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 ministries director for the church's Chinese Union Mission (CHUM), headquartered in Hong Kong (SAR).

"Please continue to pray for those families who have suffered and those who are helping," Ng said in a May 15 e-mail.

Ng said eight Adventist churches were destroyed.

The Adventist church in the city of Chengdu has gathered limited funds to purchase food, water and other necessities to distribute, Ng said.

Roads are blocked to Hungpai in the region of Shifang, leaving colleagues and volunteers to search for church members in area with few signs of life, he said.

Regional government officials upped the confirmed death toll to more than 19,500 and left 26,000 buried. An additional 14,000 are still missing.

China said May 15 that over 50,000 people had likely died in the devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit its southwest as time runs out to save survivors buried in the rubble of broken communities. "The deaths are estimated to be over 50,000," Chinese state television said, citing figures from the national quake relief headquarters.

Chinese officials say 80 percent of the buildings have collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province, home to 7,210 Adventists. The church's Chinese Union Mission has arranged for fellow workers to visit church members in the disaster area.

The Seventh-day Adventist church's Chinese Union Mission is accepting donations, which can be marked "Helping Churches in Disaster." [Editors: Ansel Oliver and Christian B. Schäffler for ANN/APD]