A new facility to enhance the educational development of residents living in the Frederiksted community in St. Croix received recognition from the Virgin Islands government last month. Government officials applauded the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Croix for establishing a new equipped site to host a General Education Development (GED) program free of charge to the community.
A powerful hurricane badly damaged or destroyed at least six Seventh-day Adventist churches in The Bahamas, local church leaders said as they struggled to assess the destruction and account for church members a week after the Caribbean disaster. Hurricane Joaquin flooded buildings and ripped off roofs amid two days of fierce winds of up to 140 miles an hour (225 kilometers per hour) on Oct. 1 and 2.
More than 6,000 children in south central Mexico received backpacks full of school supplies days before the new school year began, thanks to the local Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and thousands of Seventh-day Adventist church members in the region. The initiative, coordinated by ADRA’s office in the Inter-Oceanic Mexican union, involved thousands of church members contributing funds on Sabbaths in May to ensure that needy children would have the basic supplies to begin their school year.
One hundred and twenty-five Seventh-day Adventists, groups, churches and organizations were recognized for exemplary service during the 125th Anniversary Celebration of Adventism in Jamaica, this past weekend. The event drew thousands of church members to the Seventh-day Adventist Conference Centre in Montego Bay, on Oct. 3, 2015.
Over 500 children from the communities Philipsburg, St. Maarten, took part in a first-of-its-kind Children’s Expo organized by Seventh-day Adventist churches across the Caribbean Island last month. The initiative, themed “Healthy Me”, attracted youngsters and their parents for free medical screenings and activities in an effort to bring awareness to obesity, poor nutrition, and other juvenile health problems, said Margaret Peters, children’s ministries director for the church in the North Caribbean Conference.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Colombia recently gathered more than 400 children during a special event to showcase their skills, talents, and to demonstrate what they learned about healthy habits. The annual event, which was held Sept. 19 at the Colombia Adventist University Auditorium in Medellin, brought hundreds of children from all over the city to preach, sing, and exhibit their art projects to parents, teachers and church members from across the region.
Four new churches with seating for 600 members opened in the Dominican Republic this month as the Seventh-day Adventist Church races to keep up with surging membership in the Caribbean island nation. A total of 35 new churches were dedicated in the Dominican Republic last year, nearly half of which were built by Maranatha Volunteers International. Maranatha also built the four newest churches.
Days after Tropical Storm Erika devastated the Caribbean Island of Dominica, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Dominica, with the help of local Adventist church member volunteers, are active in providing meals to those left homeless from the most affected communities on the island. The storm hit the small island of approximately 72,000 people on Aug. 27, triggering mudslides, destroying roads, bridges and homes. Over 30 people died and dozens went missing.
Against a background of serious challenges, spiraling inflation and a shortage of basic necessities, the Seventh-day Adventists in Venezuela continues to be faithful and its territory continues to rapidly expand, according to top administrators of the church in the Inter-American Division (IAD). IAD President Pastor Israel Leito completed a trip in Venezuela where three new missions were organized in the West Venezuela Union. The church there oversees five conferences, and three new missions.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colombia asserted hundreds of its members studying across public campuses and working professionals of their value and role in becoming disciples of Christ during a three-day event held in Chachipay, Cundinamarca, Sep. 4-6, 2015. Some 300 university students from 35 universities were challenged to become missionaries by developing leadership skills, committing to evangelism and serving the church, the community, and their campuses. In addition, 150 Adventist professionals also participated in the training.
Seventh-day Adventists in eastern Puerto Rico are beaming with joy at the growth of its newest school on the island of Vieques--an island-municipality of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Vieques Adventist Academy began its second school year last month, with 47 students, an amount triple the number enrolled in the school last year when the school began as a pilot project with 15 students, church leaders said.
More than 520 low-income individuals from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, received eye surgeries thanks to a joint collaboration between La Carlota Adventist Hospital, the non-profit organization Medical Ministry International and a group of Christian ophthalmologists from the United States. Patients crowded the Vision Institute Center in La Carlota Hospital, located in Montemorelos, Mexico, last month to benefit from the five-day medical initiative.