“We must move forward,” said Inter-American Division Treasurer Filiberto Verduzco yesterday during his report to the executive body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America in Miami, Florida. Moving forward, amid the pressing weak currency challenges the IAD territory faces, is the only option, said Verduzco.
Inter-American Division’s Executive Committee members elected several leaders to head a number of ministries, a few institutions and appointed administrators to 13 union missions of the Inter-American territory, today.
In his report to the Inter-American Division (IAD) Executive Committee, Executive Secretary Elie Henry reported on the growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church among its 24 unions or church regions. 1,046,766 new members were added from Jan. 2010 to Jun. 2015, but there was a drop of more than 690,000 members due to auditing of church books, which began across the territory in 2012.
A group of Seventh-day Adventists in Mexico City rallied together recently in streets, parks and hospitals to bring joy and offer hope. “Our city is in need of the healing love of Jesus Christ,” said Joel Omaña, youth leader at the Narvarte Adventist Church and organizer of the event.
In response to increased interest, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America has launched a new website to help introduce the church to people interested in learning more. The site, WhoAreAdventists.org, provides a broad overview about the history and beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as background about the church’s passionate commitment to serving people across the country and around the world through disaster relief efforts, community service, and innovative health and wellness programs.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) received a morale boost on Oct. 25, 2015, when Seventh-day Adventists from the more than 740 congregations pooled their financial and physical resources to renovate the working environment of police stations Island-wide. The day dubbed “Projects Day” forms part of the activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica to celebrate 125 years of Adventism in Jamaica.
Top leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church from across the Inter-American Division (IAD) took action to implement a comprehensive evangelism plan set to involve all members in the life and mission of the church, during day one of the church’s business meetings held in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 27, 2015.
The World Health Organization has declared red meat and processed meat to be a cancer hazard, confirming statements by Seventh-day Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G. White more than a 120 years ago and recent research by Loma Linda University. The Adventist Church’s top doctor said Monday’s announcement, the global health community’s most definitive response yet to the relation between meat and cancer, served as a wake-up call for church members to examine their own diets.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the Seventh-day Adventist educational system as a promoter of health earlier this month. The WHO’s EPODE International Network, which works with governments to ensure the sustainability of community-based programs and obesity prevention worldwide, certified the 25 Seventh-day Adventist primary and secondary schools across El Salvador.
Seventh-day Adventist top administrators and leaders from across the church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) will gather for year-end meetings in Miami, Florida, next week to vote on comprehensive strategies and initiatives for the next five years. “The Inter-American Division is a great division,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America as he spoke to church leaders during a strategic planning meeting earlier this week.
A Seventh-day Adventist believer has been elected as the next president of Fiji, making history in the South Pacific archipelago by becoming the first Adventist to hold the high office and its first president without chiefly ancestry. Major General Jioji Konousi Konrote, also known as George Konrote, will take over as president on Nov. 5 after the national parliament elected him by a margin of 31-14 last week.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) department has released a country-by-country report on the state of religious freedom around the globe. The 2015 Religious Freedom World Report is the ninth such report produced by the church since 1999 and, according to PARL director Ganoune Diop, it reveals international trends that are far from encouraging.