldwide hunger rates -- some 852 million people across the globe are going hungry, including nearly 6 million children who die each year from
California/USA: Blaze devastates Dobbins Adventist church Dobbins, California/USA | 09.06.2005 | International The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is investigating the cause of an early-morning fire that heavily damaged a Yuba County foothills church June 7. The fire gutted the central part of the Dobbins Seventh-day Adventist Church on the 10000 block of Marysville Road and caused US$300,000 in damages, according to Tina Rose, a spokeswoman for the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit of the CDF. A passerby noticed the fire at around 5:15 a.m. and called authorities, she said. The caus
New Zealand: Adventist church in Levin gutted in suspicious blaze Leviin/New Zealand | 09.06.2005 | International Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Levin are heartbroken that almost a year of renovations have gone up in smoke. The church building was gutted by fire early morning on June 8. "I feel deep sadness," said church secretary Sheila McNabb. "A place we've worshipped in for a number of years is gone. "I got there when the fire was out. It was black, wet, dirty and horrible." Police are treating the blaze, which started shortly after 3am, as suspicious. The fire comes four years
Venezuela: Traveling to Adventist Children’s Ministry Conference: <br><br>Car Accident Claims 5 Lives, One Left Critical Barquisimeto, Venezuela | 08.06.2005 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Venezuela and throughout Inter-America is mourning the loss of five of its members after a tragic automobile accident on Friday, June 3. Among the dead were three women and two children. One woman remains in critical condition. "Our Division suffers because of this tragic loss, especially the faithful workers on the road on their way to do their duty. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the church in Venezuela and especially the ministerial families who
President of South Pacific Adventists: Time to spread the Gospel of Hope is now Wahroonga, New South Wales/Australia | 07.06.2005 | International The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, Pastor Laurie Evans, called on Adventist church members to recommit to the gospel commission at the opening of the mid-year meetings of the executive committee of the Church’s administrative South Pacific Division, headquartered near Sydney (Australia). Pastor Evans referred to the tsunami tragedy in southeast Asia and the death of Pope John Paul II as signs of the times, during his report. "If ever the world needed to he
Adventists In Botswana Mining Town Declared War On Alcoholism Selebi-Phikwe/Botswana | 01.06.2005 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in Selebi-Phikwe, a mining town located in the north-east of Botswana, has declared war on alcoholism and called on the community to join in the fight, reports the Botswana Press Agency (BOPA). The Adventist Church declared its fight against alcoholism, which seems to be joining HIV/AIDS in destroying our beloved nation, says an SDA youth member at the end of a march against the vice. The SDA youth member, Keolebogile Mbulawa, said on behalf of the ch
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
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
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.
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
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
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
Adventist Church President Encourages European Adventist Youth to 'Become Owners, Take Responsibility' in Church Darmstadt, Germany, | 27.04.2005 | International Young adults in the Seventh-day Adventist Church must "become owners, take responsibility ... in your church, in your congregation," Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, told a multi-national audience of European Adventist students during a live broadcast April 26. The program was held at Marienhoehe Adventist Church on the campus of Marienhoehe College in Darmstadt, Germany. Called "Let's Talk -- Europe," the broadcast, hosted by Gabi Ziegler, an Adventist journalist, featured church
USA: Fire At Southern Adventist University Claims One Student, Injures Two Others Collegedale, Tennessee/USA, | 26.04.2005 | International A 3:30 a.m. fire in a women's residence hall at Southern Adventist University claimed the life of a 20-year-old female student and sent two others to a local hospital Tuesday, April 26. Kelly Weimer, a junior English major from Woodridge, Illinois, was killed in the blaze. Treated and released at Erlanger Medical Center were Jen Bigham, a freshman broadcast journalism and psychology major from Biglerville, Pennsylvania and Cassandra Snyder, a freshman general studies student from Lansdowne,
Adventist World Church President To Talk With European University Students Darmstadt/Germany | 21.04.2005 | International All topics will be open for discussion when Seventh-day Adventist world church president, Pastor Jan Paulsen, meets with Adventist students from more than 10 European countries April 26 in Darmstadt, Germany. "Let's Talk…Europe," to be broadcast live by satellite across Europe, will be the third in a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between young people and their church leader. It will be the first time the program is held outside the United States. For Pastor Paulsen, the one-ho
Geneva: New International Museum Of The Reformation Opened Geneva/Switzerland | 18.04.2005 | International The new International Museum of the Reformation has opened its door in Geneva on April 15, 2005. Located in the beautiful Maison Mallet, built on the site where the citizens of Geneva voted to adopt the Reformation in 1536, the museum retraces the major events that contributed to the foundation, and the divisions, of a movement whose influence is still felt all over the globe. The inauguration of the Museum of the Reformation marks the completion of a much-awaited project in the history of Pr
U.S. College Survey Shows Many Coeds Have Strong Spirituality; 8 of 10 Believe In God Washington D.C./USA | 17.04.2005 | International Contrary to what many think, today's college campuses are hotbeds of religiosity and prayer, according to the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California. A survey of 112,232 current freshmen attending 236 colleges and universities (18 percent of them connected with religions) sponsored by the institute finds 8 out of 10 say they attend religious services, believe in God, and are interested in spirituality. The institute, based in Los Angeles, has been surveying college
Albanian Television Coverage For Adventist Church Plant Program Elbasan/Albania | 15.04.2005 | International A celebration of the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen on April 2, 2005, received National Television news coverage for the Seventh-day Adventist Elbasan church plant. More than 70 people attended the celebration organised by church planters Genti and Sanda Thomollari. The program included a presentation by Genti on the life of Andersen, and a review of the themes of his literature, by Sanda. Children from the 'community children's program' performed a drama enacting Andersen's story,
Adventist Church Standing Commission to Examine Headquarters Ministries, Services Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 15.04.2005 | International World leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church today voted to receive a report advocating reorganization of several world church departments, and to pass that report on to a new standing commission that will evaluate church operations in the five-year period beginning after the world church's business meeting this summer. "I think it is a good idea for our church ... to have a standing [commission] to address the issues of our mission and organization," said Pastor Jan Paulsen, world chur
Plan Voted to Distribute Church Founder’s books to Every Adventist Family Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 15.04.2005 | International Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church unanimously voted at an April 14 business meeting to put into action a plan to distribute globally 2 million books written by one of the church's founders, Ellen G. White. The project called, "Connecting With Jesus," was initially presented at Annual Council, the fall business meeting for the church's leaders. "We need to get these beautiful messages ... into the hands of thousands of believers who do not have access to them," Ted Wilson, a vice pr
Seventh-day Adventist Church: Leaders, Missiologists Discuss Issues Relative to Frontline Mission Work Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.04.2005 | International In a world of six billion people -- including 25 million who attend weekly Seventh-day Adventist Church worship services -- it's known that there are other Christian groups who observe the Sabbath, or Saturday, as their day of worship. A question for Adventists is how to deal with these groups of believers who operate outside the traditional organizational structure of the church. This was one of the issues raised at the annual Global Mission Issues Committee held April 4 and 5 at the church
Next Adventism - Subject of Lecture, Discussion at Columbia Union College Takoma Park, Maryland/USA | 14.04.2005 | International Future prospects for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in what is called the "global South" may be very good, said Philip Jenkins, author and distinguished professor of religion and history at Pennsylvania State University in Pennsylvania, United States. That's because parts of the world where the Bible is read and taken seriously are prime candidates for the church's presentation of prophecy, as typified by the books of Daniel and Revelation. Defining the "global South" as including sub-Saha
Adventist World Church: Spring Meeting Opens With Mission, Financial Reports Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 14.04.2005 | International There seems to be a new stirring in parts of the world not previously open to evangelism," declared Pastor Mark Finley, director of global evangelism for the Seventh-day Adventist world church. "We see in some of the most difficult places today, the grace of God working, the hearts of people being opened." That report was the first thing world leaders of the Adventist Church heard as the 2005 Spring Meeting of the church opened April 13 in Silver Spring, Maryland. The two-day session include
Released U.S. Marine Hopes for Appeal and Prepares for College Jacksonville, North Carolina/USA | 13.04.2005 | International Joel David Klimkewicz is a United States Marine whose decision not to pick up a weapon, led to a court-martial, conviction and a seven-month jail sentence. He was released from jail at nearby Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, United States, on April 6; his prison sentence was suspended while his case is being appealed. Ironically, Klimkewicz is hoping that one of a series of military court appeals might allow him to return to Camp Lejeune -- or another installation -- as a military chaplain. He
Adventist Church In Jamaica Holds Day of Prayer and Fasting Against Violence Kingston, Jamaica | 08.04.2005 | International Seventh-day Adventists in over 600 churches across Jamaica, dedicated Saturday March 5, 2005, as a day of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord’s intervention in Jamaica’s spiraling crime and violence problem. In the first of two special services held at the Andrews Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Patrick Allen president of West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, admonished the congregation to "believe in God and stan
"How to Reform the UN Commission on Human Rights?" - Adventists Participate in Dialogue Geneva, Switzerland | 06.04.2005 | International Having come in for much criticism of late for its lack of effectiveness and credibility, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) seems set for reform. At an open meeting on March 30 attended by Mrs. Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights, the whole issue of reform was raised and debated by members of civil society, including representatives of the protestant mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church. In her remarks, Arbour said she wanted to "conceive of a body that
Adventist Church Address the UN Human Rights Commission Geneva, Switzerland | 06.04.2005 | International Attending the 61st Human Rights Commission of the United Nations (UNCHR) this month (April), Seventh-day Adventist church representative Dr. Jonathan Gallagher addressed the body on matters of great concern such as religious persecution, freedom of conscience, and women’s rights; and to plead for a ban on the imposition of the death penalty for changing religion. "The Commission remains a vital forum for presenting human rights issues," says Gallagher. "Despite the negative attitude to the Co
Philippines: Adventist Church Gets Commemorative Postal Stamp for Centennial Manila, Philippines | 06.04.2005 | International Joining the ranks of approximately two dozen entities, the Republic of the Philippines has released a postal commemoration of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's 100 years in the country. The stamp depicts "God watches over Manila," a painting rendered by O.T. Navarra in 1967 that was displayed at the Manila Adventist Medical Center. It also includes the Seventh-day Adventist logo that reflects the core values the church is committed to, and a new Adventist Church in the Northern Philippines.
U.S. Marine, Jailed Over Non-Combatant Request, Released From Brig Early Camp Lejeune, North Carolina/USA | 06.04.2005 | International Marine Private Joel David Klimkewicz, court-martialed in December 2004 in a dispute over his request for non-combatant status, has been released from a jail at the U.S. Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 5, Adventist church attorney Mitchell Tyner said. Klimkewicz, 24, was a combat engineer with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, with headquarters at Camp Lejeune, and was convicted on a charge of refusing to obey an order from a commanding officer who asked that the M
Church President Opens 175th Mormon Conference Salt Lake City, Utah/USA | 03.04.2005 | International The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) opened the church's 175th conference April 2, calling on members to "stand a little taller, lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater millennial mission." The words were the same Gordon B. Hinckley used a decade ago, just weeks after he was elevated to lead the Mormon Church on March 12, 1995. "You must be the judge of how far we have come in realizing the fulfilment of that invitation given 10 years ago," he
Quake Hits Tsunami-devastated Nias Island Jakarta, Indonesia | 30.03.2005 | International Three months after the December 26, 2004, tsunami hit North Sumatra, Nias Island, with nearly 1 million residents, was devastated by an earthquake on March 28, March 28, with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale. The earthquake epicenter was 18.6 miles deep in the sea. The governor of North Sumatra said more than 1,000 people perished as of March 29. It further reported that 90 percent of the residents suffered the devastation and 80 percent of homes and buildings were destroyed at Gunung
New Adventist School and Community Center in Madrid to be Model of Integration Madrid, Spain | 22.03.2005 | International Seventh-day Adventists in Madrid recently approached municipal authorities to establish a multi-faceted community project, which includes a church, a school and a community center in the Eastern part of the country's capital. "We asked for a piece of land to build a church project that would help integrate the immigrant groups which we are currently experiencing in our church," said Alberto Guaita, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain. "We received not only a warm welcome f
Adventist In Spain To Be a Voice of Tolerance, Understanding and Hope, Paulsen Exhorts Believers Madrid, Spain | 17.03.2005 | International APD Speaking to a gathering of nearly 3,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Madrid, Spain, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church, expressed condolences and solidarity with the nation on the day when Spain observed the first anniversary of the terrorist attack in Madrid, March 11. "We will remember. We will remember," he said. "These days are ... are symbols of a trauma," he stated, referring to consequences of the attack, which killed 191 people and w
Baghdad: Truck Bomb Causes More Damage To Adventist Church Baghdad, Iraq | 10.03.2005 | International A suicide truck bomb, which rocked the centre of Baghdad March 8 (Tuesday morning), broke the two remaining stained glass windows of the Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church. The concussion from the blast also shattered the floor-to-ceiling window, which separates the parents' room from the worship hall inside the building. The blast occurred close to the Ministry of Agriculture, just 100 metres from the church compound, at around 6.30 am local time. There were no church members inside the build
GC Session 2005: Adventist Youth, Young Adults Training For Community St. Louis, Missouri/USA | 04.03.2005 | International For 400 Seventh-day Adventist youth and young adults from around the world, evangelism is personal. This group will be in the streets of St. Louis, Missouri, June 29 through July 9, sharing the gospel with others at the same time that the Adventist world church will hold the General Conference Session 2005. The evangelism event, "Impact St. Louis," is an intense, two-week training and practicum using traditional and non-traditional methods of outreach, such as hosting a Christian café, learn
Adventist 2005 World Synod: 400 Reporters And Media Personnel Expected Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 04.03.2005 | International The 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will bring an international flavour to St. Louis, Missouri, the heart of the United States of America. The gathering from June 29 to July 9 will be representative of the nearly 30 million-strong Adventist Christian World family from around the globe, and will meet under a theme of "Transformed in Christ." "We are expecting at least 400 reporters and media personnel to be accredited with our newsroom operation in St. Louis
Adventist World Church: St. Louis General Conference Session Anticipation Builds St. Louis, Missouri/USA | 01.03.2005 | International As of March 1 only 120 days remain before thousands gather at the America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. for the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Anticipation is building for the quinquennial event, which runs June 29 to July 9, 2005, organizers say. The St. Louis convocation marks the first time Adventists have held their worldwide gathering in the United States in 15 years. Daily attendance at the event is expected to average more than 10,000 peo
Adventist TV Evangelist Finley to Hold Ukraine Satellite Event, Will Chair Internet Evangelism Panel Kiev/Ukraine | 27.02.2005 | International Evangelist Mark Finley, one of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's most recognized television presenters, is ready for a month-long "It Is Written" public campaign that will broadcast from Kiev, Ukraine, globally via satellite. The Kiev broadcast, dubbed "ACTS 2005," will be held in the Ukrainian capital's International Centre of Culture and Arts, and will help bring down the curtain on one of the more audacious claims of former Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Finley will speak from the
Lebanon: Protestant Christians Wounded in Car Bomb Blast Beirut, Lebanon | 16.02.2005 | International Among the dozens injured in a February 14 car bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was also a Protestant Politician. Basil Fleihan, the only Protestant deputy in the Lebanese Parliament has been seriously wounded in this car bomb attack, according to the European Baptist Federation (EBF). Basil Fleihan, former minister for economic affairs, was flown out for medical treatment, according to the director of the Baptist Lebanese Society for Schools and Social Development, Nabil
Native Peoples In North America Target Audience for Adventist Bible Course Vancouver, Washington/USA | 13.02.2005 | International For the first time, a Bible correspondence course has been created for Native people in North America, a group that numbers at least 5.5 million. Creating the "Native New Day Bible Correspondence Course" spanned an 11-year period. The editorial committee of five Native Americans researched each lesson, to ensure the content would be acceptable to all North American native tribes. The reading level, artwork and stories were carefully developed to have a strong appeal to Native people, accord
Wright Elected President Of Adventist Georgia-Cumberland Conference Calhoun, Georgia/USA | 11.02.2005 | International Dr. Edward (Ed) Wright has been chosen by a committee of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists as the president. Dr. Ed Wright will serve the nearly 30,000 Seventh-day Adventists of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, which includes Georgia, eastern Tennessee and Cherokee County in North Carolina. The decision was reached by the 45 members of the conference Executive Committee and the Standing Nominating Committee, which considered more than 40 names. These commit
Adventist Mission Awareness Appeal to Boost Church in Tsunami Region Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 08.02.2005 | International A special live satellite broadcast on February 11 hosted by evangelist Mark Finley aims to strengthen the Seventh-day Adventist Church's mission of helping others in the tsunami-ravaged areas of South Asia, church officials say. "In producing this program, we wish to raise awareness of the post-tsunami needs and to help strengthen the Adventist Church in the regions affected by the tragedy so they can be more effective in helping their communities -- spiritually [and] physically," says Gary
Nigeria: Visiting Speakers Aim to Strengthen Adventist Churches Abuja, Nigeria | 02.02.2005 | International A month-long evangelistic outreach in Northern Nigeria, recently in the news because of a religion-incited strife, will aim to communicate the Christian message to the local population while strengthening the faith of those already in the Adventist Church, an organizer said. "By three public evangelism campaigns and district meetings in two rural areas, [we want] to strengthen the churches and Christians who on occasion experience resistance -- even persecution -- in their sometimes hostile
Liberty Magazine, Adventist Voice Of Religious Freedom, Marks Centennial Washington D.C./USA | 02.02.2005 | International Demonstrating the power of print to mold opinions and promote human rights, "Liberty Magazine", the Seventh-day Adventist voice of religious freedom, marks 100 years of continuous publication this year. Liberty is designed to emphasize the separation of church and state, as well as to promote the rights of all to follow their conscience as they choose. Though at times these values seem to conflict, the publication has striven to reconcile them. "Religious freedom, and in turn the mission
Adventist Church: Massive Print Project Yields 14 Million Bible Lessons for Africa Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 02.02.2005 | International A flood of requests for Bible lessons in Africa has prompted a plan to print 14 million individual Bible lessons in five languages to help meet the demand. The massive print project was driven by an overwhelming response in Africa to Sow 1 Billion--a Seventh-day Adventist Church global effort to distribute 1,000 million invitations to study the Bible. Kurt Johnson, director of the "Voice of Prophecy Bible School" and Bible School coordinator for the Adventist World Church (General Conference
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
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
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,
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
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
Adventist World Church: Paulsen Offers New Year's Greeting, Inspiration Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 30.12.2004 | International "Give of your best for the Lord. Let us give Him every opportunity to use you and me," declared Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a New Year's message for 2005 offered to the 25 million people who attend weekly worship in 203 countries and areas of the world. "You are the church, I want to thank you for what you bring to the ministry of the church, the service we try to give to the world," Pastor Paulsen told the Adventist world wide family of believ
Cambodia: Hundreds Attend Evangelistic Meetings in Majority Buddhist Country Phnom Penh, Cambodia | 29.12.2004 | International In a country that had no Seventh-day Adventist Church members just 10 years ago, hundreds attended a series of evangelistic meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on December 27. This is believed to be the largest Adventist outreach initiative ever held in the Southeast Asian country. It is also the largest Christian event to be held in the majority Buddhist country in almost ten years, said Garth Anthony, president of the Adventist church in Cambodia. More than 100 buses transported Cambodians to
Southern Asia: Tsunami Kills Thousands, ADRA, Adventist Church Moves to Help Colombo, Sri Lanka | 29.12.2004 | International Nations in Southern Asia are reeling in the wake of a devastating tsunami that swamped coastlines from Indonesia to Africa December 26. Hundreds of fishing villages have been decimated, towns have been destroyed and many tourist resorts flooded. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people perished due to the crushing waves that struck following the 9.0 Richter scale earthquake with the epicentre near Northern Indonesia. Thousands more are feared dead, according to earlier reports. Sri Lank
Adventist Global Mission Experts Meet, Discuss Cross-cultural Mission Sydney, Australia | 22.12.2004 | International With a focus on interacting with secular, post-modern people, Seventh-day Adventist mission experts and directors from the church's Global Mission study centers met in early December in Sydney, Australia. They reported on progress and challenges facing the centers and discussed future plans for Adventist relations with other faith communities. "The study centers were established by Global Mission to research and model methods of building bridges and reaching out to people from other faith an
U.S. Air Crash Tragedy: Thousands Fill Memorial Service Dalton, Georgia/USA | 08.12.2004 | International Thousands gathered Tuesday for a memorial service for three officials of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who were killed last week when a church plane crashed in Tennessee. "Today is a sad occasion, but their families do not want you to mourn," said Kevin Costello, treasurer of the church's Georgia-Cumberland Conference. "Instead they have asked for us to focus on celebrating the rich, beautiful, and happy lives each man lived as we honor them together." Conference president David C. Cres
Plane Crash Claims Lives of Five U.S. Adventists, Including Three Administrators, One Director Collegedale, Tennessee/USA | 03.12.2004 | International A small plane crash took the lives of three administrators and a director of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, based in Calhoun, Georgia, as well as their pilot, just north of Collegedale, Tennessee., on December 2, at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time. The copilot of the aircraft survived. Killed were Pastor Dave Cress, 47, president; Pastor James H. Frost, 53, vice president of administration; Jamie Arnall, 29, director of communication; and Pastor Clay Farwell
Peru: Local Government Recognizes Adventist Pioneer Educator Lima/Peru | 02.12.2004 | International Manuel Z. Camacho, an indigenous Aymaran Seventh-day Adventist who pioneered education for indigenous peoples in the Puno, Peru region more than 100 years ago, was honored recently by regional government officials. The Lake Titicaca Adventist Mission accepted the recognition in memory of Camacho and pioneer Adventist missionaries to Peru, Fernando and Ana Stahl. Members from local institutions, businesses and government attended the ceremony that recognized outstanding persons. Camacho r
Bangladesh: Two School Children Killed as Boat Sinks With 22 Dhaka, Bangladesh | 02.12.2004 | International Two children were killed when a boat transporting students of the Southern Musuria Seventh-day Adventist school sank. Twenty other students survived, officials report. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 24. After three days, searchers found the bodies of the young victims, ages 8 and 10. The cause of the accident is unknown. The teacher who piloted the craft left the village after residents attacked him. Local church leaders went to the nearby village, to visit
Adventist Center for Women Clergy at Andrews University Provides Support, Mentorship Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 02.12.2004 | International Addressing the need to provide for a growing enrollment of women in seminary classes, the Center for Women Clergy opened at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan in the United States in October. "Obtaining professional degrees is equally important to women as to men, so attending seminary is a logical next step following college," says Dr. Patricia Mutch, vice president for academic administration at the university. "Many of these women are also professionals from other fields who
Adventist Church Ordains First Native Pastor in Albania Tirana/Albania | 25.11.2004 | International Alban Matohiti became the first Albanian to be ordained as a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Albania. Twenty-nine year old Alban from Albania’s capital city Tirana was among the first group of Albanians to become Christians and join the Adventist church. Participating in the ordination service was Pastor David Currie, former Ministerial Secretary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans European region, who pioneered the work in Albania following the fall of Communism.
Rwanda: Resurrection A Goal For Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) Kigali, Rwanda | 21.11.2004 | International Ten years after a barbaric genocide swept through this Central African nation, the process of reconciliation and rebuilding continues. For Seventh-day Adventist church members -- who comprise one out of every 21 people in Rwanda -- that includes the "resurrection" of a cherished institution, the University of Central Africa in Rwanda, or AUCA. "We have chosen not to sit back and mourn the genocide," said Josef Szilvasi, chancellor of AUCA. "We are opting to be instruments in God's hands, and
Ivory Coast: Church Official Describes Life Under Siege Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 17.11.2004 | International Returning unharmed after spending five days in the heart of a clash between French troops and natives of Ivory Coast, Roscoe Howard, an associate secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, and also secretary of its North American region, told his story to colleagues at the church's headquarters on November 15. Howard said he appreciates both God's protection and the kindness of others in the midst of crisis. "I learned something about humanity" during the experience, Howard said. "
Adventist Church to Create Awareness of Child Abuse Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 17.11.2004 | International With the annual World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse coming up on November 19, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Children's Ministries department hopes to bring awareness to a problem that affects Adventist congregations. "In our churches [people] don't feel comfortable actually talking about abuse. ... But children are facing problems we feel that members need to be aware of," says Linda Koh, Children's Ministries director for the world church. "I suppose in our minds it's against o
Jamaica: 10,000 Adventists March Against Violence Kingston, Jamaica | 10.11.2004 | International More than 10,000 Seventh-day Adventist men, women and children marched through the streets of Kingston and St. Catherine, Jamaica, on November 6 (Saturday) bearing a message of hope and family unity. The march, said to be the largest ever on the island in the Caribbean Sea, kicked off a summit aimed at countering a steep rise in violence in Jamaica over the past 12 months. "Members from the Western and Eastern [regions] of the island came in buses, cars and motorcades to march with signs and
Adventist Church Joins Coalition Against Worldwide Human Trafficking Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 09.11.2004 | International APD In an effort to bring more attention to international human trafficking, often equated to modern-day slavery, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has joined a coalition of non-profit organizations dedicated to extinguishing this growing practice. Members of the church's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, met with Ralph Benko and Kari Rai, consultants to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on November 3. "Between 800,000 and 900,000 people fall victim
Egypt: New Adventist Church Dedicated; Leaders Meet Government Officials Dahasa, Egypt | 09.11.2004 | International Nearly 18 months after excavations for a neighbouring mosque caused the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dahasa, Upper Egypt to collapse, a new building was dedicated October 16. Sixty members will now worship in the new structure. Pastor Kjell Aune, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Egypt, dedicated the building in a two-and-one-half hour service that included the baptism of six new members and a celebration of the Lord's Supper. Sameh Doss, the local pastor, assisted the new
Ivory Coast: Adventist Leaders, Guests, Safe As Fighting Breaks Out Abidjan, Ivory Coast | 08.11.2004 | International Officials of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's world headquarters and Adventist Risk Management are safe in Abidjan following a weekend of violent clashes between mobs in Abidjan and French troops, following French retaliation for an Ivorian assault that killed nine French peacekeeping troops and an American aid worker. The church officials are expected to leave on Tuesday, November 9, to return home. Pastor Gerald Karst, a vice president of the Adventist world church, is reported as stayin
Russia: President Putin Meets Religious Leaders to Counter Terrorism Moscow/Russia | 20.10.2004 | International Nine religious leaders, including Pastor Vasily Stolyar, Seventh-day Adventist Church president for West Russia, were part of a September 29 summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which the state leader called on pastors to help stop terrorist activities by promoting tolerance and understanding. The meeting, held in the Kremlin's famed "Catherine's Hall," was the first involving religious leaders with President Putin in three years, Pastor Stolyar noted. "Your words and
Iraq: Synod of Chaldean Church in Baghdad postponed Baghdad/Iraq | 19.10.2004 | International Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel Delly decided to postpone the Synod of the Chaldean Church scheduled for October 19-21 in Baghdad, according to the news agency "AsiaNews". The decision became necessary as result of the increasing violence and worsening security situation in the country. The procurator of the Chaldean Church in Rome Philip Najim told AsiaNews of the decision stressing that it was made before the multiple attack against five Baghdad churches in the night from October 15 to 16. Ac
Five churches bombed in Baghdad, no casualties reported Baghdad/Iraq | 16.10.2004 | International A string of bombs exploded at five churches across Baghdad early Saturday though no casualties have been reported, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said. [img id=253 align=right]The explosions rang out in quick succession over an hour and half starting at 4:00 am (0100GMT) at St. Joseph Church in the Nafaq Al-Shurta area, said ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman. The other churches hit were St. Jacob's Church and St. George's Church in the Doura neighborhood, the Church of Rome in the Ka
USA: Southern Adventist University Professor Receives Fulbright Grant Collegedale, Tennesse/USA | 15.10.2004 | International Michael G. Hasel, professor at the Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennesse (USA), received the Fulbright Scholar grant for the 2004-2005 academic year. Hasel will be researching and writing the book The Name Equation: Designating Eastern Mediterranean People, Places and Polities in New Kingdom Egypt. Currently Hasel directs the Institute of Archaeology and is curator of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum. He will be conducting his research at the Cyprus-American Archae
Southern Asia-Pacific: Adventist Chaplaincy Department Braces Pastors on Crisis Situations Silang, Cavite, Philippines | 30.09.2004 | International Some 170 pastors and chaplains working in Myanmar and Indonesia received training in crisis intervention in two separate venues between Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. The first seminar was held in conjunction with the Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries' retreat at an Adventist university in Manado, in terror hard-hit Indonesia, while the other was at the Adventist headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Hospital, college and school chaplains within the Southern Asia-Pacific church area joined the first retreat
East Africa: New Adventist Church Leaders Prepared In Training Eldoret, Kenya | 30.09.2004 | International Developing a new generation of leaders is at the top the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Africa's agenda, reports Jules K K Lumbu, spokesman for the church in the region. A joint program of the 1978 established University of Eastern Africa - Baraton (Eldoret/Kenya) and the U.S. based Andrews University (Berrien Springs MI/USA), both connected with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is helping to prepare a new generation of leaders. September 23 saw the "proxy" graduation of 62 Master of
Philippines: Government Accredits Adventist Pastors as Healthy Lifestyle Promoters Manila, Philippines | 30.09.2004 | International The Philippines is set to activate church resources to improve lifestyle of its citizens, according to Jonathan C. Catolico, Seventh-day Adventist Church spokesman in the region. A three-day, government-sponsored seminar has led to the accreditation of 28 Seventh-day Adventist pastors and church workers as trainers for healthy lifestyle programs in the Philippines. The government's Department of Health sponsored and led the seminar. Dr. Judith Tawatao, technical program coordinator for t
Russia: Adventist Church, Government Seek to Help After Beslan Terrorist Killings Beslan, Northern Ossetia, Russia | 30.09.2004 | International Following the recent terrorist siege at a local school in Beslan, organizations and the local government are continuing efforts to help neighbors in the region. Seventh-day Adventist church leaders in the North Caucasus area and in the church's Euro-Asia region are bringing various forms of aid. "The Seventh-day Adventist Church [in the] North Caucasus [region] is doing everything possible to comfort people of Beslan and help in this situation. It is the most important work of the church at
Haiti/Dominican Republic: Church Mourns and Prepares to Rebuild After Hurricane Tragedy Gonaives, Haiti | 30.09.2004 | International "There is such a devastation here; [the] people need everything; people are dying, they need food, water, clothing and medicines," said Pastor Etzer Obas, president of the Adventist church in Haiti while assessing the aftermath of hurricane Jeanne which flooded and levelled parts of his country. "Flood waters are still present, and the people are mourning. They cannot bring people in the morgue, they cannot bury their dead, they cannot find their loved ones amidst the dead animals and bodies
Southern Asia-Pacific: Adventist Chaplaincy Department Braces Pastors on Crisis Situations Silang, Cavite, Philippines | 26.09.2004 | International Some 170 pastors and chaplains working in Myanmar and Indonesia received training in crisis intervention in two separate venues between Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. The first seminar was held in conjunction with the Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries' retreat at an Adventist university in Manado, in terror hard-hit Indonesia, while the other was at the Adventist headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Hospital, college and school chaplains within the Southern Asia-Pacific church area joined the first retreat
Adventist Describes Resistance to Rwanda Genocide; Pleads for Civil Society Washington, D.C., U.S.A., | 22.09.2004 | International At a time when world leaders including U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan are focusing their attention on a looming genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, a soft-spoken Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Carl Wilkens, told an audience of congressional staffers and human rights advocates that standing against the 1994 genocide in Rwanda "was the right thing to do." He then added a plea for a more civil tone in society, contending that even jokes that disparage others can be a portent of civil stri
Grenada: Two Adventist Church Members Killed, Church Hit Hard By Hurricane Ivan Grenville/Grenada | 16.09.2004 | International Hurricane Ivan's impact on Grenada included the deaths of two Seventh-day Adventist church members, looting of the local church headquarters, and the destruction of the church's two schools and half of its 37 church buildings. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grenada has more than 10,000 members, officials report. Funeral services for an Adventist mother and daughter were held on September 11. On that same day, Adventist leaders from the church's Caribbean region visited Grenada to meet wi
Iraq: No Injuries As Car Bomb Explodes Outside Baghdad Adventist Church Baghdad, Iraq | 16.09.2004 | International A car packed with an estimated 330 pounds (150 kilograms) of dynamite was detonated outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Baghdad late Friday night September 10. While there were no services in progress at the time, a guard was present on the church compound and escaped unhurt. "Details are still sketchy, but it appears to have been a deliberate attack on the church since there are no other significant targets on the side that was bombed," says Homer Trecartin, secretary-treasurer for
Adventist Named One Of Most Influential U.S. Foreign Policy Makers Washington D.C.,/U.S.A. | 16.09.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventist U.S. Congressman Roscoe G. Bartlett has been named one of the 500 most influential people in United States foreign policy by the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), a non-partisan international affairs system. Each person’s influence is determined by their impact on broad national opinion through their prominence, their writings, public presentations, media appearances, and their influence on government decision-makers. Within government, this influence derives fro
Rwanda: In Rebuilt Adventist Church, Satellite Series Yields 10,000 Baptisms | 03.09.2004 | International The just-concluded ACTS* 2004 evangelistic series in the Rwandan capital yielded a large number of new Seventh-day Adventist church members - more than 10,000 at last count. However, that's not the only residual effect of the campaign. Thanks to efforts by Adventist broadcast ministry It Is Written, the church's East-Central Africa region and local church leaders in Rwanda, the Remera Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a suburb of Kigali about five miles from the city center, was refurbished a
Blast rocks Kabul foreign quarter Kabul, Afghanistan | 29.08.2004 | International At least seven people have been killed by a powerful explosion building in the Shar-e-Naw area in central Kabul, where aid agencies are also located, Afghan officials say. The blast went off near a building housing a private US security firm that works for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the officials said. The blast also destroyed several vehicles and damaged buildings in the area, housing a number of aid agencies, including two buildings of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA
Adventist Member of Parliament speaks in Fiji Suva Fiji | 26.08.2004 | International A Seventh-day Adventist minister who is also a Member of Parliament in Hawaii has shared his testimony with church members holding public office in Fiji. Pastor David Pendelton spoke at a seminar for Adventists in government about balancing the demands of ministry and of politics. "He has survived four election campaigns in his eight years in parliament," says Pastor Ray Coombe, the director of public affairs and religious liberty for the church in the South Pacific. Pastor Pendelton co
Russia: Adventist Church Burns In Midnight Blaze; Investigation Continues Rostov-on-Don, North Caucasus, Russia | 26.08.2004 | International An investigation is continuing into the middle-of-the-night August 20 blaze that destroyed a Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Rostov-on-Don in the Northern Caucasus region. The fire, which started at or near midnight, saw the arrival of firefighters 10 minutes later. However, efforts to contain the blaze took more than four hours, and were not totally successful: after pronouncing the fire "liquidated" at 4:30 a.m. local time, the roof reignited four and one-half hours later. Fire
Cuba/Florida: Adventists Aid Community In Hurricane Charley's Aftermath Punta Gorda, Florida, USA | 23.08.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventists and their neighbours are teaming up to provide relief and comfort to victims of Hurricane Charley, which struck August 12 in Cuba and the next day, August 13, in Florida (USA). At least 22 people are confirmed dead in that state, with another five reported dead in the Caribbean. Estimates of property damage are in the billions of U.S. dollars, as the hurricane flattened entire communities. "We plan to be here for three weeks at least and plan to rebuild people's lives
West Africa: 3,000 Adventist Women Gather For International Congress Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast | 19.08.2004 | International More than 3,000 women from countries in West and Central Africa gathered in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast, for a first-ever international congress of Seventh-day Adventist women from the region. The event was held August 8 to 15. About 30 tents were set up in the city stadium but even these cannot house all of the women who came to Grand Bassam to take part. Fasting, prayer and a communion service were the essence of the first day's events. "I have never seen such a great number of people pa
Russia: Youth Congress Draws 1,000 With A Renewal of Christian Commitment Zaoksky, Tula Region, Russia | 19.08.2004 | International An estimated 1,000 young adults from the 12 nations of the of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Euro-Asia region gathered in the town of Zaoksky, approximately 80 miles (100 km) south of Moscow, for a youth congress that ended with a massive renewal of Christian commitment. "During this congress I realized that I love my church and saw that the church loves me and does many things for me," said one young man. Others came forward for baptism and to serve as pastors or bible instructors. Stil
Christian Churches Bombed In Iraq –Adventists Spared But On High Alert Baghdad, Iraq | 11.08.2004 | International The world watches in stunned dismay at the carnage and chaos that continues to plague Iraq. Only the other week, several churches in different parts of Iraq were the targets of bomb attacks, killing a number of people. Seventh-day Adventist Churches were spared, but leaders remain on high alert. Threats against other churches have increased concerns which led to a decision to cancel worship services for Saturday (Sabbath) August 7. One week earlier, Adventist Church leaders had announced a speci
Greece: Adventist Church Grows to 500 Members, Nine Churches Athens, Greece | 11.08.2004 | International With attention firmly focused on Greece in the midst of the Athens Olympic Games, the small Seventh-day Adventist Church community in Greece is planning renewed evangelistic energy as their nation winds down after this national and international event. "We decided not to have any special program during the Olympics," says Pastor Apostolos Maglis, president of the Adventist Greek Mission. "Those whose jobs will be affected by the Olympics will stay in the city and work 8 am to 9 pm every day.
Poland: European Youth Congress Draws 3,000 From 30 Countries Wroclaw, Poland | 11.08.2004 | International Over 3,000 young people from 30 nations converged on the 'Hala Ludowa' hall in Wroclaw, Poland, center for the European Youth Congress from August 4 to 8, 2004. The youth meeting was jointly organized by Paul Tompkins and Corrado Cozzi, Youth directors for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-Europe and Euro-Africa regions together with a large team of helpers. Under the theme, 'Time 4 Action', it was a call for young people to commit themselves to the Lord. Bertil Wiklander, president
U.S. Wal-Mart Retailer Buys Almost 60'000 of The Passion of Love From Adventist Printer Bentonville, Arkansas/USA | 05.08.2004 | International By the end of August 2004, U.S. shoppers will be able to stop by their local Wal-Mart to pick up The Passion of Love, which is compiled from 13 of the last chapters of the book The Desire of Ages, written by the well-known Christian author and co-founder of world-wide mainstream protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ellen G. White (1827-1915). The book was produced and printed by the privately owned printing company Remnant Publications, and it will soon be available in both English and Spani
Solomon Islands: Ecumenical Use of Adventist Sabbath School Material Buala, Santa Isabel Solomon Islands | 02.08.2004 | International Members of other Christian denominations on Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands are using Seventh-day Adventist Church-produced materials in their children's Sunday schools. Deku Enoch introduced the new GraceLink Sabbath School curriculum at workshops organised by 200 Adventist women from Guadalcanal daily in the town of Buala and in villages along the coast during a visit to the island, June 7-12. The mission of the GraceLink Sabbath School curriculum is to help children joyfully experie
Report: Adventist Lay Ministers Lack Training In The Pacific Islands Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia | 02.08.2004 | International More than half the volunteers who are serving as Seventh-day Adventist ministers in the Pacific islands are not equipped to fulfil the role expected of them, a new report shows. Author Dr Brad Kemp, the director of leadership and Pacific resources for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, estimates that almost 70 per cent of the more than 470 church members serving as volunteer ministers in the Pacific islands need in-service training and that more than 50 per cent have recei
Adventist Youths From South Pacific To Gather For Church Congress In Fiji Suva, Fiji | 24.07.2004 | International More then 4500 youths of the Seventh Day Adventist Church from around the South Pacific region will meet in Suva in what is expected to be a major boost for the country, according to a news report from the Fiji Times. The youths from Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji are expected to be part of the 2004 Youth Congress from December 30 to January 4, 2005. Trans Pacific Union Youth Director Fred Toailoa s
Chamberlain Case: Baby Azaria mystery deepens Perth, Western Australia, Australia | 19.07.2004 | International By Sheree Went Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton is reportedly examining a claim that a "fair-skinned woman" aged in her 20s is living with a group of Aboriginal people in the remote Western Desert. Lindy investigates theory Azaria living with Aborigines Journalist Ray Martin said last night Mrs Chamberlain-Creighton was looking into the claim, made by a Seventh Day Adventist minister. Martin, who made the claim on Channel Nine's A Current Affair, did not elaborate, and there was no comment f
Australian Adventist Evangelist Popular in Singapore Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia | 16.07.2004 | International A lifestyle series presented by an Australian Seventh-day Adventist evangelist has proved popular in Singapore. Average attendance for each of the programs in Pastor Peter Jack's Taking Charge series ranged from 150 to 290 over three months. The Adventist Media evangelist presented the programs at the Singapore Conference Hall and the Singapore Power Auditorium. "An Australian-based life management presenter working in Singapore at the time attended all the programs with his Singapore-base
Greece: Romanian-Speaking Adventist Church Established in Athens Athens, Greece | 16.07.2004 | International A new Adventist church was established in Athens on June 26 consisting mainly of Romanian Seventh-day Adventists working in Greece. There are more than 80 members in the congregation some of whom became Adventists as a result of the missionary activity of their Romanian country-fellows living in Athens. The first Romanian Adventists to arrive in 1997 formed a Bible School class and by 2001 they already numbered 20 members. Two evangelistic series were organized resulting in 14 persons being bapt
First Iraqi Adventist Death Mosul, Iraq | 16.07.2004 | International On July 11 (Sunday) a Seventh-day Adventist mother of three (the eldest only 11) was travelling to a relative’s wedding in Mosul. At some point an American convoy began to pass her vehicle. Just as it did, something in front of the convoy exploded. Immediately the soldiers began firing in all directions and our sister was one of the ones hit by the flying bullets. One of her children was also injured. Today they buried her in Mosul. Homer Trecartin, Secretary-Treasurer of the Seventh-day Adv
Adventist World Church: Hope 4 The Big Cities Campaign Raises Goals Silver Spring, Maryland, USA | 14.07.2004 | International "Hope 4 The Big Cities," a proposed worldwide urban outreach by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is raising its goals, hoping to reach out to even more large cities than originally planned. From an original initial proposal to engage the church in special evangelism efforts in 13 cities, at least 60 are now being targeted and more than 100 new congregations are planned for those cities, church leaders say. In 1950, only 18 percent of developing countries' populations lived in cities; soon,
United Kingdom: Adventists, Others Concerned Over Proposed London, United Kingdom | 14.07.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventist church leaders in the United Kingdom -- and others -- are concerned about a proposed "religious hatred" legislation called for July 7 by David Blunkett, the British Home Secretary. "We also need to acknowledge the risk that extremists of every kind -- whether political or religious -- will try to use this sense of insecurity to promote their objectives. That is what they want: to play on people's legitimate fears to create division and destroy the mutuality on which our
Chamberlains Tragedy: Azaria still a vestige of human frailty Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 12.07.2004 | International Nearly 24 years after her death, news of missing infant Azaria Chamberlain can elicit fervour throughout Australian society, writes Gary Tippet. Years ago America's most dysfunctional family visited Australia, outraging the nation so severely that the worst offender was condemned to receive a traditional public Booting. Bart Simpson's response? "Hey, I think I hear a dingo eatin' your baby." Back in New York, Seinfeld's Elaine insults a stranger in similar terms. On the West Coast, one
Sudan: Darfur Adventists 'In A Dire and Desperate Situation' Darfur, Sudan | 12.07.2004 | International Concern is mounting over the increasingly desperate humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan, according to Paul Yithak, secretary for the Adventist Church in Sudan. "Thank God no one [among our church members] was killed or injured; however, they are in a dire and desperate situation." In a July 8 e-mail to the church's regional Middle East headquarters, Yithak expressed his anguish that Adventists from the church in Nyala province "have no access to help." Around 50,000
Russia: Anti-Semitic Vandals Deface Adventist Seminary Zaokski, Tula Region, Russia, | 25.06.2004 | International The Federal Security Service and local police are investigating an act of anti-Semitic vandalism following an attack on the Zaokski Theological Seminary, a Seventh-day Adventist institution, June 17. In the early morning hours, Russian-language slogans such as "Death to Jews", "There is no space for you here," "Russia for Russians," "Jewish sect get out of Russia," were painted on Seminary buildings and a recently paved sidewalk, along with Nazi symbols such as the swastika and the words "sk
U.S. City of St. Louis to Host Seventh-day Adventist Church 2005 World Session St. Louis, Missouri, USA | 23.06.2004 | International The 58th world session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will bring an international flavour to St. Louis, Missouri, the heart of the United States of America. The gathering will be representative of the 25 million-strong Adventist family from around the globe, and will meet under a theme of "Transformed in Christ." Convening the session will be Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the church, who shared his expectation that the meeting will be a "time of wonderful fellowship and spiritua
Turkmenistan: Adventist Church Is First State-Registered Congregation, Five Years After Building Was Destroyed Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 02.06.2004 | International Call them Number One--officially, Number 0001, the registration number granted Seventh-day Adventists in this central Asian nation on June 1, making them the first Protestant Christian congregation to gain such status in Turkmenistan. Five years after it bulldozed a Seventh-day Adventist Church building, the government of Turkmenistan has officially recognized the small group of believers remaining. Adventists are the first Protestant congregation to be registered by the country's Ministry of
Sudan: Darfur Crisis Deepens As Adventist Churches Are Destroyed Darfur, Sudan | 30.05.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Abu Garajil and Juruf districts of the Darfur region of western Sudan have been destroyed during the escalating humanitarian and security crisis unfolding there, church leaders say. "Our members have been displaced. They are without food, clothing or shelter to sleep under," reports William Kabi Oliver, a pastor and district leader for the Adventist Church in the area. In spite of their difficulties and constant threat to personal security, Oliver sa
Christians Plan Day Of Prayer For Children Around The World San Jose, Costa Rica | 29.05.2004 | International Christians around the world will pause on June 5, the World Wide Day of Prayer for Children at Risk, to remember children on the streets, children abused by their families, children serving in armies, children forced into prostitution, children who are malnourished, children everywhere who need the help of others who care. Worldwide, Christians will gather in churches, schools and at home to pray for these children and seek the Lord's guidance in ministering to them. There will be prayer e
Denmark: New Adventist Church Leaders And Strong Support For Youth Evangelism Himmerlandsgården, Denmark | 26.05.2004 | International At the General Assembly of the Danish Union of Adventist Churches (Syvende Dags Adventistkirken i Denmark), which took place from May 19-23 at the Danish Union youth campsite, Himmerlandsgården, near Jylland in Western Denmark, delegates elected a new church leadership and executive committee for the Danish Adventist Church. Under the session motto "United in Mutual Care for Each Other" delegates voted for an enlargement of the administrative level, having three officers instead of the regu
Adventist Year Of Evangelism For Children Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia | 18.05.2004 | International Children will have an opportunity to make a commitment to Jesus Christ during the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Year of Evangelism this year. The church's Kids Light Up Your World initiative "involves reaching out to children in the community and children using their gifts to witness to others," says Julie Weslake, the new director of children's ministries for the Adventist church in the South Pacific. "[Church founder] Ellen White assures us children aged from eight to 10 are not too you
Brazilian Census 2000 Shows Revealing Data About Religion Brasilia, Brazil | 16.05.2004 | International The largest group of Brazilian Christians are between 30 and 39 years of age, followed by those aged 40-49, according to the 2000 Demographic Census. This is true both for Catholics and for Protestants, whether they are members of mission, historic or Pentecostal Churches. The data forms part of the results about the population by religion and by age groups, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in the 2000 Demographic Census. Among those who say t
Spanish Interior Ministry Project Unsettles Religious Leaders Madrid, Spain | 15.05.2004 | International A proposal from the Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso, to create a "registry of religious activities," supervising who is responsible for the worship services and what type of services are carried out "fills us with an undeniable concern," said Juame Llenas, general secretary of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE). The majority of Islamic associations present in Spain also repudiated the minister’s declarations. However, Monear Mahmoud, Imam of the Mosque of Madrid, the larges
U.S. Evangelist Billy Graham Admitted To Mission Hospitals Asheville, North Carolina, USA | 15.05.2004 | International Evangelist Billy Graham was admitted to Mission Hospitals in Asheville, NC for evaluation and treatment of injuries from a fall he suffered early morning, May 14. Reverend Graham had been home recovering from a partial hip replacement performed January 6 at Mayo Clinic's St. Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. His orthopaedic surgeon stated that he was in stable condition and that preliminary tests indicated a possible hairline fracture to the pelvis. Further tests will he performed to
China: Seventh-day Adventist Church Leaders Visit State Officials, Believers Beijing, China, | 09.05.2004 | International A 10-day visit by leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist world church to the People's Republic of China, April 22 to May 2, connected the delegation with local Adventists, as well as with government officials overseeing religious work in the world's most populous nation. Pastor Matthew Bediako, general secretary of the world church, headed the Adventist delegation. Dr. Lyn Behrens, president of Loma Linda University Medical Centre, was part of the group, as was Dr. Jairong Lee, president of th
Continuing Vandalism And Church Attack In Serbian Cities: Hatred Anti-Albanian, Anti-Semitic and Anti-Hungarian Graffiti Novi Sad, Serbia | 07.05.2004 | International Acts of vandalism were committed on different buildings of Novi Sad, in the Vojvodina province of Serbia on the last few days. According to the Serb media, the graffiti contained threats and Nazi symbols. The independent news service "Kosovonews" reports that slogans such as "Shiptars out of Serbia" (Shiptar is a Serb derogatory term for Albanians), "Kosovo is Serbia", "Serbia to Serbs only", "Expel all Hungarians from Serbia" and symbols like the Star of David with swastikas on top were wri
Pregnancy and Childbirth the Leading Cause of Death for Teen Girls in the Developing World Washington D.C:/U.S.A, | 04.05.2004 | International More than 1 million infants – and an estimated 70,000 adolescent mothers – die each year in the developing world because young girls are marrying and having children before they are physically ready for parenthood, according to the fifth annual State of the World’s Mothers report issued today by Save the Children, a leading U.S.-based global independent humanitarian organization. The report includes an Early Motherhood Risk Ranking that identifies 50 countries where motherhood is most devast
Adventist U.S. Soldier Dies in Iraq Newark, N.J./USA | 30.04.2004 | International The Adventist Press Service (APD) has learned that Army Spec. Frank K. Rivers, Jr., of Newark, New Jersey, (USA) is the first reported Seventh-day Adventist to die in military service in Iraq. [img id=129 align=right] Rivers, 23, enlisted following graduation from high school in 1999. He died April 14 after collapsing during physical training exercises in Iraq, according to a report in the Washington Post on April 17. Army officials said the cause of his death is being investigated. Activ
Germany: Mennonite Couple Face Critical Situation:- Siamese Twins to be Separated Hamburg/Germany | 27.04.2004 | International An evangelical couple in Germany is facing a life-and-death-situation. Their two daughters, Lea and Tabea, are Siamese twins. This summer, Ben Carson, an American pediatric neurosurgeon and expert in separating conjoined twins, will attempt to separate the two children, grown together at their skulls. For reasons of personal Christian faith, abortion was never an option for parents Nelly and Peter, reported German reporter Frank Ochmann in an interview with "idea television", a news program broa
Italy: Prime Minister Berlusconi Meets With Italian Adventist Church President Altin Rome/Italy | 23.04.2004 | International The Italian Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the president of the Italian Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Churches (Unione Italiana delle Chiese Cristiane Avventiste del 7° Giorno), Pastor Lucio Altin, signed an agreement concerning the recognition of the Degree in Theology attained at the Adventist Theological Faculty, Institute of Biblical Culture "Villa Aurora", in Florence, which replaces the current agreement with this Protestant mainstream church. The new text of the agreement – a m
Adventist World Church: Resources To Be Evaluated For Next Five Years Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A | 21.04.2004 | International With 111 people joining the Seventh-day Adventist Church every hour, world church leaders are weighing the impact of this growth, as well as how to respond. Michael L. Ryan, a general vice president of the church and head of its Global Mission initiative, used a suggested theme of "Tell The World" to cast a vision for mission to delegates at the church leadership's Spring Meeting 2004 on April 14. "We have certain values that guide us as a church," Ryan explained to ANN in an interview.
Adventists make impact at Australian Gospel Music Festival Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | 18.04.2004 | International Seventh-day Adventists had a strong presence at the Australian Gospel Music Festival (AGMF) in Toowoomba, Queensland, over Easter. Adventist musicians, stall holders, worship service coordinators and volunteers were all part of the festival, which in its sixth year has grown to become the largest of its kind in Australia. More than 30,000 people attended AGMF over three days. The up-front Adventists were the musicians, including "ep" (Endless Praise) returning for a second year, children's mu
Adventist Church: Proposed New Fundamental Belief Statement Voted for Study Silver Spring, Maryland, USA | 18.04.2004 | International "Growing in Christ," a proposed addition to the "Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists," will be studied by world church leaders, pastors and lay members in the coming months, the Adventist Church's spring meeting of leaders voted unanimously April 14. A draft of the new statement will be presented to the Church's Annual Council, held in October. If approved, it will then be circulated for comment and discussion in advance of the 2005 General Conference Session to be held in St. Loui
Iraq: Adventist Church Holds Year-End Meetings Despite Nation Baghdad, Iraq, | 16.04.2004 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iraq held its 2003 year-end committee meeting on April 7, the delay due to turmoil in the nation. While everyday life have has become increasingly difficult in Iraq over the past couple few weeks, the committee still met, voting several initiatives for the future. In earlier years, the church in Iraq operated several Adventist schools in major cities, but they have been forced to close. In view of a changing climate and possible new freedoms, the committee
Remembering Rwanda.... New York, N.Y., USA / Geneva/Switzerland | 07.04.2004 | International It was exactly 10 years ago when many in the international world watched helplessly as children, fathers, mothers, and grandparents were slaughtered in what is considered one of the greatest crimes against humanity in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1994, over 800,000 people were murdered in one hundred days. Known as "the land of a thousand hills," Rwanda is a tiny country of only 26,000 square kilometers (about the size of Maryland) with a pre-genocide population of seven mill
Adventist Church: High Aims as 2005 World Session Offering, Campaign to Offer "Hope for Big Cities" Silver Spring, Maryland, USA | 06.04.2004 | International The Seventh-day Adventist Church will focus on expanding its presence in large cities around the world from funds raised at next year’s church world session, which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, June 29 - July 9, 2005. Each of the Adventist Church’s 13 world administrative regions will choose a city in an initiative called "Hope for Big Cities." "We aren’t just going in there with a big campaign," says Matthew Bediako, secretary for the world church and chairman of the "Hope for B
Peruvian Parliamentary forum emphasizes educational work of Adventist missionary Lima, Peru | 05.04.2004 | International Congress representatives and Peruvian intellectuals and from other countries attended a forum held in the legislative palace in homage of Fernando A. Stahl (1874-1950), considered the father of rural education in Peru. Congresswoman Graciela Yanarico, organizer of the forum "Genesis of Rural Education in Peru" said she could not help but express her profound gratitude to Stahl. She considers herself to be the fruit of this education and the efforts of a man who opted to leave the comforts of
North America: Adventist Church recognized by slim majority Silver Spring, Maryland, USA | 22.03.2004 | International A majority of North Americans surveyed have heard of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but some of them have the denomination confused with other religious groups. A survey taken over several months last year found that 56 percent of respondents had heard or read about the denomination, according to a new report by the North American Division (NAD) of the Adventist Church. That marks an increase from the most recent survey done by the church, in 1994, when 53 percent of respondents indicated
International Women New York, NY., USA | 16.03.2004 | International Celebrating International Women's Day on March 8, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on all men to assume the responsibilities that would reduce the "terrifying pattern" of HIV/AIDS infection among the world's women. Such responsibilities "would be ensuring education for their daughters; abstaining from sexual behaviour that puts others at risk; forgoing relations with girls and very young women; and understanding that when it comes to violence against women, there are no grou
Adventist Church supports UN plan to promote women's peace in the Pacific Wahroonga, N.S.W., Australia | 15.03.2004 | International Wahroonga, N.S.W., Australia, 15.03.2004/ANN/APD The Seventh-day Adventist Church is supporting a plan by the United Nations (UN) to promote women's peace and security in the Pacific islands. Joy Butler, Rose Howson and Bronwyn Mison, all departmental directors or managers at the Seventh-day Adventist church in the South Pacific's head office, attended a breakfast organised by the UN's Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Sydney on March 8 to raise money for the plan. "I believe it i
Spain: Adventist Church Mourns As Victims Are Identified Madrid, Spain | 15.03.2004 | International Pablo Sánchez Lucas, of the Adventist Church (Unión de Iglesias Cristianas Adventistas del Séptimo Día de España) headquarters in Madrid, asked for prayer for the victims of the apparent terrorist attack on March 11. [img id=78 align=right]Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Spain are mourning the loss of at least two of their fellow believers, who are among the 200 killed in coordinated bomb attacks in and around Madrid on March 11. One member, 27-year-old Nicoleta Diac, had been identif
Haiti: Adventist Facilities Affected by Looting Miami, Florida, USA | 02.03.2004 | International As chaos erupts in the wake of Haiti’s Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s presidential resignation, looting and other violent activities in the capital city of Port-au-Prince have affected Haitian Adventist Hospital and the Adventist university, both minutes from the city’s downtown. According to Pastor Israel Leito, president for the church in Inter-America, who has been in contact with church leaders in Port-au-Prince, there was looting February 29 in the vicinity of the hospital and university. "Th
Haiti: Worship Services Continue Amid Political Violence Miami, Florida, USA | 25.02.2004 | International While there are news reports that rebels in Haiti threaten to overtake the capital city of Port-of-Prince, Seventh-day Adventist members continue to worship. With a membership of more than 260,000 adult baptized Adventists, Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, said although communication in some areas has been scarce, he is in touch with church leaders in Haiti. "There are no casualties among members, and our properties have been spared thus far," said Leito. "Com
Pierre Lanarès, a Jurist and Champion of Religious Liberty, died aged 92 Berne/Switzerland | 18.02.2004 | International Pierre Lanarès, a jurist and champion of religious liberty, died in Clapiers, Southern France, on February 2, 2004, aged 92. Born 1912 in Madagascar, he worked for more than 44 years in different positions in the Seventh-day Adventist Church: in Madagascar, France and Switzerland. Pierre Lanarès studied Law in Paris, got his Ph.D in Geneva, and graduated from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Faculty at Collonges-sous-Salève, France. He worked as a pastor, school principal, church leader,
Adventist Church Representative Condemns Death Penalty For Conversion Geneva/Switzerland | 18.02.2004 | International According to a statement made at the 59th Session of the Commission on Human Rights on March 15, 2003, by the Seventh-day Adventist Church's United Nations Liaison Office, ‘enforcing the death penalty for changing one's religion or belief is the most extreme form of religious intolerance’. [img id=56 align=right]In 2004, the Adventist Church expect to raise the issue again at the Human Rights Commission's 60th Session. They are also seeking the support of member organizations of the Committe
Adventist Church To Open Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva Geneva/Switzerland | 04.01.2004 | International The opening of a Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva in January 2004 marks a historical development for the UN Liaison office of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. This month an internship program starts at the UN Commission for Human Rights in Geneva. Until now the activities of the UN Liaison Office in New York and Geneva were mainly directed from the New York office. Its mandate is to provide a channel of communication and influence at the United Nations, working with the ma
ANN: Highlights from the 2003 news reports Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A. | 31.12.2003 | International In 2003, membership in the Seventh-day Day Adventist Church surpassed 13.3 million people, with some 700,000 new members. An estimated 20 million people overall, members and non-members, attend Adventist Church worship services each week. This year also saw the launch of Sow 1 Billion--an ambitious world church initiative to print and distribute 1,000 million invitations to study the Bible. Five hundred million of the small brochures in many languages have already been printed. While chur
Adventists Participate In Memorial Ceremony For UN Staff New York, NY./U.S.A | 06.11.2003 | International As part of the events marking United Nations day on October 24, Adventists participated in a memorial ceremony at UN headquarters in New York that honoured fallen UN staff. The newly-constructed memorial was unveiled by Patel Noble, the only Seventh-day Adventist serving on the UN Security Staff. "Remember here those who gave their lives for peace," are the words inscribed in six languages on a wall of crystal glass that is the centrepiece of the memorial that also includes 191 stepping ston
Adventist World Church: Global Mission Experts Discuss Cross-Cultural Communication Loma Linda, California, U.S.A. | 14.12.2003 | International Directors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Global Mission religious study centers and other mission experts met December 3 to 5 in Loma Linda, (California, U.S.A.), to share reports and discuss future directions for Adventist relations with other religions. The religious study centers -- operated by the Adventist Church -- explore ways of building bridges to the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist communities, as well as to those who profess no faith. “The purpose of the centers is to p
Korea: Adventists Fear Negative Impact of Court Ruling on Conscientious Objectors Seoul, South Korea | 10.12.2003 | International Seventh-day Adventists who wish to maintain a non-combatant status may have greater difficulty in dealing with Korea’s military service requirements following a Seoul District Criminal Court ruling last week. A 25-year-old man, identified only as “Mr. Lee,” was fined 2 million Korean Won, or USD 1,670, by the court after Lee refused to attend reserve military training. The man was said to be a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a group whose members refuse military service. “According to the
Church Continues Religious Freedom Promotion at United Nations New York, N.Y., U.S.A | 10.12.2003 | International The Adventist Church is continuing to make contacts at the United Nations to fight for religious freedom. “We have a direct personal interest in promoting religious freedom,” says Jonathan Gallagher, United Nations liaison for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “Freedom of conscience has always been vitally important to us.” The church is dedicated to promoting religious freedom because many Adventists are the ones who suffer, says Gallagher. This year the church’s U.N. liaison office con
Adventist Religious Liberty Delegation Visits Laos Viangchan (Vientienne), Laos | 10.12.2003 | International Officials in Laos view religious freedom and support for Christian churches as good for the country, so long as recognized religions support the state. That’s the encouraging statement from the vice president of the “Front for Construction” in the Laotian government and his associate, who is director of the Ministry of Religion for this southeast Asian nation. Dr. John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists led the visiting del
Russia: Adventists Among Casualties at Lumumba University Fire Moscow, Russia | 25.11.2003 | International Two Seventh-day Adventist Church members--Ivan Ostrovsky, 18, from Brazil, and Juan Carlos Patamala from Peru, believed to be either 18 or 19--were among those injured or missing in an early-morning fire Nov. 24 that raced through a university dormitory, church sources reported today. Press reports indicate at least 32 people were killed and 139 injured in the dormitory, which was jammed with students from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Ostrovsky, who arrived at the Peoples Friendship Unive
Adventist Representatives Meet Cypriot President Nicosia/Cyprus | 06.11.2003 | International Two Seventh-day Adventist Church world representatives, Dr. John Graz and Dr. Bert Beach, were among a delegation of 22 members of the Christian World Communions, or CWC, who met with the president of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, on Oct. 21. The Cypriot leader received a plaque from Graz and told the church leaders of the urgent need for cooperation and reconciliation in Cyprus, which has been divided by ethnic conflict since 1975. During the CWC session, Dr. Beach, who served as secretary of th
North America: Service Response to California Wildfires Thousand Oaks, California/USA, | 06.11.2003 | International With over 100,000 church members residing in the areas threatened by two weeks of wildfires, Seventh-day Adventists in Southern California reached out to neighbors in need during the recent conflagrations. Loma Linda University's vice president for public affairs, W. Augustus Cheatham, says the school provided 24-hour, free medical services for the more than 1,000 people encamped at San Bernardino International Airport. Volunteer personnel included physicians, psychiatrists, counselors, nurse
Africa: Church Conference Aims to "Destigmatize" HIV/AIDS Myths Narirobi, Kenya | 06.11.2003 | International Focusing on prevention and control of the spreading epidemic of HIV/AIDS will be the theme for a conference to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 10 to 13. "There's an ignorance about AIDS, [an] ignorance about transmission. There are myths that are being propagated," says Dr. Peter Landless, associate health ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He says the conference is to destigmatize the myths about HIV/AIDS by bringing an understanding of the disease. "[We want to giv
Iraq: Baghdad Red Cross Bombing Shatters Adventist Church Windows Baghdad, Iraq | 29.10.2003 | International A powerful explosion outside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross Oct. 27 blew out most of the windows of the Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church, situated just 200 meters (660 feet) away. "Our office staff were already at work in the building when the bomb went off at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning," reported Basim Fargo, secretary-treasurer of the Adventist Church in Iraq. Speaking by mobile phone just a few hours after the explosion, Fargo said the blinds
Noncombatancy: Adventist Theologian Reaffirms Church Silver Spring, Maryland, USA | 08.10.2003 | International The noncombatancy position held by Seventh-day Adventists has been given attention by the church's Biblical Research Institute. In the October issue of its newsletter, Reflections, Dr. Ekkehardt Mueller, associate director of BRI, addresses the issue of noncombatancy in the wake of the recent war in Iraq. The article restates the church's long-held view on the issue--it advocates noncombatancy. "In different parts of the world church the Iraqi war and other events have triggered a lively dis
Iraq: Adventist Church Members Get Visit From Headquarters Attorney Baghdad, Iraq | 14.08.2003 | International For the first time since the war in Iraq began, Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Baghdad received an official visit by an attorney from the Adventist world church headquarters who offered encouragement as well as aid on religious liberty matters. Noting that 150 people braved heat, traffic and post-war confusion to reach the Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church on August 2 to hear a sermon by Mitchell A. Tyner, an associate general counsel for the world church. He said the building w
Malawi: Believers Safe, Church Damaged After Anti-Christian Rioting Mangochi, Malawi | 02.07.2003 | International Five hundred Seventh-day Adventists in Mangochi, a town near Lake Malawi, are grateful that a day of rioting June 27 only damaged their church buildings. The riots, caused by Muslims protesting the deportation of suspected al Qaeda terrorists by Malawi, resulted in the burning of a Roman Catholic Church in Mangochi, as well as the local office of Save the Children, a charity. According to Adventist church officials, the two Adventist church buildings chiefly suffered shattered windows, while
Turks & Caicos: Adventist Mission Office and Home of President Destroyed by Fire Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos | 02.07.2003 | International An arrest has been made in what local police are calling an arson fire at the office of the Turks & Caicos Mission of Seventh-day Adventists on May 21. The flames burned most of the inside structure of the office and the adjacent home of the local church leader. No one was injured. Pastor Peter Kerr, president of the church in the Turks and Caicos Islands, was attending executive meetings of the church's Inter-American Division when the fire occurred. His wife was working at the church's prim
Iraq Update: Street In Baghdad Where Adventist Church Located Is Shelled Nikosia, Cyprus | 15.04.2003 | International Reports monitored on April 6 at 1815 GMT from the Al Jazeera satellite television channel have stated that Al Nidal Street, where the Baghdad Seventh-day Adventist Church is situated has been shelled. There is no confirmation as to which stretch of the three-kilometre road was hit. Normally, no church services held at this time on Sunday nights. As the ground war has now reached Baghdad some Iraqi workers at the Middle East Union (MEU) office in Nicosia, Cyprus, also observed television pictu
United Nations: Adventist Church Reaffirms Commitment to Peace and Justice at Commission on Human Rights Geneva, Switzerland | 15.04.2003 | International Religion must not be used as an instrument of terror, was the message delivered by representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in a statement during the 59th Session of the Commission on Human Rights meeting at the United Nations in Geneva. In a prepared statement read to the commission on April 3, Dr. Gianfranco Rossi, Geneva U.N. representative for the church, reaffirmed the church's commitment to the principles of peace and justice. Rossi affirmed that it was "madness to use rel
WAR AND PEACE IN IRAQ | 30.03.2003 | International SPECIAL FEATURE From the Editor of ADVENTIST REVIEW WAR AND PEACE IN IRAQ By William G. Johnsson For months it has loomed as inevitable, now it is here--war with Iraq. The peace seems anything but inevitable. As I write the war has begun: bombs are falling, missiles hurtling through the air. The tanks roll, ground forces follow. Men and women are dying; more will die. Some will be American, British, and Australian military personnel. Some are Iraqi soldiers and airmen. Many w
In a Time of War | 20.03.2003 | International Ongoing coverage of the Adventist Church's response to the war in Iraq. This week special Adventist Review features include, "War and Peace in Iraq," by Review editor William G. Johnsson; news about Adventists still worshiping in Baghdad; the Seventh-day Adventist Church's statement on the War in Iraq; comments by GC President on possible war with Iraq, given in October, 2002; and "A Seventh-day Adventist Call to Peace," an official statement voted during the Spring Meeting 2002 of the General
