15 November, 2015

Adventist leaders in Europe observe moment of silence for Paris

European leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church stood in a minute of silence and solidarity with the people of France following the Nov. 13 nighttime attacks that killed at least 129 people in Paris. Leaders of the church’s Trans-European Division invited Mario Brito, president of the Inter-European Division, whose territory includes France, to the podium at the start of a Sabbath morning worship service in an emotional recognition of the tragedy being suffered by the people of France and, by extension, the rest of Europe.

10 November, 2015

At Moscow Forum, Adventists join other faiths in decrying religious extremism

Two senior Seventh-day Adventist leaders joined participants of a Russian government-organized conference on religious freedom in pledging to fight against a growing “perversion of religion” worldwide by those who use the language of faith to justify violence and terrorism. The Third International Forum on Religion and Peace, a rare gathering of leaders from across Russia’s religious and political spectrum, met Oct. 29 in the Great Hall of Moscow’s President Hotel and included scholars, public officials, and religious leaders representing the Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic communities.

30 October, 2015

Adventist Church opens ‘Who Are Adventists’ website

In response to increased interest, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America has launched a new website to help introduce the church to people interested in learning more. The site, WhoAreAdventists.org, provides a broad overview about the history and beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as background about the church’s passionate commitment to serving people across the country and around the world through disaster relief efforts, community service, and innovative health and wellness programs.

27 October, 2015

Adventists urged to examine diet after WHO calls meat a cancer hazard

The World Health Organization has declared red meat and processed meat to be a cancer hazard, confirming statements by Seventh-day Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G. White more than a 120 years ago and recent research by Loma Linda University. The Adventist Church’s top doctor said Monday’s announcement, the global health community’s most definitive response yet to the relation between meat and cancer, served as a wake-up call for church members to examine their own diets.

21 October, 2015

Adventist elected as president of Fiji

A Seventh-day Adventist believer has been elected as the next president of Fiji, making history in the South Pacific archipelago by becoming the first Adventist to hold the high office and its first president without chiefly ancestry. Major General Jioji Konousi Konrote, also known as George Konrote, will take over as president on Nov. 5 after the national parliament elected him by a margin of 31-14 last week.

21 October, 2015

Adventist religious freedom report documents growing challenges

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) department has released a country-by-country report on the state of religious freedom around the globe. The 2015 Religious Freedom World Report is the ninth such report produced by the church since 1999 and, according to PARL director Ganoune Diop, it reveals international trends that are far from encouraging.

20 October, 2015

ADRA responds as Typhoon Koppu batters Philippines

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency has deployed an emergency response team as Typhoon Koppu drenches the northern Philippines, killing at least two people and leaving scores of people homeless. Typhoon Koppu made landfall on the main island of Luzon as a category 5 storm with winds approaching 125 miles per hour (200 kilometers per hour) early Sunday, leaving many areas without power.

16 October, 2015

Unprecedented summit to address challenges of Adventist Education

The Seventh-day Adventist Church will hold an unprecedented three-day summit on Adventist education next year as it grapples with challenges such as low enrollment and high costs at some schools and seeks to ensure that all embrace the unique approaches of the church’s original educational model. “This will be an extremely important meeting,” church president Ted N.C. Wilson said in announcing the summit at the Annual Council business meetings this week.

12 October, 2015

Marcos Faiock Bomfim elected new stewardship director

Annual Council delegates chose a group of General Conference department staff, filling positions that come up for appointment every five years after a General Conference Session and a few elections that were deferred from the GC Session last July. The nominating committee started two days of meetings at noon Sunday and returned to deliver its report to delegates about three hours later.

12 October, 2015

Global economic turmoil may cost Adventist Church millions of dollars

The Seventh-day Adventist Church raised $4 million for youth evangelism and saved nearly $3 million at the General Conference Session in San Antonio, but an economic storm fueled by restive global markets may cost the church millions of dollars. Juan R. Prestol-Puesán, the recently elected treasurer of the Adventist world church, said it was unclear whether sufficient tithe, offerings, and other income would be collected to meet the church’s 2015 budget and, looking forward to the future, urged church leaders and laypeople attending this week’s Annual Council business meetings to place their trust in God.

12 October, 2015

Everyone called to participate in church’s new outreach mission

When Judith Miranda and her husband visited Malibu, California over 10 years ago, there weren’t any Seventh-day Adventist churches in city limits. Miranda, a full-time registered nurse, decided not to sit still. She and other believers went from mansion to mansion in this wealthy community, praying with residents.

12 October, 2015

Adventist leaders appeal for church entities to respect Ordination Vote

General Conference and division leaders re-affirmed the important role of women in the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and appealed to all church entities to respect a recent General Conference Session decision on ordination in order to avoid fracturing the world church. G.T. Ng, executive secretary of the Adventist world church, read the six-paragraph document aloud to church leaders and laypeople attending the Annual Council on Sunday, the first day of the weeklong council’s core business sessions