BREAKING NEWS
Israel: Church Continues to Grow Despite Challenges
he Israel Field recently reported that its membership continues to grow despite many challenges. In the past three years, the church has added 385 new members through baptism and profession of faith, and 622 members through transfer of membership. Although approximately 350 members who were foreign workers had to leave Israel in the past year, the registered membership increased by 84 percent. More than 1,200 people worship in their churches every Sabbath, and the number of churches and groups has grown from 17 to 29 since the year 2000. When the Israel Field became part of the Trans-European Division in 1985, the membership was 50. The annual tithe income in 1990 was 75,784 ILS ($16,457 U.S.), but is now averaging 2.5 million ($542,888 U.S.).
This growth has occurred in spite of the challenges Israel faces. These include general political unrest, difficulty in preaching the gospel openly, and public transportation not being available on Saturdays. The Field comprises a multilingual membership, and many foreign members are often not allowed to remain in Israel.
Many Hebrew-speaking citizens in Israel are now joining the Adventist Church. Contextualized Jewish-Adventist church services, Hebrew literature, and Hebrew songs are becoming more important. This is partly the result of the Global Mission Shalom Project, in which the division and the Israel Field have cooperated to educate and train Hebrew-speaking members for pastoral ministry. There are plans to reach the Palestinian population with a similar plan, the Salam Project.
The significant increase in membership is also attributed to the field's emphasis on "every member a minister." This focus has resulted in more than one hundred small groups across the country. At a recent session, the Israel Field voted to form 11 new companies and one new church.--Adapted from Adventist News Review, Trans-European Division
South Central Lawsuit Thrown Out
The Adventist Review has learned that one of two pending lawsuits against the South Central Conference, and other parties, has been dismissed.
Citing jurisdictional grounds, the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis, Indiana, threw out the 2003 case against South Central Conference, its president Joseph W. McCoy, and the General Conference. Court records show that dismissal order for South Central was dated on March 24. The dismissal order for the General Conference case was dated May 4.
The lawsuit had been filed by Randall L. Woodruff, a bankruptcy trustee for Legacy Healthcare, Inc. Though South Central Conference officials are happy with the decision, conference secretary Dana C. Edmond noted, "we are jubilant about the dismissal however our attorneys have reminded us that the lawsuit could be filed again in Tennessee where the South Central headquarters is located."
The second lawsuit, filed by Centereach Pharmacy & Surgical Supply Inc. in New York State Supreme Court, Suffolk County, is still pending, Edmond said.
On May 30, delegates will meet in a specially called conference constituency session in Birmingham, Alabama, where conference leaders will present all the relevant facts surrounding the case.
Samuel Monnier Dies
Samuel F. Monnier, 76, former General Conference (GC) associate director of church ministries, died April 16 while in Switzerland.
Born September 21, 1926, in Mostaganem, Algeria, Monnier held a Master's degree in business. He later graduated from the Saleve Adventist University Seminary in Collonges, France, with a degree in theology and served the Adventist Church in many capacities: evangelist in France; president and departmental director of the French West Indies; departmental director in Haiti, Brazil, and the Trans-Mediterranean Division with offices in Switzerland; president of the Southern European Union with offices in Italy; associate director of the GC Lay Activities Department from 1975-85; and associate director of GC Church Ministries from 1985 until his retirement in 1991. He was a versatile speaker, fluent in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Italian.
News Notes
Terje Dahl is the new treasurer for the Norwegian Union Conference. For the past 11 years Dahl has been director of an Adventist-run nursing home in Sandefjord, Norway. He replaces Jóhann E. Jóhannsson, who accepted the position of treasurer for the Trans-European Division. Dahl is married to Sidsel Wollan Dahl, and the couple has four children.
Ethel Meilicke from Yreka, California, celebrated her 105th birthday on May 5, 2004. She was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1899. Her mother was the first member of her family to become a Seventh-day Adventist, and when Meilicke was nineteen, she also was baptized into the Adventist Church. When describing her baptism, Meilicke said, "They chopped a hole in the ice and baptized me." Eventually, her father also became an Adventist.
Meilicke currently resides with her daughter, Frances Henderson, a music teacher at Yreka Seventh-day Adventist Christian School. She is a member of the Yreka Church.-Frank S. Waxter, Gazelle, California
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