WORLD NEWS & PERSPECTIVES

oung adults in the Adventist Church must "become owners, take responsibility" in their churches, world church president Jan Paulsen told a multi-national audience of European Adventist students during a live broadcast April 26. The program was held at Marienhoehe Adventist Church on the campus of Marienhoehe College in Darmstadt, Germany.

Called "Let's Talk-Europe," the broadcast, hosted by Adventist journalist Gabi Ziegler, featured church youth from 12 European nations and was aired via the Hope Channel. It is also available via the Let's Talk Web site, which is designed to connect young people with the church's leadership.

"I care a lot about the church-and by the church I don't mean buildings, I don't mean elected people like myself," Paulsen said at the beginning of the broadcast. "Two-thirds of our global family are under 32 years of age. We haven't done very well in linking with them. . . . I do want to hear what the young people have to say to us."

During the hour-long broadcast, Paulsen addressed a wide range of topics raised by the studio audience, and invited further questions via the Let's Talk Web site. Encouraging youth participation in church life was a major theme. Other issues included inter-church relations, recent events in the Roman Catholic Church, and homosexuality.

"The worst you can do is pull back and be a spectator in the church," Paulsen told the young adults. "Be assertive when you go home; just be strong."

"Dr. Paulsen was very open and honest with us," said Sara Gehler, a 24 year-old university student from Berlin. "You could tell he was one of us. He was authentic with his answers to our questions."

"Let's Talk-Europe" is the third in a series of unscripted, unedited conversations between young people and their world church president. The previous two were held in the United States. To view the broadcast online go to www.letstalk.adventist.org.   --Adventist News Network/AR.

MACEDONIA: Reaching Minds Through Print
The 600 church members in the small Balkan state of Macedonia are prioritizing print in their efforts to communicate the gospel message to the country's 2 million inhabitants. Macedonian Publishing House manager Nikola Tasevski reports that more than 30 books have so far been translated and published, and about 140,000 copies of these books, as well as 500,000 religious brochures and periodicals, have been distributed.

Leading book sellers are Steps to Christ and The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White, and 2000 and Beyond by Mark Finley.

"In our strategy to capture minds for Christ, we have distributed books to people of all walks of life?with particular emphasis on the thought leaders," says Tasevski. He added that all university professors, politicians, editors, and lawyers in Macedonia's capital city, Skopje, have been sent a copy of one of the books, together with an explanatory letter.

The publishing house, in collaboration with the church's headquarters in Tirane, Albania, also plans to print and distribute books that will capture the attention of the 7 million Albanian-speaking people throughout Europe. These books will be distributed through display stands at large public gatherings, distribution efforts of book agents, and the giving of complimentary copies.

"Usually there are several different factors that lead people to a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ," said Trans-European Division publishing director John Arthur. "As the members and pastors throughout Macedonia incorporate the printed page into their array of spiritual weaponry, may many more in that part of the world begin to think seriously about God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ."

PHILIPPINES: Adventist Students in Secular Schools Hold Regional Convention
Ninety-two Adventist students, teachers, and other professionals attended the second regional convention of Adventist Ministry to College and University Students (AMiCUS), April 13-16, held on the campus of Philippine Advent College in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte. The four-day event was sponsored by AMiCUS in the southern Philippines.

Presenters included Gladden Flores, AMiCUS coordinator for the Southern Asia-Pacific Division; Wendell Serrano, executive secretary for the church in southern Philippines; and Jerry Patalinghug, youth director for southern Philippines. Lecture topics were on sermon design and how to maintain healthy and productive relationships.

The convention's goal was to encourage students attending non-Adventist schools and universities to live their faith amid secular influences, and to encourage Adventist professionals to support the evangelism and other religious programs initiated by the students.

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