n January 2000 the city of Makassar, in South Sulawesi, was caught in the grip of fear and chaos as tensions between some in the Islamic and Christian communities reached the boiling point. An angry mob threw five Molotov cocktails through the front windows of the Adventist Church headquarters. Fortunately nobody was injured. (The damage has been repaired.) Around the same time, just down the road, a Roman Catholic church was burned to the ground.

Since this attack, the Adventist Church has worked to build bridges with the community in Makassar and throughout South Sulawesi. After the bombing of their headquarters, Adventist leaders decided to open up facilities in the conference office as a community center, and invite people--no matter what their faith--to come in. Today, Adventists and Muslims play table tennis together at the conference office, and leaders report that relations with their Muslim neighbors continue to improve.