aryland governor Robert Ehrlich (far right) and lieutenant governor Michael Steele (far left) recently awarded Maryland Adventist Rocky Twyman (center, right) a citation for his community service. The citation was presented at the Maryland State House in Annapolis on May 2.

For several years Twyman, who attends the New Life Adventist Church in Gaithersburg, has worked with the National Bone Marrow Foundation to promote bone marrow screenings in several states, including Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Pennsylvania. As a result of his efforts, more than 14,000 donors for transplant have been registered.

Bone marrow transplants are used to help leukemia patients. Twyman noted, however, that there is a severe shortage of African-American donors. Also receiving a citation was Twyman's brother-in-law, Columbus Geer (center, left) of Rockville. Geer's nephew, Franklin Geer, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2003. Twyman and Geer staged several screenings, a match was eventually found, and Franklin is now recovering.                                                              --AR

President, Prime Minister Attend ADRA/Sri Lanka Water Project Ceremony
The prime minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksha, and Her Excellency President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga attended the opening ceremony for a building project in Sri Lanka on March 15, for which the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing water.

ADRA will provide water for the 200 permanent houses that will be built on 78 acres of land provided by the Sri Lankan government. The development will be located in the Tangalle division of the Hambantota district of Sri Lanka, one of the areas hardest hit by last December's tsunami.

ADRA continues its relief efforts to the tsunami survivors in Asia and Africa through projects such as the distribution of medicine, water purification systems, and livelihood support.

For more information about ADRA, go to www.adra.org.

AIDS Conference Gains Support
From Christian Communities in Russia
Because of Russia's concern over the growth of AIDS, an international conference was held in Moscow using the theme "State, Religious, and Public Organizations in Solving the AIDS problem-Perspectives of Cooperation." The conference brought together representatives of these organizations in Moscow, April 18 to 19.

A number of Adventist experts who have worked to bring attention to the problem joined attendees at the meeting to produce a three-page document that outlined ways to stop the startling growth of AIDS in Russia.

The document proposes strengthening the spiritual and moral foundations of Russian society as one way to fight the disease. This would be accomplished through greater cooperation between church and state by creating organizations that produce AIDS education programs.

"Our church from the very beginning had health programs [to address AIDS]," says Nadezhda Ivanova, health ministries director of the Adventist church in Euro-Asia.

"This conference was very important because Russia is starting to realize that this is a major problem," adds Ron Mataya, director of health ministries for Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). Mataya, who attended the meeting, added that ADRA has been working to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS for years, especially among orphans and other vulnerable children.                               --Adventist News Network/AR.

New Jewish Evangelism Training Center
Constructed in Florida
An evangelism training facility called the Shalom Learning Center is being developed in Hollywood, Florida, to train Adventists in the best methods to reach Jewish people with the gospel. The center is a distance-learning ministry operated by the Southern Union.

"Seminars have been designed to sensitize Adventists to the American-Jewish mentality, so that they can express God's love for their Jewish friends and family in culturally appropriate ways," says Paul Lippi, coordinator of the center. In cooperation with a local Jewish-Adventist congregation, the Shalom Learning Center also provides teaching and worship resources that are biblically and factually sound.

"Building a bridge between Jewish persons and non-Jewish Adventists requires committed people working at both ends," says Lippi.

PHILIPPINES: We Are Bridges of Hope,
Says Division's Communication Leader
"If we fail to see beyond our circumstances, we fail to see through hope," said Jonathan C. Catolico, communication director of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, as he addressed the participants of the first Adventist communication and media relations seminar held recently at the newly constructed Adventist school in Negros Oriental, central Philippines.

"As communicators we are bridges of hope, and we gaze beyond what is now and act on that hope," he added.

Sponsored by the Institute for the Development of Adventist Writers (IDAW), the seminar focused on news writing, editorial writing, editing, layout and design, photography, PowerPoint presentations, and devotional writing.

Speaking on the first day of the seminar, Joel Requillo, president of the Adventist church in the region, reminded the participants of their role as communicators. "Aside from talking of the good news of salvation to people around us, we should also learn the value of listening," he said.

News Notes: