L. D. Raelly, President

The Eastern Africa Division (EAD) comprises 11 nations with a population of 186 million people. Of these, 1.8 million are Adventist. What a challenge, when you consider that Christ�s commission to the church is to reach every creature�yes, every one of the 186 million�with the gospel of Christ (Mark 16:15)! The church must of necessity go beyond conventional means and approaches to evangelism and witness in order to touch everyone within their confines with the gospel�Christ�s saving news.

Recognizing that Christ�s mission is to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Rev. 14:6), EAD took upon itself the challenge to fill its territory with God�s message of love. Hence we adopted the running theme: �Saturation 2000,� meaning that we intend to cover the territory of EAD with the saving knowledge

of our God as waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14; Isa. 11:9).

All administration and departments of the church bent their energies to fulfill this goal, endeavoring to soak every inch of the ground with the gospel of Christ.

1. ADRA
The humanitarian wing of the church has worked and is working in all 11 countries of the division, providing health care, fresh water, income generating agriculture and specialized programs, education, and other relief programs. More than 3 million people have been touched by the hand of Christ to the needy and suffering. More than US$23 million have been spent to reach out to the suffering and needy of EAD. To most of these, the only contact with Christ is through ADRA. Thanks to ADRA for representing the arm of Christ in a tangible, practical way.

2. Youth and Children�s Ministries
�� It is estimated that 70 percent of the church is youth. The church that does not take care of its youth is a dying church. The young must not only be preached to but must be nurtured through the various instruments and programs of the church. The youth of the church are on the march for Christ and to Zion. Following up on the resolutions for their advisory, the Youth Department held a youth congress in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which brought together 3,000 young people from the division territory. There was a spiritual feast from preaching to singing to giving inspiring reports of their participation in the mission of the church. A Pathfinder Camporee convened in Zomba, Malawi, drawing 1,500; and another, in Uganda, pulled in 3,000 young people for a religious feast.

The Youth Department has published a book, The Unsung Heroes of East and Central Africa, to be used as a reading book on church history in Africa for the Adventist Youth classes. This will ground our young people in the prophetic faith of their fathers.

The Children�s Ministries Department has produced several books and prepared music for the instruction and nurture of the children of the church. These books emphasize character and development. In this respect, the Spirit of Prophecy book Steps to Christ will have been adapted to the thinking of children.

The Adventist youth studying in public universities have had several retreats bringing them together from the East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Another retreat for the southern countries of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana is envisioned for Zambia to bring together 2,000 students. By GC session this will have happened.

Children of the pastors are usually forgotten. Sensing this special need, EAD has now fully organized an association for the nurturing and reclaiming of pastors� children. This association is known as PAKIA (Pastors� Kids Association). Three conventions of pastors� children have already taken place.

3. Education
Education is not only vital but crucial to the growth and nurturing of the church. We run three universities and two junior colleges. The Department of Education, in cooperation with the ministerial and health departments, has conducted seminars in the training of ministers and teachers in the area of evangelism�the church�s lifeline.

Critical to teaching is the integration of faith and learning. The University of Eastern Africa Baraton (UEAB) was host of the International Integration of Faith and Learning seminar in 1998. In the same year 430 teachers convened in Morogoro, Tanzania. These came from all over the division territory to discuss management of schools. Elder Lowell C. Cooper, from the General Conference, was the main speaker.

An Education Summit was held in Mombasa, Kenya, to plan for the future of our tertiary education. During the quinquennium we have introduced several new programs: M.A. in Education at UEAB; M.A. in Pastoral Theology and Religion; M.A. in Family and Consumer Sciences at Solusi University. Soon we will introduce the M.P.H. at UEAB in corroboration with Loma Linda University.

4. Sabbath School and Personal Ministries
The Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department conducted lay training seminars, lay congresses, and evangelism workshops. This training resulted in 27,070 lay crusades and

384,118 lay Bible studies. The laity have distributed 571,938 pieces of literature. These efforts have yielded 8,093 baptisms.

Beginning with Pentecost �98, broadcast from Soweto, South Africa (in 1998), and ending with ACTS 2000 from Kumasi, Ghana (in 1999), EAD has participated in various satellite evangelism programs resulting in 10,070 baptisms. Some 252,915 watched the programs.

5. Health Ministries
The Health Department has held several interdepartmental meetings in planning and training for evangelism. Health-care institutions have participated in evangelism resulting in 530 baptisms and held activities in the unentered areas of the division resulting in 388 baptisms, a total of 918 baptisms from the Health Department.

Uniquely, the health Department has conducted special evangelism for executives. Such seminars were conducted in Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda with astounding results of forming bridges between the church and government.

6. Ministerial Department
Without leaders, the church is bound to perish. Leaders are always ministering to others, but not to themselves. During the quinquennium we recognized the need of ministering to the leaders�sharpening their professional skills as well as nurturing them and their families.

Two ministerial councils were held in 1997. About 1,000 ministers and their spouses benefited from these councils. Besides these, several local ministerial councils were held in every union. These councils spurred the ministers on to action, resulting in an abundant harvest of souls. They also included family counseling. Family ministries directors have been appointed in every local church, ministering to all levels of family life, including single parenting.

7. Publishing Department
The Publishing Department has distributed 1,304,428 pieces of literature. During this quinquennium the General Conference Publishing Department conducted an evangelistic campaign in Nairobi, Kenya, involving literature evangelists to commemorate 150 years of publishing work. More than 1,500 persons were baptized.

8. Adventist Women�s Ministries
The Adventist women�s ministries marshaled and challenged the women of the church during retreats and congresses, organizing them for service�community and evangelism. The 2,229 retreats and congresses were attended by 134,170 Adventist and 14,388 non-Adventist women. Adventist women have held 1,099 training seminars, 1,745 evangelistic meetings, and 1,665 other related meetings. These efforts by Adventist women have yielded 2,782 women members reclaimed and 15,166 baptisms.

9. Public Affairs and Religious Liberty
The Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department, in cooperation with legal counsel, has held lawyers� conferences in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Lawyers� associations have been formed, and lawyers have been sensitized to the need of serving the churches. They have risen to the challenge and are willing to volunteer their services to the church.

Several communication seminars have been conducted, resulting in several unions beginning their own papers complementing that of the division.

10. Stewardship
The department conducted several workshops and seminars resulting in an upbeat mood in the church. The church members� response to supporting the church has risen from 24 percent in 1995 to 53 percent in 1999, and tithe per capita has risen from US$4.40 in 1995 to US$9.30 in 1999.

The church in EAD has an established presence in all of its 11 countries. The Lord has blessed His church here with tremendous growth�from 1,478,380, as of December 31, 1995, to 1,803,479, as of September 30, 1999. This represents a net growth of 325,099 in four years, despite heavy church membership audits carried out on a yearly basis.

We praise God for what He has done for us and His people in EAD. Looking forward to the future, EAD has developed strategies to enhance effective management of the church and its resources. We look forward to the third millennium with great confidence in the Lord.