During the past several decades, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has clearly stated through officially voted statements and guidelines its Biblical position regarding human sexuality. Recently, questions have been raised regarding the beliefs and practices of the Church in regard to homosexuality and related issues. This statement re-affirms our Biblical stand and encourages a Christ-like approach to this challenging topic.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America invited church leaders, teachers, department heads, church members and youngsters to get involved in what the church is calling the Year of the Child and Adolescent, set to begin next month. The invitation came as the top leadership launched an overview of its comprehensive initiative during an online program on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Inter-America’s Year of the Child and Adolescent initiative will seek to reinforce Christian values and encourage youngsters to study, live and share the message of the gospel with their friends and neighbors.
Omar Oliphant, created history in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica by becoming the first ordained minister to become an attorney-at-law. He was admitted to the Jamaican Bar on Dec. 7, 2017, in a ceremony held at the Jamaican Supreme Court in Kingston. Oliphant, who pastors a district of five churches with a membership of over 1,000 is also the communication and youth director of the church’s northern region comprising St. Ann and Trelawny.
Seventh-day Adventist Department heads at the Inter-American Division (IAD) were debriefed this week on initiatives and projects completed during the year and set their sights on plans and activities scheduled for 2018. “We are here to work closer together, to see what difficulties you encountered this year and see how we can support the department or ministry which you lead,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.
As war-weary Colombia confronts the challenges of peace-building following decades of conflict with rebel groups, a Seventh-day Adventist leader has reminded government officials that minority religious groups have a valuable part to play. “An inclusive dialogue, one that draws in voices from all parts of Colombian society, will help foster a strong and lasting peace,” said Ganoune Diop, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Adventist world church, during a meeting last month with Colombia’s Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Rivera Flórez.
Dozens of pathfinders from the Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Croix volunteered their time to prepare care packages for the community during Thanksgiving weekend, which is celebrated in North America near the end of November every year. Leaders and pathfinder volunteers gladly assembled gifts and personal notes that were shipped from the Adopt a Family, USVI, a volunteer organization which responded to wish lists posted by families impacted by the hurricanes which swept across the Unite States Virgin islands in September 2017. The gift packages were distributed in the community on Nov. 25, 2017.
Recent video evidence of an active slave market in the north African country of Libya has focused international attention on what has, until now, been a largely unpublicized human rights tragedy, says a Seventh-day Adventist Church spokesperson. “What this video reveals is the shocking and ruthless exploitation of vulnerable human beings; refugees who are desperately seeking an escape from poverty and violence,” says Nelu Burcea, who is the Adventist Church’s liaison to the United Nation and an associate director of its Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) department.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are over 1 billion people—roughly 15% of the world’s population—who are disabled. In many cultures, people who experience physical challenges are often marginalized and rejected. This issue is so significant that in 1992 the United Nations (UN) adopted December 3rd as International Day of Disabled Persons, an annual event dedicated to promoting awareness of, and equal rights for, those with some form of limitation.
Daniela Figueroa of the East Venezuela Union took the top spot as the Bible Boom grand prize winner today during Inter-America's territory-wide Bible Connection held in Riviera Maya, México. Figueroa with a score of 370 points, beat 19 other regional finalists in the 14th such annual event held across the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America. She answered in the shortest time of 2:26. Francisco Javier Durán of the Central Mexican Union trailed behind her with the same score and with a completion time of 3:03 minutes.
Inter-America’s Bible Connection finale event will host its annual bible quiz competition at the Teatro de la Ciudad in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on Sabbath, Dec. 2, 2017. The program is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. local time, or 5:00 p.m. Miami Time, and will be streamed live online on the Southeast Mexican Union’s Facebook Page
Loma Linda University Health, an Adventist-managed institution in Loma Linda, California, United States, celebrated its 50-year legacy of providing organ transplantation to inland Southern California, and beyond. The anniversary luncheon on Nov. 19 highlighted the marvel of medical innovators and skilled surgeons as well as the generosity of donors and donor families.
Four hundred new bicycles were donated to children across the Wayuu ethnic community in North Colombia earlier this month, as part of a special initiative led by the Seventh-day Adventist Church called “Wheels to Educate.” So far, 1,000 bicycles have been donated to children in Uribia, La Guajira, the most drought-stricken area in the region. Over 600 bicycles were distributed last year.