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South American Membership Reaches 2 Million

aula Contente Garcia, a 26-year-old pharmacist from Bel�m, Par�, Brazil, was symbolically the 2 millionth person to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America. The baptism took place on August 10 during a convention sponsored by the Adventist women of northern Brazil, which brought together some 2,500 people.

Also baptized the same day was Marcela Ara�jo, 21, from Castanhal, Par�. Both young women learned about the church through evangelism work carried out by Adventist women. "The church in that region has strong programs for discipling new members," said Ardis Stenbakken, women's ministries director for the world church, who attended the convention. "We're encouraging women to do personal and public ministry, and this is one result."

The president of the Adventist Church in South America, Pastor Ruy Nagel, spoke at the event, noting that in north Brazil the church is rapidly growing; some 35 percent of church members in Brazil live in this area. Nagel said the work of Adventist women has contributed greatly to this growth.                                            --Adventist News Network

Adventist Youth Defy Danger to Attend First Camporee
Ongoing civil war could not keep some 200 delegates away from the first Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinder Camporee to be held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The event was held August 1-10 at William Booth College, Kasungulu, on the outskirts of the capital city of Kinsahasa.

The theme of the event was "Youth, Your Redeemer is Coming," says Baraka Muganda, the first General Conference youth director to visit the country. He reports that attendees had to fly in because the war has made the roads in the region unsafe for travel.

Formerly known as Zaire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been ravaged by ethnic strife and civil war since the 1960s. Local Congolese youth director Pandi Bamue Kabasu wants to establish a strong Pathfinder presence in the country. He says the church needs to focus on young people in order to build strong Christians for the future. "It's not easy to be a Christian with the war going on," says Kabasu. "But I'm glad we have many young people standing firm for the Master."

Eighty percent of church members in the Congo are under 30 years of age. Some 420,000 Adventists worship there in more than 1,200 churches.                                           --Adventist News Network

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