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 partners with all who have chosen to bring hope to the people of Rwanda."

Responding to demands from both the church membership and general public, AUCA's activities have resumed, on a very small plot of land in the capital city of Kigali. Although the land available isn't really enough for even a primary, or grade school, dedicated administrators and professors are conducting a university program, as a start toward resurrecting the former AUCA. Church members, people in the community; even government ministers are acclaiming the university; one government official sponsored a relative who then remarked that the course of study is a challenging one.

The process of rebuilding in Rwanda gives the Adventist Church an opportunity to work with the government in its task of bringing healing and unity to the people. The Church's work overall supports the task of reconciliation and national unity; in turn, the government has helped the Church acquire a 50-acre property in Kigali for building a new campus. Church leaders have also identified other needs where government assistance would be useful, and these are being negotiated.

The demand for quality education includes the continuing need for educated workers and leaders for this region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. AUCA is the largest university providing higher education in French to French-speaking regions of the Church in East Central Africa, and as such is a vital center for training those who will serve the church in Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo, where 45 percent of Adventist membership in the East Central Africa region resides.