12 May, 2016

Christon Arthur Named New Provost of Andrews University

Christon Arthur, dean of the Andrews University School of Graduate Studies and Research, will become the university’s next provost in July, filling a position vacated when Andrea Luxton was elected as the next president of Andrews University earlier this year. Andrews University’s board of trustees elected Arthur on May 11. He has served as dean since 2010 and as associate provost, with responsibilities for faculty policy and faculty development, since 2012.

12 May, 2016

Adventist leader offers prayers for families affected by Fort McMurray wildfire

The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, Dan Jackson, released a statement in response to the devastating wildfire in Fort McMurray that started May 1 and has displaced nearly 90,000 residents and destroyed half a million acres, or 229,000 hectares of land. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America continues praying for all the women, children, and men who have been forced to flee from their homes and seek refuge from the wildfires that devastated Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

11 May, 2016

6 new churches dedicated during historic trip to Nepal

The three top leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Southern Asia Division have made a historic visit to Nepal to open six churches, including several rebuilt after a devastating earthquake last year, and to witness the baptism of 22 people. The trio — division president Ezras Lakra, executive secretary M. Wilson, and treasurer E. Selvin Moorthy — made the whirlwind trip to view Adventist work firsthand and encourage pastors, Bible workers, and ordinary members, said Umesh Pokharel, president of the Adventist Church in Nepal.

10 May, 2016

Adventist Church unveils Nebuchadnezzar statue to emphasize Bible study in the Dominican Republic

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic pointed to the Scriptures by displaying a statue of King Nebuchadnezzar as referenced in Daniel 2, during a recent ceremony in the city of San Juan de la Maguana. Hundreds of church members attended the special program with the unveiling of the 10.4-foot statue created by the nationally recognized artist Freddy Alcantara, on April 16, 2016, at the central park in the city.

9 May, 2016

Wildfires lead to evacuation of 88,000 in Alberta Canada

Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada are closely monitoring a wildfire in Ft. McMurray, Alberta in Canada, that caused the local government to declare a statement of emergency and more than 80,000 residents to flee their homes. A mandatory evacuation order was issued on May 4 when wildfires spread across the Athabasca and Hanginstone rivers and engulfed several neighborhoods in flames.

5 May, 2016

Adventist Church in Alabama gives away cars to single parents

A Seventh-day Adventist church in the U.S. state of Alabama has presented two cars as gifts to single parents and expects to give away five more vehicles by year’s end. The car giveaway at the First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Huntsville may be the first initiative of its kind by an Adventist church to reach out to the community — and it has made two single mothers very happy.

5 May, 2016

Inter-America begins its executive committee meetings via video conference for the first time

Top Seventh-day Adventist administrators and board members of the Inter-American Division’s (IAD) Executive Committee held the first day of mid-year business meetings via video conference this week at the IAD Headquarters Office in Miami, Florida, United States. The May 3 meeting became the first of its kind where top level administrators from its 24 major church regions, or unions, were connected on video conference system to take actions regarding plans, upcoming initiatives and events across the territory.

4 May, 2016

Annual report tracks ‘serious and sustained assault’ on religious freedom

The state of religious freedom worldwide has deteriorated over the past 12 months, according to a report released May 1 by an independent United States advisory body. The 270-page report compiled by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) documents continuing abuses in 33 countries and regions, but focuses particularly this year on the plight of prisoners of conscience and the increasing numbers of refugees fleeing religious persecution.

3 May, 2016

Adventist Church organizes first cycling event in North Colombia

Hundreds of cyclists pedaled through the city of Cúcuta in Norte Santander, Colombia, last month, during a special sports event organized by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in coordination with the local governor’s office. The event brought the Governor of Norte Santander William Villamizar, his wife and 40 of his officials as well as nearly 300 cyclists and church members, who rode early in the morning for 20 kilometers through the city.

2 May, 2016

Christian Record Services for the Blind Joins NAD

The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s North American Division (NAD) has voted to receive governance of Lincoln, Nebraska-based Christian Record Services for the Blind, a former Seventh-day Adventist world church institution. The transfer of governance, made at a specially called NAD Executive Committee meeting, affirms a larger restructuring plan that was implemented in January this year by action of the Christian Record board of directors.

2 May, 2016

In Guadeloupe, Adventist Church is damaged by fire, arson to blame

A fire which damaged the Baie-Mahualt Adventist Church in the French Island of Guadeloupe two weeks ago is being blamed on arson. The Apr. 17 fire damaged part of the roof, an upper room housing musical instruments, an organ and the church’s sound system. Church leaders and members are thankful there was no loss of life. Local authorities filed it as a criminal case still under investigation by local police, said Pastor Jacques Bibrac, executive secretary for the church in Guadeloupe.

29 April, 2016

Memorandum of Understanding to benefit Adventist hospitals across Inter-America

A memorandum of understanding signed last week between administrators of Health City Cayman Islands and Adventist Healthcare Services Inter-America (AHS-IA) will seek to provide free cardiac surgeries to children and minimally-invasive surgeries at affordable costs across Adventist-operated hospitals in the Caribbean. Health City Cayman Islands is a JCI accredited state-of-the-art tertiary care hospital located in Grand Cayman which provides world class affordable medical care through centers of excellence that deliver health care.