BREAKING NEWS

Fire Destroys Michigan Church

he 130 year old building of the Prattville (Michigan) Seventh-day Adventist Church was destroyed by fire on October 23. The wooden structure was built in 1872 by a German Baptist group. Seventh-day Adventists eventually converted the Prattville congregation in 1895, and the church has served for more than 100 years as an Adventist presence in this small community.

The fire began late in the afternoon near an electrical box. Firefighters were called, put out the fire, and left the scene about two hours later. Later that evening, firefighters returned to check on the church and discovered that the fire had rekindled. Because of the church's old wooden structure, the fire quickly spread and the entire building was lost. The cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious.

Until the church can be rebuilt, Pastor Monte Landis and his 62 church members have found a temporary home in the Prattville Community Church, the only other church in town.

Graz Elected Secretary of Christian World Communions
At the 2002 meeting of Secretaries of Christian World Communions (CWC) held October 2-24, Dr. John Graz, director of the General Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department, was elected as secretary of the conference. Dr. Larry Miller, general secretary of the World Mennonite Conference, was elected chairman.

Previously, Dr. Bert Beach, secretary for inter-church relations for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, served in this significant international position for 32 years. Beach announced his resignation at the October meeting. Some observers saw the election of Graz as a signal of the esteem in which Seventh-day Adventists are viewed by the leaders of these global Christian bodies.

The Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions is not an organization as such, or a decision-making body, but an annual informal meeting of secretaries of global Christian bodies representing some two billion Christians that come together to exchange information, consultation, and Christian fellowship. Each participating organization keeps its own separate identity and unique doctrines. The 2003 conference is planned to meet in October on the island of Cyprus.

ATN Negotiates 24/7 Broadcast Opportunity
Adventist Television Network (ATN) recently concluded satellite contract negotiations which gives essentially full-time (24/7) world-wide coverage for ATN broadcasts. Other contracts also have been re-negotiated that will provide an expansion of current ATN broadcasts. Full time broadcast on these new satellites is expected to begin during the first quarter of 2003.

These contracts will cover all of North and Central America and virtually all the 10/40 window, the targeted area between the 10 and 40 degree latitudes of the globe where there is little or no Adventist presence. An additional negotiated contract allows for a much greater audience in Latin American broadcasts. Together, these satellites cover virtually the entire world. Only portions of Australia and New Zealand and some of Oceana are yet to be covered. There is an active plan in place to find full time coverage for these areas.

Previously, ATN programming was primarily received in churches equipped with downlink antennas and was intended for a church audience. ATN will still continue broadcasting special events and other special programs, but is transitioning to target an "in home" audience with these new contracts. Brad Thorpe, director of ATN, outlined how programming will be affected since acquiring the satellite contracts. "Previously broadcasts were occasional, now they will be 24/7. Previously we carried a very large number of language translations. In the future we will still provide extensive translation service but provide it in a slightly different way."

"We are thrilled at the way God has guided and directed in helping us finalize these contracts," thorpe said. "Satellite space which initially was unavailable has opened to us. Price and terms of the contracts have been competitive and favorable. Overall, we have been able to finalize these contracts at a fraction of the cost of what we initially anticipated."

News Notes

The Adventist Review was published in Chinese for the first time in its 153 years of publication. The issue was a special edition marking the centennial celebration of Chinese ministry.

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