The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America recently launched the first of a series of textbooks for thousands of pupils across Adventist schools in the territory. The brand new Spanish language textbooks will be used for first graders in 422 primary schools in the Spanish-speaking countries in the Inter-American Division (IAD).
A Seventh-day Adventist leader, pastor, and police chaplain in Canada recently had an unprecedented opportunity to witness to Muslims living in a populous area northeast of Toronto. Pastor Mansfield Edwards was a guest speaker in one of the official candlelight vigils convened by the various levels of government on February 1 in the wake of the Quebec City mosque shooting that, according to media reports, left six people dead and at least 19 injured last January 29.
A Seventh-day Adventist congregation in the center of Tokyo, Japan, had dwindled to fewer than 10 active members, prompting fears it would be closed. Instead, local leaders of the movement designated the church as the "Setagaya Youth Church," and today, membership is thriving as young adults continue to find nourishment for their faith.
Addressing President Donald J. Trump and a room filled with American political and civic leaders — as well as international leaders including King Abdullah II of Jordan — on Feb. 2 at the 65th National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, recalled the motivation his mother gave him to memorize Bible verses, which kindled a lifelong quest to know the Author of those words.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in El Salvador recently celebrated its decade-long literacy program by graduating more than 500 people who now know how to read and write. The students, mostly adults, smiled big as they held their certificate of completion during a special program held at the Central Adventist Church in San Salvador, on Jan. 17, 2017.
It's famously said of New York City that "if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere." Now, a pair of Seventh-day Adventist entrepreneurs are demonstrating just that — and it began with a desire to share their faith in Jesus in one of the world's largest metro areas. Ivan Joshua Raj, 34, and Heidi Liv Tompkins, 43, are Seventh-day Adventist Bible workers, but with a twist: they'll reach out to folks with a carob candy truffle known as a “Caruby,” or with a plant-based, gluten-free meal at a "pop-up" restaurant that also serves up Adventist music in the background and Adventist tracts for diners to take home.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is co-leading a discussion about peacemaking at the United Nations, with a church leader telling a major symposium that peace means far more than just the absence of war. Ganoune Diop, director of public affairs and religious liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist world church, made his remarks during a presentation to 130 representatives from various UN agencies, along with religious and non-governmental organizations, at the third annual symposium on the role of religion and faith-based groups in international affairs. The event, held at the UN building in New York on January 23, was co-sponsored by the Adventist Church.
“Hacksaw Ridge,” the 2016 film drama telling the story of Desmond T. Doss, Sr., the first conscientious objector to receive the United States of America's highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, has been nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, known as “Oscars,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said January 24. Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist from Lynchburg, Virginia, volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War II as a medic. He refused to carry a weapon, citing the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Seventh-day Adventists in a community 40 minutes north of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, now have a 100-seat church that attracts visitors and not the derision of neighbors. The Portadores de Luz Seventh-day Adventist Church in Villa Mella had a chapel pieced together from scrap metal, until a squadron of Maranatha Volunteers International participants descended on the location and, in ten days, constructed a new church with a galvanized steel frame and block walls.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for two of its higher education institutions stationed in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Top Inter-American Division (IAD) administrators and leaders took part breaking ground on Jan. 19, for a new three-story facility that will house the offices of the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary (IATS) and Herbert Fletcher University (HFU).
In less than three months thousands of young people will travel to the Dominican Republic to camp out, meet new friends, learn new skills and be inspired during Inter-America’s fourth territory-wide pathfinder camporee. More than 13,000 young people from the Seventh-day Adventist Church across 24 major church regions will roll out their sleeping bags at Parque Mirador del Este, in Santo Domingo, from April 11-16, 2017. Themed “Lineage of Champions,” the camporee will focus on the life of Ruth in the Book of Ruth, to help young people to reaffirm their identity, strengthen their leadership skills and commit to sharing the gospel in their communities.
The Adventist World Radio (AWR) Board of Directors has elected Duane McKey as the new president of Adventist World Radio, replacing Dowell Chow, who has served as president for the past six years. McKey has been director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as assistant to Ted Wilson, the president of the denomination, for Total Member Involvement since 2015. Prior to that, he was vice president of the Southwestern Union Conference in Texas, USA, and president of the Arizona Conference.