Adventist doctors assisting 650 refugees in Greek camp
Seventh-day Adventist volunteers are providing medical care to 650 refugees at a recently opened camp near Greece’s capital, and they are appealing for assistance as more refugees arrive every day. Adventist Help, a bus-based medical clinic operated by ASI Europe, an Adventist supporting ministry, has been tasked by the Greek military with caring for the refugees since the Oinofyta camp opened 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Athens in April.
Scholars ask why religious repression is rising despite international pressure
Seventh-day Adventist scholars in partnership with an international body of specialists are studying what they call a disturbing paradox: while the principle of religious freedom has gained a strong foothold within international law, restrictions on religious practice are actually on the rise around the world. The group of scholars, who met at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, expressed concern that the ideal of religious freedom as a universal human right remains elusive in practice and religious repression continues unabated in many countries despite decades of international support and promotion.
109-year-old Sunday school to become Adventist Health Center in Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland, a government agency that helps renovate historic buildings, has allotted £104,280 (US$139,000) toward the future Hope Healthy Living Center in Paisley, a city located just 7 miles (11 kilometers) east of Glasgow and 50 miles from Edinburgh. John Wilby, treasurer of the Paisley Seventh-day Adventist Church, said that the new center could potentially serve 25 percent of Scotland's population of 5.3 million and that the church was actively seeking to raise the remaining $470,000 needed to make that happen.
In St. Maarten, Adventists share hope during comprehensive community outreach program
Dozens of Seventh-day Adventists from a small church on the Caribbean Island of St. Maarten took to the streets of Philipsburg to share smiles, show kindness and offer hope to pedestrians and motorists earlier this month. The outreach program is part of a comprehensive evangelism plan to reach out to more than 1,500 people. This initiative is all about sharing the message of God’s love, said Pastor Marcos Salas, organizer of the event and leader of the 130-member New Bethany Spanish Adventist Church.
Church Manual updated after inadvertent omission
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has updated the Church Manual after finding that part of an amendment voted at General Conference Session last year was unintentionally excluded. “It has come to our attention that there was omission on p.127 of the current Church Manual. The correction has been made, and a statement has been issued in that regard,” Hensley M. Moorooven, associate secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said Wednesday in an e-mail to General Conference employees.
Church members spring into action after deadly earthquake in Italy
Local Seventh-day Adventist believers have sprung into action after a powerful earthquake killed dozens of people in central Italy on Wednesday. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck a mountainous area located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Rome at 3:36 a.m. local time, killing at least 159 people and injuring about 360 others. Rescuers feared that many people might remain buried in rubble.
In Inter-America, ASI Convention challenges members to connect, empower and transform lives
Seventh-day Adventist business owners and professionals from across the Inter-American Division (IAD) were challenged to connect, empower and transform their lives and those around them as the Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASi) concluded its annual convention in Medellin, Colombia, Aug. 20, 2016. Some 350 Adventist professionals and church leaders networked together, renewed their commitment to sharing Christ through their businesses, and reaffirmed their passion to fulfill the mission of the church, during the four-day conference held at Colombia’s Adventist University campus.
Adventist insurer tells churches and schools not to overreact to ‘Pokémon Go’
Adventist Risk Management, the Seventh-day Adventist Church-owned insurer, has issued guidelines on how churches and schools should respond to “Pokémon Go” players, advising them to avoid overreacting and to seek opportunities to leave a good impression about Adventists. “Pokémon Go,” a game app that requires players to catch Pokémon characters with their mobile devices at real-life locations, has taken the gaming world by storm since its release in July.
Adventist Community Services in North America responds to unprecedented flooding in Louisiana and damaging fires in California
Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) sprang to action after disasters hit Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Clayton, California last week. Volunteer teams comprised of church members and ministry leaders are working together in response to historic flooding in Baton Rouge that has displaced more than 200,000 residents, and a massive fire that has destroyed 175 homes and building in Clayton.
Adventists promote family, health, and drug abstinence in the Dominican Republic
More than 3,000 young Seventh-day Adventists from 250 churches marched through the main streets of Santo Domingo on August 13, 2016, to promote abstinence from drugs and to choose Jesus. They held banners promoting the Bible, health, and family unity, and distributed literature and prayed for onlookers and drivers during the four-hour activity.
ASi Inter-America opens annual convention challenging members to connect more with the mission of the church
Inter-America’s 15th Annual Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASi) Convention opened last night encouraging its Adventist professionals, business owners and today’s generation of creative professionals in the church move forward with the mission of the church. Hundreds gathered at Colombia’s Adventist University in Medellin, during the opening ceremony, which was streamed live online, and included government officials, church leaders and guest speakers, to set the tone of the four-day event.