Panama: Church and national university leaders sign agreement to counter growing violence

June 30, 2014 – Panama City, Panama…IAD Staff

President of the University of Panama Dr. Gustavo Garcia De Paredes (left) together to President of the Adventist Church in East Panama Pastor Jose De Gracia sign special agreement on May 15, 2014, at the campus of the University of Panama in Panama City, Panama. Both entities will join efforts in developing initiatives to counter the growing violence affecting the most vulnerable sectors in the Central American country. Image courtesy of East Panama Conference/IAD

The Seventh-day Adventist church in Panama recently signed an agreement with the University of Panama in Panama City to develop initiatives to counter the growing violence in the Central American country.

The joint agreement highlights the need to strengthen spiritual, ethical and moral principles of society as well as prevent gender-based violence, domestic violence, and family violence, promote human rights among young people for a better relation with superiors and parents, church leaders said.

“We have come here to join forces to make Panama the best country in the world so that we can live safely, with strong and stable families who believe in God and promote the ethical and moral principles of the law of God,” said Pastor Jose De Gracia, president of the church in East Panama and legal representative of the church nationwide, during a short ceremony on the campus of the university on May 15, 2014.

Recent statistics from the Overseas Security Advisory Council and the United Nations reveal that there were more than 33,400 violent crimes committed in Panama in 2012, including homicide, rapes, robbery, burglary, Narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and kidnappings. Since then the crime rate has continued to grow.

Pastor Jose De Gracia (right) hands over a special copy of the Bible to Dr. Garcia De Paredes (left) as a reminder of what the signed agreement was based upon.

“This is a historic day because it is the first time that the church will work closely with the most prestigious university in Panama,” De Gracia told a reporter of the University of Panama newspaper. “A university which has grown from 175 students in 1935 to some 54,060 students today.”

University officials praised the work of the church for keeping young people on track for a better future, before its president, Dr. Gustavo Garcia De Paredes, signed the agreement.

The church and the university will conduct joint research on behalf of the most vulnerable sector of the community, carry out early detection and prevention of domestic violence, promote family unity with special programs and activities, link students, faculty and staff in the development of programs and projects, including risks and disasters, and environmental conservation, among others.

At the end of the signing agreement, Dr. Garcia De Paredes was given a copy of a special Bible as a basis on which the agreement was drawn.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has more than 303,000 church members worshiping in 1,196 churches and congregations in Panama. The church also operates a college and 27 primary and secondary schools.

For more information about the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Panama, visit asociacionpanamena.org