ANN Bulletin - June 3, 2008 - unOFFICIAL ADVENTIST FORUM

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do.
And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with
– even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department.
Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14.1: The Message

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#172330 - 06/04/08 09:08 AM ANN Bulletin - June 3, 2008
magilly46 Registered: 10/29/02 Posts: 140 Loc: BC	Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters June 3, 2008 In This Issue: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minister to the community, Adventist leader says in conversation Diversity both challenge and opportunity, Paulsen tells European pastors May 29 London, England 'Historic' Adventist Church business meeting in North Korea First Executive Committee in closed country in more than 50 years; farm might be inroad June 2 Kumgangsan, North Korea Church Chat: Nepal's Adventist Church co-founder Shrestha on reaching his fellow believers Writing for a mostly illiterate membership; washing 'untouchable' feet May 29 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Adventist churches in South Africa open for refugees during xenophobic attacks Church statement deplores violence; youth plan June 7 march against xenophobia May 28 Bloemfontein, South Africa Mexico: Adventist Church establishing more inroads in once hostile communities Members still endure religious persecution; beatings since January May 30 Plan de Ayala, Chiapas, Mexico Mongolia: First religious liberty meeting draws government, international religious freedom leaders Country set to host full-scale freedom of religion conference next year June 2 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Minister to the community, Adventist leader says in conversation May 29, 2008 London, England ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six Adventist pastors from across Europe joined world church president Jan Paulsen for the second installment of Pastors: In Conversation May 28. [photos: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN] During the live boardroom-like discussion, Pastor Ian Sweeney from Leeds, England, left, asked if the certainty of evangelical preaching might hinder new members from thinking for themselves. Pastors should emphasize that baptism is just the beginning of a lifetime of spiritual growth, Paulsen said. Churches need to tailor ministry to the community, and members who intend to spend eternity together ought to begin by getting along in the pews, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, said in a live May 28 telecast aimed at leaders of the 16 million-strong Protestant denomination. Six Adventist ministers from across Europe joined Paulsen for the second installment of the unscripted show, Pastors: In Conversation, held in Gerrards Cross near London. During the boardroom-like discussion hosted by Bertil A. Wiklander, president of the church's Trans-European region, Paulsen answered questions ranging from church involvement to diversity. When Pastor Ashwin Somasundram, whose London church represents 52 nationalities, said he was worried by a trend toward more ethnocentric churches, Paulsen asked, "What does the community where the church is look like? The church should be a reflection of the community." "People must feel that the church is a good place to establish a spiritual home," he added. "If they don't, the church has failed the community." Addressing the steady influx of new immigrant members into previously indigenous congregations, Paulsen said the challenge of diversity demands mutual respect and tolerance for differing worship styles. "I count it a privilege that the church represents the broadness of humanity," he said. Paulsen also called for latitude regarding different attitudes toward Adventism. Reidar Olsen from Oslo, Norway wondered if the church should be concerned when young people embrace conservatism with more fervor than their elders. "Should we aim at being more progressive?" he asked. "We should aim at being biblical," Paulsen said. Beyond that, "there are many human qualities -- care, tolerance -- that have to be displayed in a church that are not locked into a particular doctrine." Labeling people, he added, does a disservice to individuality and only encourages rifts between believers. "Our church has to have room for a broad range of personality," he said. "I am so concerned with the kind of climate we establish in churches now, where a person is described as 'liberal' by one and 'conservative' by another." Adventists "care for the same Lord, the same church, share the same identity and intend to spend eternity together." When the discussion turned to evangelism, Pastor Ian Sweeney from Leeds, England, asked if the certainty of evangelical preaching might bring people into the church without challenging them to think for themselves. "In a sense, many people are not ready for questions because they've come into the church on the basis of definite certainties," he said. Other pastors agreed, suggesting that the culture of evangelism may hand people answers rather than help them find the answers themselves. Paulsen responded by asking pastors "not to create a climate in our churches where the very process of searching and asking questions is somehow looked upon as an unholy exercise." New members, he said, should not think of baptism as a final step, but rather the beginning of a "process of growing we are all involved in." Paulsen also urged growth in the area of women in ministry. "I think all of us have some serious rethinking and praying to do on this issue," he said after Somasundram pointed out that he was ordained after four years of pastoring, yet his sister -- who "was far more experienced and had done far more work" during her decade of ministry -- was not ordained. Paulsen said his niece encountered a similar roadblock to ministry, but said the issue would not be resolved until the global church makes a collective decision. During the hour-long broadcast, Paulsen also stressed the increased involvement of young people in the church. "Young people often tell me they don't believe the church trusts them, or they would be giving them leadership roles. This is a fair comment," he said. "There's a sense that you've got to be 50 or at least 40 before you're entrusted with responsibility in the local church." Bert Nab from Holland suggested that the best way to involve young people in ministry -- even those who show up late and sit in the back of the church -- is to put them to work. "Give them some responsibility and they will be there on time," he said. "I'm tired of this comment, 'The youth are the church of tomorrow,'" another pastor said. "It's incorrect -- the youth are the church of today." When Pastor Kaarina Villa from Joensuu, Finland asked Paulsen for some guidelines on fulfilling the obligations of ministry without asking for burnout, he urged her and the other pastors not to "feel guilty for taking time off to renew yourselves," adding that even God said to "'Come apart and rest for a while.' "Last year I had to take a break at age 27," said Pastor Steven Wilson from Ireland, describing dueling pressure from church administration and local church members. Paulsen said his concerns were legitimate and that taking time to "unwind" is crucial if pastors are to "survive in ministry." He also urged pastors to prioritize their families. "Plan your calendar with them," he suggested. "If you decide Monday is family time, when the conference president advises you to attend a meeting on that day, you will of course advise him that a prior engagement prevents you from attending." Toward the end of the program, Paulsen asked the pastors, "How would you like the public, who may not be a part of your worshipping community, to know your church?" One pastor suggested that church members make more of an effort to involve themselves in the community during the week rather than just "take up parking spaces on Sabbath and then leave." Paulsen agreed, and urged the pastors not to cultivate a "closed environment" at church. The next Pastors: In Conversation is set for July 1 at the church's media center in Jacarei, near Sao Paulo, Brazil with two separate groups of pastors representing the Portuguese and Spanish regions of South America. Another conversation is planned for Africa in August. 'Historic' Adventist Church business meeting in North Korea June 2, 2008 Kumgangsan, North Korea ... [ ANN Staff ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Officers for the church in Northern Asia, from left: Akeri Suzuki, secretary; Jairyong Lee, president; and Clyde M. Iverson Jr., treasurer. Jairyong Lee, left, president of the church in Northern Asia, with Adventist Pastor Kim Suk Man, right, who manages a farm in North Korea. The church has donated fertilizer to the project, (below) which is providing vegetables for those in need and educational opportunities for farmers. The church's Northern Asia-Pacific Division is home to more than 1.5 billion people, making it the most populous of the church's 13 world divisions. Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in Northern Asia held their mid-year Executive Committee meeting in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea last month, the first such meeting there since the country closed its borders in 1953. Meeting for one day in the city of Kumgangsan, church officers established Chinese theology education and examined implementation of the world church's extraor dinary tithe for this region of the world. "We have no organized work in North Korea, so to have an official meeting is an historic occasion," said Glenn Mitchell, a spokesman for the Adventist Church in Northern Asia. Delegates also visited the North Korea Agricultural Project, a farm run by Adventist Pastor Kim Suk Man of the Yang Yang Jaeil Adventist Church in South Korea. For nine years, he has managed the farm in cooperation with the North Korean government and Hyundai Corporation, instructing farmers how to produce vegetables for those in need in North Korea. More than 1.5 billion people live within the church's Northern Asia-Pacific Division, making it the most populous of the church's 13 world divisions. Church Chat: Nepal's Adventist Church co-founder Shrestha on reaching his fellow believers May 29, 2008 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bhaju Ram Shrestha helped co-found the Adventist Church in Nepal. He has translated several editions of the church's Adult Bible Study Guide into Nepali, but only about 10 percent of Adventist Church members in Nepal are literate. Bhaju Ram Shrestha was kicked out of his house nearly 40 years ago for becoming a Protestant Christian in a Hindu majority country. Despite suffering for his faith, the 57-year-old has dedicated his life to the church in his native Nepal. Shrestha created the first known translation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Adult Bible Study Guide in Nepali, a language spoken by the nearly 30 million people in the southern Asian nation. The country, he says, is enduring political strife or "AIDS" -- his acronym for "acquired interrelationship deficiency syndrome." This week, as a new government assembly expected to abolish the country's monarchy was sworn in, Shrestha corresponded with Adventist News Network through e-mail from his home in the capital, Kathmandu. The witty, self-effacing assistant teacher and librarian co-founded the first Nepali Adventist church and the local branch of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Some excerpts have been edited for clarity. Adventist News Network: There are some 5,400 church members in Nepal. How well do they know Christianity and the Adventist Church? Bhaju Ram Shrestha: In some regions people are educated about doctrines and in other regions some people can only say "Jesus." We want the believers to know where we stand in our beliefs. We find some drop out from the main church just because they don't know what they believe. ANN: The church's worldwide Bible study guide is available in 120 languages. What motivated you to put in all the work of translating into Nepali? Shrestha: I started out just for the immediate congregation, then the lesson evolved. Currently, some lessons are also sent to Bhutan. I feel called to project the image of Jesus and the church to the best of my knowledge. As for motivation to translate, after my wife passed away, I used to lie awake a couple of hours or so before I started my day. Not having her, I felt I was wasting my precious hours just lying awake. I prayed and then experienced the impression that the Lord wanted me to use those best waking moments to translate the lesson. So in a way, I would say, God converted my tragedy and used it for His strategy. ANN: You translated the written language for a country with a less than 50 percent literacy rate. How does one teach doctrines in that setting? Shrestha: I admit that perhaps 90 percent [of our members] cannot read or write, yet they are the core group of believers. When I preach to them, they are the best listeners I find. Many times they thank me for the precious words that I presented from the Bible. ANN: A few months ago you indicated the political situation could turn as bad as the recent strife in Kenya. What's the situation now? Shrestha: The political situation in Nepal is whole other thing. What a coincidence that you are publishing this interview at the time of Nepal being declared a republic. Yesterday, I was in the thick of a crowd when a bomb went off. I heard it but it did not effect me, except my heart pumped blood faster. Then I went outside the compound and took a photo of another bomb that the bomb squad was preparing to defuse. No one knows what is going to happen. Sometimes the security situation is very weak. I got beaten by a couple of young men recently one early evening. So far the political situation has not affected the church work, though. Though I might have painted a sorry state picture of my country, you can be sure that our life moves on as normal. We pray for the country and its leaders, and move on with God-given tasks. ANN: You've previously referred to that region of the world as a "caste and class-infected world." What does Christianity offer such a society? Shrestha: It's Christianity that makes them equal. The cobbler class, tailor class and iron smith class are "untouchable" in Nepal. No person of high caste would come near them and feel himself pure. But when we go to them and wash their feet, they feel reassured in being sons and daughters of God. ANN: You've said there are some people of other religious denominations who discriminate against Adventists in Nepal. What does a new church member need to know in that country? Shrestha: When I accepted Jesus nearly 40 years ago, there may have been total of 1,000 or so Christians in Nepal. Now there are nearly 1 million. Even so, once a person becomes a Christian, many times he is ostracized (I myself was kicked out of my house for taking baptism). He needs someone and something to hold on, to lean on and to make them feel a part of the divine family. Adventist churches in South Africa open for refugees during xenophobic attacks May 28, 2008 Bloemfontein, South Africa ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Refugees in South Africa receive food and shelter at the Kraaifontein Adventist Church Saturday May 24. [photos: Megan Govendor] Seventh-day Adventist churches in South Africa are opening their doors to serve as refugee centers while calling for an end to xenophobic attacks occuring throughout the country in recent weeks. More than 30 churches are working with government officials to aid refugees, many of them undocumented and from the neighboring country of Zimbabwe. Reports indicate that 40 people have died and thousands have been displaced from their homes. Church leaders stressed that attacks are coming from a "small, un-orchestrated criminal element." Yesterday, the Adventist Church in South Africa released a statement deploring the violence: "The Adventist Church strongly calls for a deeper understanding of and greater respect for human rights and non-discrimination, to meet crying human needs, and to work for reconciliation between national, ethnic and religious communities," the statement said. "The Seventh-day Adventist Church rejects the use of violence, in any form, as a method for conflict resolution. "The Christian ministry of reconciliation will and must contribute to the restoration of human dignity, equality, and unity through the grace of God in which human beings see each other as members of one common family, the family of God," the statement said. In the past few years, South Africa has received millions of immigrants, both legal and undocumented. "I guess some people feel their jobs are threatened," said Andre Brink, communication director for the Adventist Church's Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region. The situation is playing out now in rural townships, church leaders said. Last Sabbath, guest preacher Paul Charles quit halfway through his sermon while about 70 refugees streamed into the sanctuary, overwhelming the 120-member congregation. About 80 percent were Adventist refugees from Zimbabwe, said Charles, who serves as the communication director for the Adventist Church in Southern Africa. "On Saturday morning we decided to open our churches," Charles said in reference to a renewed threat against refugees issued Friday night. "They have a warm place to stay. The church, working together with ADRA, is housing these people until there is some peace and calm," he said. The threat also affected the church's Helderberg College near Cape Town. School officials found housing that night for off-campus international students. Charles said about one-third of the school's students are from other countries. ADRA dispatched a truck supplied with food and blankets yesterday from its office in Bloemfontein. Charles said the government has provided transport for refugees to go back to Zimbabwe but most refuse to go. "Even though there's a crisis here and their lives are at stake, in spite of these conditions, there's more hope here than in Zimbabwe now," he said. Church leaders said an Adventist youth group is planning a June 7 march against xenophobia near Cape Town. Mexico: Adventist Church establishing more inroads in once hostile communities May 30, 2008 Plan de Ayala, Chiapas, Mexico ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Adventist congregation in Yasha meets on a concrete foundation covered with a corrugated tin roof. The surrounding community in Chiapas won't allow them to complete their nearby church building. [photos: Ansel Oliver/ANN] The Yasha Adventist Church remains unfinished. Neighbors have prevented construction for the last year. Agustin Garcia says he has experienced the rage from the community when he gave up the Catholic tradition to join the Adventist Church. He and other church members have been beaten and imprisoned for their decision. Construction on the Rio Grande Adventist Church in Los Pozos is nearly complete. Most Adventist churches in rural areas of southern Mexico are constructed of concrete. Church members in Plan de Ayala in the Tojolabal Valley were smart, says regional Adventist Church leader Hortencio Vazquez Vazquez. During a 2001 mob protest at a community meeting, the group huddled with the women in front. "The laws protect hitting a woman more than a man. You'll think twice before hitting a woman," Vasquez says. Consuelo Santiz says being persecuted for her faith has strengthened her. She once had to break through an angry mob to care for her imprisoned husband who, with her, had joined the Adventist Church. Consuelo Santiz had to contend with an angry mob when she joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At first her new faith meant holding church secretly in her home at night. Later, as the Roman Catholic community learned a new denomination had entered the village, she saw members of her church family beaten and jailed. Breaking through the crowd surrounding a prison one evening in 2001 was the only way to deliver food to her imprisoned husband. His crime was becoming an Adventist. Santiz, 32, is one of 254 Adventists in this village of about 2,400 people. In 1995 there were none. The journey hasn't been smooth, but it's one that's made her stronger, she says. Now her poise is apparent as she speaks with ease in front of an audience -- unusual in a culture where women are typically shy in public. "I can say that being a Seventh-day Adventist is something uplifting," she tells her church family one recent Thursday evening. The Plan de Ayala Adventist congregation has gathered for an impromptu service to meet a visitor who has come to learn their story. Since 1940, more than 33,000 Protestant Christians in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas have been persecuted for their faith, Adventist Church leaders say. Though religious freedom is guaranteed by the national constitution, that right is often usurped by local tradition. In Chiapas, home to some 180,000 Adventists, that tradition is Catholicism. And veering from that tradition is not perceived as just a different choice of belief, but as rejecting the community and its culture. New Protestant converts declining to participate in monthly festivals of the saints can be brought before the police. Others are required to perform community service for not contributing funds to Catholic events. "In this region, religious customs and traditions are law to these people," says Hortencio Vazquez Vazquez, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Adventist Church in Upper Chiapas. He has reported numerous cases of religious persecution over the years to local government leaders, who then urge to community to allow religious liberty. Despite some improvements, their efforts can often go unheeded. In 2000, ANN reported that Adventists in this village held their church service next to the site of 14 destroyed homes. Vazquez says the government agreed to support religious freedom, even paying to have the homes rebuilt. Later, though, the homes were again destroyed. Today the Plan de Ayala Adventist Church congregation is flourishing along with many others. "We've observed that the places with the most violent intolerance, more people join our church in the end," Vazquez says. "Once the situation is overcome, the church just flourishes." Yet many congregations are still struggling to gain acceptance, or even tolerance from the community. In the nearby town of Mitzitom, fences on the properties belonging to Pentecostals lay on the grass. Vazquez says they were torn down by community members. "When was that?" a visitor asks. "Fifteen days ago," he says. A few miles away in the town of Yasha, the Adventist congregation meets under a corrugated tin roof propped up by six-foot sticks and boards. "This is not a church," says their 33-year-old pastor, Julio Cesar Jimenez, who also oversees 23 other churches. About 75 yards off the road behind their temporary place of worship is the site of what would be their permanent church. But for a year now, the surrounding community hasn't allowed them to finish construction. Piles of settling dirt still sit next to holes, some with unfinished iron rebar sticking out. "Since the beginning I knew we had to suffer," says Agustin Garcia, 64, a farmer, like other members of the Yasha congregation. He's seen the rage from the community throughout the years -- he and his children were beaten and imprisoned. But now it's no longer the entire community, just the core leaders who still oppose freedom of belief. His fellow church member Isidro Santiz, 53, is affable and almost easy-going as he describes a similar struggle while becoming an Adventist. He spent more than two years studying the Bible before telling his wife, "We should be willing to accept what we believe as truth." Several miles away, in the town of Bajocu, Genaro Vasquez, 40, stands in the corner of his father's house. He joined the Adventist Church while living in another town and brought the faith back to his home community. "When my wife and I accepted Adventism, we understood the responsibility of sharing our faith. She said 'you have to go back and preach to your father.'" His father, then an alcoholic, almost refused to speak to him, insisting he would remain Catholic. Now his father is an Adventist Church member and seated at the evangelistic campaign just finishing up at the church a few hundred feet away. Many who once refused to grant freedom of belief have become supporters and members of the Adventist Church. Jorge Hernandez, 39, commissioner for the local community here in Plan de Ayala, first learned about the church through his father. In 2001, he sided with Adventists who were mobbed and beaten in public meetings. He's now an Adventist. At the Thursday evening impromptu service, Hernandez addresses the congregation, citing their hope of one day practicing their faith unharmed. "That hope paid off with the growth of this group in this beautiful church," he says. Santiz, the woman who once crossed a mob to care for her husband, can't withhold tears as she recounts the experience of encountering a faith of grace. "They're tears of joy," she says. "I want to emphasize the power of the Lord was in action in the midst of the crowd." Nine men line the platform to perform a song on classical guitars, smaller requinto guitars and one big guitarron providing deep bass. The song title perhaps encapsulates their story: "Didn't I tell you that if you believe you would see the glory of God." A crowd of congregants surround a visitor while leaving the church after the service. On the porch in front of the concrete building, Felipe Gomez Alvarez asks if more people will be able to hear about the commitment of his church members. "Please carry the story of this church to your own church," he says, explaining his wish to inspire people in other parts of the world. "Please, take them our regards." -- Raul Lozano contributed to this story Mongolia: First religious liberty meeting draws government, international religious freedom leaders June 2, 2008 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia ... [ ANN Staff ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From left, Khamba Lama of the Dashjoilin Buddhist Monastery; Eugene Hsu, a Seventh-day Adventist world church vice president; Samdan Tsedendamba, secretary of Monglia's Council on Religious Affairs; and John Graz, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association. The group was among more than 50 government and religious liberty leaders who met last week to plan a forthcoming freedom of religion conference. [photos: courtesy NSD] Mongolians, 50 percent of whom are Buddhist, enjoy broad religious freedom, said John Graz, right, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association. International religious liberty leaders joined members of Mongolia's government and major religious communities May 30 for the nation's first religious liberty symposium, meant largely to lay groundwork for a full-scale freedom of religion conference next year. "This is an historic day for Mongolia in hosting this symposium on increasing religious tolerance," said Samdan Tsedendamba, secretary of the country's Council on Religious Affairs. Mongolians enjoy considerable freedom of religion, said John Graz, secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association, which jointly sponsored the event with the Northern Asian nation's Council of Religious Affairs. Graz joined more than 50 religious and government leaders for the meeting, which included a review of the United Nation's Documents on Religious Freedom. Mongolia is home to nearly 3 million people, 50 percent of whom are Buddhist. About 40 percent claim no religion. The Adventist Church's IRLA representative in Mongolia, Paul Kotanko, was invited to hold a forthcoming similar meeting at the Dashjoilin Buddhist Monastery. Organizers said last week's meeting will also lead to the 3rd Asian Congress on Religious Liberty next September. Established in 1893, the IRLA is present in some 80 countries and is the world's largest non-sectarian forum dedicated to religious freedom. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- news.adventist.org ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters. Reproduction Requirements: Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged. Ground 7 News Podcast: Ground 7 News is a review of news and information issued by the Communication Department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. Reproduction of the ANN podcast is encouraged. When rebroadcasting this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be mentioned before and after the podcast. ANN Staff: Rajmund Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Taashi Rowe, editorial coordinator; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial assistant. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofer.
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