Several delegates attending the 58th General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church - the world movement's quinquennial business meeting - come with high hopes and varied expectations.
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Under the theme of "Religious Liberty: Last-days Outreach," religious liberty leaders and experts met at the Andrews University -- a higher education institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church -- to inaugurate the new International Religious Liberty Institute.
Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States
Swedish Seventh-day Adventists celebrated the 125th anniversary of the church's organization in their country with a five-day business meeting and spiritual session. The event was held in Ekebyholm, Sweden, and focused on ways to share the gospel story with yet more people. With a theme of "Come, Lord Jesus," 300 attendees responded positively to the challenge to win someone for the Lord in the next two years.
Ekebyholm, Sweden
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) became one of the first humanitarian agencies to provide emergency supplies to 530 Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan. They fled to Kyrgyzstan after violence broke out in the city of Andijan, Uzbekistan, on May 13. The number of deaths resulting from the violence is yet to be determined.
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
A newly-organized church designed for young people -- the first of its kind in South Korea -- is attracting teenagers to the Toegyewon Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6 miles (10 kilometers) Northeast of Seoul, the nation's capital. The church structure is along the same lines as a church for young adults which opened in 2004 in the same city.
Seoul, South Korea
Shawn Boonstra could not have known many years ago as a child when he was watching It Is Written on an old television set with his brother that one day he would take the helm of the international television ministry.
Thousand Oaks, California, United States
With as many as 70,000 Adventists and friends expected in St. Louis during the 58th world church business session, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is explaining the sudden influx to the local community.
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Britain: Church President Says Religious Hatred Bill May Affect Religious Freedom A bill to outlaw 'Incitement to Religious Hatred' in Britain may affect freedom of speech among religions, says Cecil Perry, president of the Adventist Church in Britain. The bill was first introduced last summer by Britain's Home Office to prosecute "extremists who stir up hatred against people because of their religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs."
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
After standing empty for two years a former Roman Catholic church in Zeeland Province, Netherlands will be transformed into a Seventh-day Adventist congregation's home. Before the June 15 purchase, the 100 members of the Adventist church in Zeeland were the only province that did not have their own building.
Zeeland, Netherlands
Nearly 80,000 children under the age of five in Yemen will never know the ruthlessness of polio thanks to a vaccination campaign led by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in that country. The disease, which mostly affects young children, invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This disease had virtually dropped out of existence since 1989 after an aggressive global effort to eradicate it. But an ongoing outbreak in Yemen since February which affected 179 children had that country's Ministry of Health asking ADRA for help.
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States