News
ADRA’s President urges support for disaster efforts
In the month of March, numerous disasters occurred, including the worst tropical storm on record to affect the southern African regions of Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. During that same month, Nepal and Indonesia were also hardest hit by heavy rain and floods. With these countries combined, thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of thousands more were displaced and forced to seek refuge in shelters. Ongoing needs assessments are being put in place by ADRA to help all people affected,...Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Steward Department of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church is launching a video series targeted at millennials. The series is part of a broader initiative entitled “GodFirst” which aims to help members understand the principles of tithe and offering. “The act of tithing develops allegiance, commitment, love, and relationship with God”, says Marcos Bomfim, Stewardship Department director, “If you put your treasure with God, your heart will also be there.” A desire to reach out to members...Book launch shares stories of journeying in the footsteps of Jesus
A mini-road trip of its own marked the launch of a story of a trip through the Holy Land. Of Falafels and Following Jesus tells the story of a tour through Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories that the authors—Nathan Brown with Michelle Villis and Brenton Stacey—took in October last year. “I had the idea for this book while visiting Israel in 2015,” said Mr Brown. “I was trying to work out why we take trips like that, and then had a growing interest in how I might be able share some...Sickle cell patient cured through Children's Hospital's first stem cell transplant
Doctors at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital recently conducted the institution’s first stem cell transplant in a sickle cell disease patient, effectively curing her of the inherited blood disease. The successful procedure offers hope and accessible treatment to those suffering from the disease in the Inland Empire and surrounding regions. Children’s Hospital doctors had worked for nearly a year to build a program focused on helping hematology patients, specifically hemophilia and...Adventist youth initiative offers educational grants and free healthcare in Central Jamaica
Twenty students received grants as part of the overall free medical and physical work undertaken by approximately 5,000 young people during the annual Operation Save-a-Youth (OSAY) held on March 17, 2019, in Manchester, Jamaica. OSAY is a youth empowerment ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Central Jamaica region. The main feature of this year’s OSAY was the community outreach projects where the youth assisted in the construction and beautification of homes in communities such...World Service Organization highlights non-combatancy position
The official position that advocates non-combatancy was the focus of the two-day Seventh-day Adventists and Military-related Service Conference at the General Conference Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. “Traditionally, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has advocated a non-combatant status,” says Mario E. Ceballos, Director/Endorser, General Conference World Service Organization and Director, General Conference Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries. “Union and Division World Service Organization...Support Center for families with autistic kids opens in Porto Alegre
Members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Jardim Lindoia, in Porto Alegre, Brail, recently started the “Support Center for Families of Autistics Kids,” a space created to bring together those who live and take care of people with autism. In two different rooms, one for meetings and the other filled with toys, crayons and paper for drawings, family members and children are cared for by volunteers who are dedicated to provide an open environment of fellowship. The project, created by Gissele...Schools benefit from hosting church activities
An initiative to bring church members onto school campuses in Papua New Guinea is having a positive impact on the schools. Jim Yawane, national director for Adventist Education for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea, said they were encouraging church programs and activities to be held on school campuses. By bringing church members into the school, they can learn about it and see the needs that it may have. “They know that the school is an Adventist school but they don’t often...Union College faculty and students manage flood donation warehouse
The Union College Red Cross Club was called into action to manage a multi-agency warehouse in Omaha for donations coming in from around the country for victims of the March 2018 flooding across Nebraska. Union College Red Cross Club members, mostly international rescue and relief students and faculty, used their disaster management training to get the warehouse up and running, and will continue to manage volunteers and accept, organize and distribute donations over the coming weeks. Rick...ADRA Colombia provides assistance to thousands of Venezuelan migrants
For the past seven months, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Colombia has been providing assistance to thousands of migrating Venezuelans who have crossed into the eastern border of Colombia to escape the economic and political instability in their homeland. The project represents an assistance of over 2.5 million US dollars, the largest the Adventist agency has been managing in the country, ADRA Colombia officials said. According to recent government statistics, there are...