Democratic Republic of Congo: ADRA Shelters Displaced Families in the Democratic Republic of Congo ... After nearly a decade of political and civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is helping displaced families rebuild their lives, one home at a time. In September of 2005, ADRA Denmark launched the initiative, providing the funds to assist an estimated 900 families living in resettlement projects in South Kivu province in Eastern Congo, where most people displaced by the Second Congo War are concentrated. ADRA Canada and ADRA International have since expanded the project to include 60 additional families, bringing the number of beneficiaries to nearly 6,000 families. In additional to providing food, clothing and hygiene kits ADRA will help construct two-bedroom homes with mud bricks supplied by the families. [ADRA/ANN Staff]
Inter-America: Church Region Tops 200,000 Baptisms in 2006 ... The Seventh-day Adventist church's Inter-American (IAD) region welcomed some 200,000 new members last year, bringing membership at the start of 2007 to nearly 3 million. The year was packed with events and marked by outreach initiatives, the church there reports. Baptizing so many in just one year is a first for the region, says IAD president, Pastor Israel Leito, and is a direct result of "the earnestness with which most leaders are considering the work at hand." [Libna Stevens/IAD/ANN Staff]
England: Grant Allows ADRA UK to Fight Poverty in Burkina Faso ...The Adventist Development and Relief Agency office in the United Kingdom (ADRA-UK) recently signed a contract with EuropeAid to implement a new development project in the West African country of Burkina Faso. The project, worth nearly US$1.3 million, will help reduce poverty and improve livelihoods in one of the poorest areas of the country. It is the largest single development grant assigned to ADRA-UK to date. The EuropeAid grant will fund 75 percent of the project, while ADRA is funding the remaining 25 percent. The project, slated to begin in June of this year, will focus on reducing poverty in the area by enhancing natural and water resources and their management [ADRA/ANN Staff]
World Church: Adventist World Radio Appoints New VP for Advancement ... Adventist World Radio (AWR), the mission radio arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has named Jim Ayer to be its first vice president for Advancement. In the new position, Ayer, who formerly worked for Amazing Facts and Maranatha Volunteers International--both supporting ministries of the Adventist church--will oversee strategies to increase AWR's donor and volunteer base. "His work will ... increase the support that AWR needs to accomplish its mission," said AWR president Ben Schoun. [Shelley Nolan Freesland/AWR/ANN Staff]
United States: Adventist University's Record Enrollment Continues ... With an enrollment of over 2,500 students--114 of them new as of spring semester--Seventh-day Adventist-owned Southern Adventist University (SAU) has broken another record. Vinita Saunder, SAU's vice president for Marketing and Enrollment Services, credits the university's "excellent education" and "friendly, spiritual environment" for attracting prospective students. SAU offers seven graduate degrees, along with 57 baccalaureate degrees, 16 associate degrees, and a certificate program. [SAU/ANN Staff]
Clarification: In last week's story "United States: Connecting With Young Adventists on Public Campuses" we quoted Gary Councell, associate director for Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries as saying there are no Adventist chaplains on any public campuses in North America. However we failed to mention that there are a few Adventists serving on public campuses in pastoral or chaplain roles. These chaplains are employed by local churches or other local church organizations to provide a ministry to Adventists on public campuses. One example is Ron Pickell, the coordinator for Adventist Christian Fellowship, the organization that hopes to unite Adventist student associations on campuses across North America. However Chaplain Councell clarified that technically an Adventist chaplain must be endorsed by his office and requested and paid by a public agency to be officially considered a chaplain. [ANN Staff]
Silver Spring, Maryland United States,
Compiled by ANN Staff
Inter-America: Church Region Tops 200,000 Baptisms in 2006 ... The Seventh-day Adventist church's Inter-American (IAD) region welcomed some 200,000 new members last year, bringing membership at the start of 2007 to nearly 3 million. The year was packed with events and marked by outreach initiatives, the church there reports. Baptizing so many in just one year is a first for the region, says IAD president, Pastor Israel Leito, and is a direct result of "the earnestness with which most leaders are considering the work at hand." [Libna Stevens/IAD/ANN Staff]
England: Grant Allows ADRA UK to Fight Poverty in Burkina Faso ...The Adventist Development and Relief Agency office in the United Kingdom (ADRA-UK) recently signed a contract with EuropeAid to implement a new development project in the West African country of Burkina Faso. The project, worth nearly US$1.3 million, will help reduce poverty and improve livelihoods in one of the poorest areas of the country. It is the largest single development grant assigned to ADRA-UK to date. The EuropeAid grant will fund 75 percent of the project, while ADRA is funding the remaining 25 percent. The project, slated to begin in June of this year, will focus on reducing poverty in the area by enhancing natural and water resources and their management [ADRA/ANN Staff]
World Church: Adventist World Radio Appoints New VP for Advancement ... Adventist World Radio (AWR), the mission radio arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has named Jim Ayer to be its first vice president for Advancement. In the new position, Ayer, who formerly worked for Amazing Facts and Maranatha Volunteers International--both supporting ministries of the Adventist church--will oversee strategies to increase AWR's donor and volunteer base. "His work will ... increase the support that AWR needs to accomplish its mission," said AWR president Ben Schoun. [Shelley Nolan Freesland/AWR/ANN Staff]
United States: Adventist University's Record Enrollment Continues ... With an enrollment of over 2,500 students--114 of them new as of spring semester--Seventh-day Adventist-owned Southern Adventist University (SAU) has broken another record. Vinita Saunder, SAU's vice president for Marketing and Enrollment Services, credits the university's "excellent education" and "friendly, spiritual environment" for attracting prospective students. SAU offers seven graduate degrees, along with 57 baccalaureate degrees, 16 associate degrees, and a certificate program. [SAU/ANN Staff]
Clarification: In last week's story "United States: Connecting With Young Adventists on Public Campuses" we quoted Gary Councell, associate director for Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries as saying there are no Adventist chaplains on any public campuses in North America. However we failed to mention that there are a few Adventists serving on public campuses in pastoral or chaplain roles. These chaplains are employed by local churches or other local church organizations to provide a ministry to Adventists on public campuses. One example is Ron Pickell, the coordinator for Adventist Christian Fellowship, the organization that hopes to unite Adventist student associations on campuses across North America. However Chaplain Councell clarified that technically an Adventist chaplain must be endorsed by his office and requested and paid by a public agency to be officially considered a chaplain. [ANN Staff]
Silver Spring, Maryland United States,
Compiled by ANN Staff
