3 December, 2014

Ellen G. White Named Among 100 Most Significant Americans

A leading scholar on Ellen G. White welcomed a decision by Smithsonianmagazine to name the cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all times. The magazine places White in a group that includes the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Helen Keller in its Spring 2015 issue. The individuals were chosen with the use of an algorithm that measures data taken from Wikipedia pages and Google book scans.

2 December, 2014

In Kenya, eight Adventists among 28 killed in attack

Eight Seventh-day Adventists were among 28 bus passengers massacred by militants in Mandera, Kenya on November 22. According to CNSnews.com, members of a Somalia-based militant group stopped the Nairobi-bound vehicle and questioned passengers to determine whether they were Muslims. Eyewitnesses said those who answered unsatisfactorily were taken aside and shot.

2 December, 2014

Uganda’s president commends Adventists for honesty

The president of the central African nation of Uganda commended Seventh-day Adventists for their honesty and integrity during a speech last month. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni called Adventists “honest,” during a speech to leaders and members at an Adventist center in the capital city of Kampala on November 22.

27 November, 2014

U.S. vice president’s wife praises ADRA’s work in Ukraine

Jill Biden, wife of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, expressed sympathy for a family with two children who fled fighting in eastern Ukraine, and she thanked ADRA for assisting the family and many other people displaced by the violence. Biden visited a shelter at ADRA’s office in Kiev on Friday as her husband held talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on measures to deal with the country’s sputtering economy.

17 November, 2014

In the U.S., ‘parsonage allowance’ upheld against challenge by atheist group

A U.S. federal court confirmed today that clergy can continue to claim the tax benefit for housing allowance, upholding a Seventh-day Adventist Church-backed appeal against a lower court ruling that would have ended the so-called parsonage allowance. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, located in Chicago, handed down its decision saying the plaintiffs—the Freedom From Religion Foundation—lacked standing to challenge the exemption, meaning that the group had not suffered damage personally.

6 November, 2014

Adventist youth leaders asking local leaders to reserve March 21 as Global Youth Day

Seventh-day Adventist Youth Ministries leaders are asking local youth leaders to reserve March 21, 2015, on their calendar for the community service initiative called Global Youth Day (GYD). Next year’s GYD will be the third annual event that sends hundreds of thousands of Adventist youth and young adults out of church for service projects in neighborhoods and communities worldwide.

5 November, 2014

NAD Takes First Steps to Relocate Headquarters

Leaders of the North American Division have taken initial steps to relocate from the headquarters of the General Conference building in Silver Spring, Maryland, to another site in the nearby metropolitan Washington area.

3 November, 2014

Romanian officials offer strong support for religious liberty

Top Romanian officials last week pledged their support for religious liberty in the Eastern European nation during a two-day symposium sponsored by the Conscience and Liberty Association. Titus Corlatean, Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told attendees of the importance for religious denominations to be able to operate without restrictions on their traditions, beliefs or rituals.

26 October, 2014

Adventist Church releases its first women’s study Bible

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Women’s Ministries department this month released the Woman’s Bible, the first study Bible specifically designed for women by the Adventist Church. The Woman’s Bible, published by Safeliz Publishing House, is a New King James Version of the Bible that offers more than 100 commentaries, study materials and profiles on major and lesser-known female biblical characters.

22 October, 2014

Adventist Church to mark International Religious Freedom Day October 27

Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders and others who support religious liberty will participate in marking Monday, October 27 as International Religious Freedom Day (IRFD). The Adventist Church has promoted religious freedom since its founding and continues to highlight the freedom of conscience.

18 October, 2014

Adventist leaders approve new administrative unit in Central America

A Seventh-day Adventist Church administrative unit in Central America will be reorganized into two sections, a step that underscores Church membership growth in the region. Church leaders approved the change yesterday on the final day of Annual Council, a meeting of the Executive Committee, at the denomination’s headquarters.

18 October, 2014

Suggested revisions to Adventist Church Manual include matters on discipline

Delegates at the 2014 General Conference Annual Council this week agreed to amend some chapters of the Church Manual, including adding new details to further specify the reasons that members can face discipline. The 13 reasons for which members can be disciplined—such as disloyalty to the church and physical violence—did not change. But the section that deals most closely with extramarital relationships was expanded to include details on specific definitions relating to sexual conduct.