My husband and I had just participated in the ordinance of humility and Communion when I turned to him and said, “That was a wonderful service. It is so long since we had Holy Communion.”
He replied, “Is that the same as ‘unholy Communion’?”
Shocked, I asked, “Don’t you say ‘Holy Communion’?
“No. It is ‘Communion Sabbath’ here.”
Surely after 30 years I would have fathomed that what “Holy Communion” is to a Brit is “Communion Sabbath” to an American!
—Tabitha Abel, Chiloquin, Oregon
The Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) is the newest of the world church’s regions, covering a significant portion of Africa and a number of island nations in the Indian Ocean. There are approximately 3 million Seventh-day Adventist Church members in a population of more than 170 million. That’s a ratio of about one Adventist for every 57 people.
There are five higher education institutions in this division: Helderberg College in South Africa, Mozambique Adventist Seminary, Rusangu University in Zambia, Solusi University in Zimbabwe, and Zurcher Adventist University in Madagascar.
Many missionaries and health-care institutions are located in this division. There is also a large Adventist literature operation in many parts of this region.
“Christ made the decision that He will save you at any cost to Himself.
This is the character of our Redeemer!”
—information gathered from www.adventist.org/world-church
The A.D./B.C. method of identifying historical dates goes back to Catholic historians in the early Middle Ages. The term B.C. is short for “Before Christ.” Dates after the birth of Christ are classified as A.D., short for the Latin phrase anno Domini, or “in the year of our Lord.”
Several centuries after the B.C./A.D. use became popular, a new movement started. Many areas of the Western world eventually adopted the less-Christ-centered term “Common Era.” Historical dates occurring before the year 1 C.E. would be considered B.C.E., short for “Before Common Era.”
Critics view the new system as an attempt to remove the religious significance inherent in the B.C./A.D. system. Supporters of the B.C.E./C.E. method of identifying historical dates say the removal of Christian references works as a bridge between different religions and cultures. The birth of Christ is still used as a reference in the B.C.E./C.E. system, but the Christian influence isn’t as obvious.
—from “What Is the Difference Between AD, BC, BCE, and CE in Identifying Historical Dates?” http://www.wisegeek.org
