BY SANDRA BLACKMER, news editor, and STEPHEN CHAVEZ, managing editor, Adventist Review

n an effort to raise public awareness of Seventh-day Adventists and their beliefs, the General Conference Communication Department released to the press on July 5 three statements:

On Being Transformed in Christ--An Affirmation of Christian Values and Quality of Life: The Adventist Church believes that the "world is in need of people whose lives are examples of historic Christian values," and that "we place high value on simplicity and the virtues that long have formed the bedrock of society-family, integrity, work, honesty, and purity." The newly released statement highlights two key elements of lifestyle that affect the quality of life-the Sabbath and healthful living. "Adventists observe the seventh day, Saturday, according to the biblical injunction . . . and spend the Sabbath in worship, with family, and in helping others." Also, Adventists "place a strong emphasis on health," which comprises "a healthful diet (including a vegetarian diet), exercise, sufficient rest, trust in God, and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and other harmful drugs." According to the statement, these elements of faith challenge the "moral ambiguity and decay of values that pervade society, and give witness to the quality of life available to all who respond to the gospel invitation."

Religious Extremism--A Danger to Religious Liberty: The statement declares that Adventists have promoted religious liberty since the church's inception and believe that "every person has freedom of conscience and the right to religious expression, subject to the equal rights of others. Adventists defend the religious freedom of all people." The statement goes on to say that there are "two dangerous opposing forces . . . at work in the modern world," an anti-religious secularism and the growth of religious fundamentalism, described as religious extremism. These forces "have the capacity to infringe on religious freedom."

Respect for All People--Making Churches and Community Safe: "The Seventh-day Adventist Church affirms the dignity and worth of each human being as the handiwork of the Creator and the focus of God's redemptive action in Jesus Christ," reads the final statement released to the press. "We stand with other religious and community leaders who decry all forms of sexual abuse and family violence as well as all trafficking and exploitation of women and children, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, social, economic, and health status. We believe that to remain indifferent and unresponsive is, in effect, to condone, perpetuate, and potentially extend such behavior." The statement also describes policies and procedures the church has put in place to help accomplish these goals, including child-protection policies in Adventist churches and schools, and the humanitarian efforts of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.

General Conference church leaders answering questions at the press conference included the chair of the Statement Committee and general vice president Ted N. C. Wilson, Communication director Ray Dabrowski, Women's Ministries director Heather-Dawn Small, Family Ministries associate director Karen Flowers, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty associate director Jonathan Gallagher, and vice president for world evangelism Mark Finley.

When asked how the statements will be disseminated throughout the church, Dabrowski and Flowers explained that they will be providing resources to undergird the statements through the churches, schools, and pastors of the world church.

The full text of these statements can be viewed here: statement one, statement two, statement three.

New SID President Elected

By Sandra Blackmer, news editor, Adventist Review

aul S. Ratsara, who has served as secretary of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) since 2000, was voted by General Conference session delegates on July 4 as the division’s new president.

Also elected at the session were the following 12 incumbent division presidents: Luka T. Daniel, West-Central Africa Division; Laurie J. Evans, South Pacific Division; Ulrich W. Frikart, Euro-Africa Division; Alberto C. Gulfan Jr., Southern Asia-Pacific Division; Jairyong Lee, Northern Asia-Pacific Division; Israel Leito, Inter-American Division; Geoffrey G. Mbwana, East-Central Africa Division; Ruy H. Nagel, South American Division; Don C. Schneider, North American Division; Artur A. Stele, Euro-Asia Division; D. Ronald Watts, Southern Asia Division; and Bertil A. Wiklander, Trans-European Division.

Each of the above presidents also functions as a vice president of the General Conference.

“I’m on my knees,” Ratsara told the Adventist Review when describing his reaction to the election. “I see the possibilities and dreams for the church, and I look forward to working with our office team.”

Previous to serving as the division’s secretary, Ratsara was ministerial secretary and stewardship director of SID from 1999-2000, and president of the West Congo Union from 1994-1999. He has a master of divinity degree equivalency from the Adventist University Zurcher in Madagascar, and plans to complete his doctoral studies this year. He is fluent in Malagasy, French, and English, and also speaks Portuguese.

Ratsara and his wife, Denise, have two teenage sons, Paul and Moïse, and a daughter, Mary, who is attending college.

Racing Around St. Louis

BY BONITA JOYNER SHIELDS, assistant editor, Adventist Review

ore than 100 young adults are participating in Impact St. Louis (ISL), a young adult evangelistic initiative taking place during the General Conference session that hopes to make a lasting contribution to the city of St. Louis.

Young men and women from all parts of the globe-Asia, Africa, Australia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America-have come together for 10 days to see how they can share the love of Christ with area residents in unique and memorable ways.

"These young adults are proud of their church, and of being its service arm here in St. Louis," said James Black, youth director of the North American Division and director of ISL. "We hope that our church and these young people will make a difference during their stay."

The leaders of ISL are working closely with several area Adventist churches to ensure that when ISL concludes, the people of St. Louis will remain in contact with Adventists. The area churches plan to continue the work after the GC session concludes and the other young people return to their homes.

"We learned a lot from Impact Toronto," said Brian Collick, assistant communication director. "While we believe we made a positive impact there, we are working more intentionally here to make a lasting impact."

One of the first activities the group embarked on is The St. Louis Amazing Race. This "race" took the young adults to several stops along the metro rail to engage with residents of St. Louis. The youth formed groups, and their assignments were to approach strangers, tell them why they're visiting St. Louis, sing a song, and have the strangers sign a statement to verify that they completed their assignment.

"The people have been very receptive," said Sandra Silva, an ISL participant. "Many have hardly heard of Adventists, so they have been eager to talk with us and have been happy to see young people involved. It has been a joy to share Jesus in a new way."

During the remainder of their time in St. Louis, the leaders and participants of ISL will be involved in ministries in the areas of grief, clown ministry, homelessness, health, music, prayer, and recreation-to name a few.

Cesar Gonzalez, communication director for ISL, said of the race, "Our main purpose was to have fun, but also to get to know the city better. And that happened. The young adults prayed with people, got e-mail addresses, and even made contacts with former Adventists. Today our ministry started in St. Louis-and it went very, very well."

Commemorative Medallion
Given to Delegates

BY SANDRA BLACKMER, Adventist Review news editor

mong the many mementos given to the 58th General Conference session delegates is a solid brass 2½ -inch medallion depicting St. Louis, Missouri, and commemorating the session. The medallion concept was developed by conference leaders of the Mid-America Union, and the memento was included in the packet delegates received at session registration.

“The medallion is a gift to the delegates from around the world,” says Dennis Carlson, president of Mid-America Union, “and we hope it will serve as a happy reminder of the time spent together in St. Louis conducting the business of the church and advancing the mission of Jesus.”

On one side of the medallion, starting with the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the image invites the viewer to travel across the plains, through the large cities, and on to the mountains on the west side of the Mid-America Union territory. The image is circled by the names of the local conferences ministering in that region. The other side of the coin commemorates the 2005 session, and also has printed on it the church’s official logo.

Speaking in Many Tongues

BY SANDRA BLACKMER, Adventist Review news editor

he immense global diversity of today’s Adventist Church is evidenced during the 10-day General Conference session by some 206 volunteer interpreters-a large number of them delegates-who translate worships, meetings, and programs simultaneously into as many as 20 languages, reports Odette Ferreira, director of Adventist Colleges Abroad and organizer of the translation service. Each of the twelve most commonly spoken languages in the church has its own FM radio frequency during the session. Adventist World Radio provided delegates who need translations of meetings with a free small digital AM/FM radio.

Because of the intensity of the job, translators switch off every two hours. “It’s so taxing,” said Ferreira as she described the struggles of translating detailed information, such as that contained in treasury reports. Translating for speakers who talk very quickly is also a challenge. “Most of the translators are certified professional interpreters,” she added.

The 12 languages in which translation is provided via FM frequency are Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Romanian, German, Japanese, Korean, Serbian-Croatian, Chinese, Bulgarian, and Czech. American Sign Language is also provided.

“It’s really important work because if we didn’t have the interpreters, a great number of people from throughout the world wouldn’t understand what is being said,” said Ferreira. “Some of the volunteers who have come from abroad are paying all their own traveling and housing expenses. I’m very thankful for these people.”

Studio in a Car

By Mickey Nickless, correspondent for Adventist Review, communication director of Michigan Conference

he diversity of the Spirit’s gifts is well represented by the nearly 300 exhibits at the General Conference session. From Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to Your Story Hour, these varied ministries share their experiences, offer support to the church and its leadership, and testify to how God is working in their ministry or region. Exhibit booths at the session provide an opportunity for them to solicit support for their ministries.

Adventist World Radio (AWR), the mission radio arm of the Adventist Church, has a particularly creative exhibit. Near the entrance to the AWR booth, an aging Land Rover and grass hut decorate one side. AWR president Benjamin Schoun tells the story of this display and AWR’s shortwave, AM/FM, satellite, and Internet broadcasts, which reach people who are inaccessible using conventional outreach methods.

One such story involves the Sudan region of Africa, where facilities for preparing radio broadcasts for the four language groups were not available in 2004. A technician there discovered that if the windows and doors of a Land Rover were closed, the ceiling and side insulation provided a quiet place in which to record programs using a laptop computer. AWR technicians simply parked the vehicle under a tree and went to work. When the laptop battery would begin to run down, they would start the vehicle’s motor and recharge the battery.

The programs needed music, but again, no studio existed. Once more, ingenuity won out. An isolated thatched roof hut was chosen as a temporary studio. A musical group from the local Adventist secondary school at Maridi, Sudan, along with some local church groups, was able to record music for the broadcast recordings. Since that time a studio facility has been built.

The results of these broadcasts have been dramatic. Nearly 2,500 Bible studies have been generated by these broadcasts. In one region where there is no postal system, people walk to the studio bringing their requests for Bible studies.

AWR is currently broadcasting in nearly 70 languages.

To read more, go to www.adventistreview.org...