The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) began coordinating disaster relief assistance for the affected territory devastated by the natural disasters which hit last month. Ten of the 24 major church regions across the IAD were hit by multiple earthquakes in Mexico and multiple hurricanes across the string of islands in the Caribbean.
The 2017 Annual Council —an annual business meeting of over 450 Seventh-day Adventist members and invitees to the church’s Executive Committee from around the world—convened at the denomination’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, on Oct 5. The fall session, during which department reports are shared, and documents, plans, and policies are voted, opened with the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Conference, an annual event that looks to inform, train, and empower leaders on a specific topic.
After Hurricanes Irma and Maria pummeled St. Thomas and St. John in the Virgin Islands last month, taking off roofs, damaging buildings and downing electric poles, dozens of Seventh-day Adventists gathered on Sabbath, Sep. 24, to praise God, find comfort in worshiping together and share their testimonies through the storms. The Category 5 storm peaked at 185 miles per hour on Sep. 6, and remained at the strength for 37 hours, killing three and displacing hundreds, authorities reported. Many Seventh-day Adventist were also displaced.
In the midst of a hurting community, local Seventh-day Adventist churches are steadily moving into place to aid those affected by the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday night. On Monday morning, the Paradise and Mountain View Seventh-day Adventist churches opened their doors to the community to pray with those affected by the event. At Mountain View, church members prayed with individuals in the sanctuary of the church from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Oct. 1, at 5 a.m., Andrews University professor of architecture Andrew von Maur, adjunct professor Troy Homenchuk, and 16 graduate architecture students began traveling to Puerto Rico to help with disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of hurricane Maria. They will be there until October 5.
The local Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Maarten and Tortola, in collaboration with the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), is helping to provide relief to hundreds of displaced and distressed individuals from Hurricane Irma’s destruction last month. ADRA has already provided over 1,000 hot meals over three days in St. Maarten and food baskets for over 500 families in Tortola, church leaders said.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is deeply saddened and troubled by the shooting that took place early in the morning on October 2, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where 58 people lost their lives and more than 500 were injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those killed and to the hundreds of concert goers injured in this senseless shooting. We are keeping in prayer all the first responders and medical personnel helping the injured as they deal with the aftermath of this tragic event.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North-America (NAD) officially moved its offices from the building it shared with the General Conference (GC) of the world church in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, to new headquarters located 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) north in Columbia, Maryland, on September 18. The move capped years of joint planning with world church leaders and months of building renovations and logistical considerations.
Last night a tragedy unfolded as more than 500 people were injured and at least 58 people killed as the result of a senseless act of violence in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sadly, officials fear the death toll will continue to rise as hundreds of victims are in the hospital still fighting for their lives.
More than 100 Seventh-day Adventist church leaders from around the world have come together to remember God’s miraculous leading in the beginnings of the Advent movement, and how He is still at work in the Church today. The Adventist leaders are on a week-long Adventist Heritage tour of the northeastern part of the United States, known as New England, where Adventism began. The tour is being led by Jim Nix, director of the Ellen G. White Estate, and Merlin Burt, director of the Center for Adventist Research, director of the White Estate Branch Office and professor of Church History at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University.
The Geoscience Research Institute and The John 10:10 Project are pleased to announce the release of “The Hole,” a 5-minute film that goes straight to the heart of the Gospel. “The Hole” has been prepared especially for sharing via social media and showing in churches, schools and other institutions to celebrate Creation Sabbath on Oct. 28. Releasing “The Hole” exactly a month before Creation Sabbath, gives time for anyone to download it or share it directly from the Creation Sabbath website.
The flood-ravaged country of Bangladesh continues to generate headlines worldwide, and Seventh-day Adventists are part of the ongoing story. Since May, the country has experienced what government officials deem to be the worst flooding in 40 years. Against this backdrop of continued rains and flooding, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar has now spread to Bangladesh. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is among the humanitarian groups in Bangladesh assisting not only flood victims but the influx of Rohingya refugees.