The Response Grows
eventh-day Adventists both in the United States and around the world
have been united in their prayers for the many thousands of people
directly affected by terrorist strikes on September 11.
Personal stories of church members caught up in these events have
been coming into the Adventist Church world headquarters; stories of
loss, of near-misses, and of shock. But common themes run through each
account--of reliance on God, profound sympathy for those who are
suffering, and a desire to participate, in some way, in the rescue and
restoration efforts.
There are reportedly at least four Adventist Church members who worked
at the World Trade Center who have not yet been accounted for. Names
have not been released.
Adventist Church members who worked at the Pentagon were reportedly
among those who were safely evacuated after the building was struck by
a hijacked airliner.
In North America
Adventist churches across the United States opened their doors
for those in local communities who wanted to
come together to pray. In areas close to the disaster sites, Adventist
Church members have been quick to volunteer whatever assistance they
can toward the relief effort.
Janice Wright, pastoral care coordinator for Adventist Metro Ministries
in Manhattan, calls the past few days "surreal."
"There's a lot of post-trauma stress," says Wright. "You can see it in
people's faces. Everything is still uncertain, with rumors flying
around of evacuations and buildings that are apparently about to
collapse."
The 11th Street Manhattan Adventist Church, the closest Adventist
church to the World Trade Center, has been open to provide water, food,
counseling, and a place for prayer. The church is located on the same
street as St. Vincent's Medical Center, the medical facility nearest
the disaster scene.
The Church of the Advent Hope, an Adventist church located on 87th
Street on the Upper East Side, has held prayer vigils throughout this
week and plans a special memorial service on Sabbath, or Saturday,
September 15. Many Adventist churches in the New York City area have
been holding simple worship services of remembrance and comfort for the
community each evening, reports Wright.
Also in New York City, Adventist Community Services and the New York
Conference of Adventists are conducting a special training seminar for
some 35 pastors, dealing with critical stress and grief counseling.
Beginning September 14, volunteers from among students and faculty of
several Adventist universities, including Loma Linda University,
California, Andrews University, Michigan, and Columbia Union College,
Maryland, will head to New York City. They will offer community
seminars on dealing with grief and also plan to facilitate discussions
about spiritual questions raised by events of the past week.
"A great many people are serious about religion for the first time in
their lives," says Monte Sahlin, vice president of the Adventist
Church's Columbia Union, which is coordinating the work of Adventist
Metro Ministries.
In the Washington, D.C. area, Sligo Church's Adventist Community
Services reports it is coordinating pastoral care and counseling
volunteers to assist activities of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) at the Pentagon disaster site.
Around the World
The response of Adventist Church members and leaders around the world
has been "overwhelming," says Ray Dabrowski, communication director for
the Adventist world church.
Minutes after the terrorist attack, 230 Adventist pastors at their
annual ministers' convention in Bucharest, Romania, interrupted their
training program to pray for the victims and their relatives and for
stability and peace in the world.
Staff at the church's Eastern Africa headquarters gathered for an hour
on the day of the attacks to pray. "Since we cannot be there physically
to give blood or physical support, we have sent US$5,000 to ADRA for
relief purposes," said Pardon Mwansa, president of the church in the
region.
Messages of concern and support for those affected by the attacks have
come in from church administrative offices and institutions around the
world, including: the Northern Rhenish-Westfalian Conference, Germany;
the Burundi Association; the Inter-American Division; the Swiss Union;
the Italian Union; the Eastern Solomon Island Mission; Sydney Adventist
Hospital, Australia; the Southern Asia-Pacific Division; the Euro-Asia
Division; the Bulgarian Union; East African Union; and the Japan Union.
At Headquarters
As an international organization, the Adventist world headquarters has
staff members who are sometimes away from the office on national or
international itineraries. Within an hour of the first terrorist
strike, a department-by-department review was underway to establish the
whereabouts of traveling staff. All of the more than 60 staff members
who were found to be away from the office have been accounted for.
"We thank God for the safety of our world headquarters family, and pray
for the safe return of those making their way home," says Matthew
Bediako, secretary of the Adventist world church. "But we cannot
forget the 266 people who died Tuesday on the four hijacked aircraft.
We pray especially that the families of these victims will feel the
comforting arms of our Lord, Jesus Christ."
Meetings Still On Track
The Adventist Church world headquarters is currently preparing for the
church's Annual Council, to be held September 25 to 30 in Silver
Spring, Maryland, United States. It is an event that brings together
leaders and delegates from every region of the world church. A number
of associated pre-meetings have also been scheduled in the days leading
up to Annual Council.
Administrators at the church's world headquarters announced today that,
while some delegates may be delayed or prevented from coming to the
United States, both Annual Council and the pre-meetings will go ahead
as scheduled. --Adventist News Network
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