ANR Bulletin
Adventist News Review
Trans-European Division of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church

13 April 2005

In this Issue:

* Pakistan: Miracle at Karachi Adventist Hospital
* Albania: National Television coverage for church plant programme
* Croatia: New Adventist Book Centre opened in Split
* Switzerland: "How to Reform the UN Commission on Human Rights?" ?
Adventists participate in dialogue
* England: Political agendas of Evangelicals may be broadening
* TED Prayer Guide for week 17 ? 23 April


MIRACLE AT KARACHI ADVENTIST HOSPITAL

KARACHI, PAKISTAN [ANR] ? Some people wonder, but I strongly believe
that miracles take place in God's institutions even in these modern
days. One such miracle took place at Karachi Adventist Hospital (KAH)
at 9:30 pm on 10 February 2005 when a lady was rushed to our
Emergency Room fighting for her life from complications suffered
after the birth of her baby boy.

This young lady was bleeding profusely and was semiconscious, only
responding to painful stimuli. On examination she was found to be in
deep shock with no recordable Blood Pressure and Pulse and the only
sign of life was that her pupils sluggishly reacted to light.

The doctor in ER declared an emergency and the whole medical team was
actively involved in resuscitating the young lady. The patient
received a hysterectomy operation and was administered many blood
transfusions. As blood is hard to come by, employees of the hospital
took an active part in donating the 17 units of blood that was needed
in order to save her life. After 24 hours the patient was moved to
the Intensive Care Unit where she was monitored vigilantly. She
gradually improved and was eventually discharged on 18 February 2004
in a satisfactory condition and she returned to her family of seven
small children.

I consider that saving this patient was not less then a miracle. The
family were very thankful for the dedication and prayers of the
doctors, nurses and paramedical staff of KAH. God truly answered our
prayers and used KAH as an instrument for His glory.

[Donald Jacob/ANR]


NATIONAL TELEVISION COVERAGE FOR CHURCH PLANT PROGRAMME

ELBASAN, ALBANIA [ANR] ? A celebration of the 200th anniversary of
Hans Christian Andersen on Saturday 2 April 2005, received National
Television news coverage for the Elbasan church plant. More than 70
people attended the celebration organised by church planters Genti
and Sanda Thomollari. The programme included a presentation by Genti
on the life of Andersen, and a review of the themes of his
literature, by Sanda. Children from the 'community children's
programme' performed a drama enacting Andersen's story, The Princess
and the Pea.

Many of those who attended were community people who have been
involved in the wide range of community programmes which Genti and
Sanda have offered. Representatives of the city council and the
Municipal Arts and Cultural Council also attended.

"The celebration of Anderson's 200th anniversary seemed to capture
the media's interest. Five television stations attended the event,"
said Thomollari. "Getting the name of the church known in Elbasan as
a church that offers a wide variety of activities is one of our
church planting strategies," he added. "This will certainly help."

The National Television has recently given considerable negative
coverage to religious groups which have commenced working in Albania
since the fall of communism. This publicity followed the suicide of a
number of teenagers reportedly connected with church groups. The next
community event is a program for parents on teenage suicide and how
to recognise the signs of distress in their children and safeguard
them from suicide.

[Barbara Rice/ANR]


NEW ADVENTIST BOOK CENTRE OPENED IN SPLIT

SPLIT, CROATIA [ANR] ? A new outlet for Bibles, books and religious
periodicals, together with a reading room and refreshment area, were
opened at Split on Croatia?s Adriatic coast on Friday, 8 April.
Occupying the ground floor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church?s
six-story complex, it is hoped that many of the town?s inhabitants ?
especially those using the massive adjacent car park ? will drop in
for both physical and spiritual food, and a chat.

The centre is the second bookshop to be operated by the Croatian
Adventist publishing house, 'Adventus', following the success of a
similar venture in Zagreb which opened in 2004. ?Our aim is to create
another window whereby people can become acquainted with the church,?
says general manager, Dragutin Matak.

Besides carrying a good range of local-language Adventist books, both
shops are stocking appropriate titles from other Christian
publishers, together with educational supplies, and musical tapes and
CDs.

Representing the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the opening ceremony
were Miroslav Lorencin, President, and Miroslav Didara, Personal
Ministries director, in Croatia; Srecko Kuburic, Secretary for the
Adriatic region and John Arthur, Publishing Ministries Director for
the Trans-Europe region.

During his address, which included a PowerPoint presentation, Arthur
mentioned that the printed page offered three distinct advantages
over many other forms of communication ? permanence, accuracy, and
convenience.

During the Sabbath service the following day, church members ordered
more than 100 books to distribute to their friends and neighbours.

[ANR Staff/ANR]


?HOW TO REFORM THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS?? - ADVENTISTS
PARTICIPATE IN DIALOGUE

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND [ANR] ? Having come in for much criticism of late
for its lack of effectiveness and credibility, the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights seems set for reform.

At an open meeting on March 30 attended by Mrs. Louise Arbour, High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the whole issue of reform was raised
and debated by members of civil society, including representatives of
the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

In her remarks, Arbour said she wanted to ?conceive of a body that
will work universally and fairly for the implementation of human
rights,? and that there was a great ?need to re-centre the core of
our work in this new environment. We want to see where we will be in
ten years, and not be held back by the liabilities of the past. In
general terms the emphasis is less on the normative phase, and more
on equipping for the implementation phase of human rights?which is
very dysfunctional as it is currently operating. It is a challenge
for our office and for states parties.?

Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, UN representative for the Adventist Church,
posed what many see as the crucial question?'who will make up the
reformed Commission or proposed new Council?' He suggested that many
believed there should be qualifications for membership of a body that
sought to enhance human rights, and that having countries who were
human rights violators on the Commission brought it into disrepute.
The recent ?high level panel? that was charged by UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan with bringing recommendations on necessary UN
reforms stated in its report that ?the Commission on Human Rights
suffers from a legitimacy deficit that casts doubt on the overall
reputation of the United Nations.?

In her response, Arbour admitted ?a credibility gap and lack of
legitimacy in the Commission,? adding that ?this is particularly
acute when states are invited to throw accusations against each
other.? However she was sceptical about implementing what she called
suitability requirements for membership of the proposed new Human
Rights Council. She suggested that the better question is ?What
should the Council focus on? Membership to do what? How will the work
be conducted? As we look for a body which would equip itself to do
peer review of implementation of all rights, done through processes
which are universal, fair, and respectful, then it may matter less
who constitutes the body.?

Whether such a view is successful remains to be seen. The current
session of the Commission on Human Rights runs from March 14 to April
22. The Adventist Church is making five statements to the Commission
on issues of extreme importance that include religious intolerance
and persecution, women?s rights, and minorities.

[ANN Staff/ANR]


POLITICAL AGENDAS OF EVANGELICALS MAY BE BROADENING

LONDON, ENGLAND [ANR] ? There are signs that the political agendas of
Evangelicals may be broadening in the UK beyond traditional 'moral'
issues of sexuality, abortion and family policy, for which their
campaigns are so well known.

In a major survey (8 April 2005) to gauge the political opinions of
Evangelicals in the run up to the General Election an overwhelming
majority signalled their desire to see political parties take action
to end global poverty.

Of the two thousand Christians polled by the Evangelical Alliance at
the recent Spring Harvest festival in both Skegness and Minehead, 60%
said the top political issue on their mind at the moment was world
poverty. This was followed by education, the health service, and
fears over religious liberty. Only a small percentage viewed
terrorism as a major political issue.

Predictably, other issues of concern to Evangelicals included
abortion; more financial help for those who are married and have
families; better and more effective teaching of the Christian faith
in schools; political corruption and the need for integrity in public
life.

Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said, "The
figures indicate that Christians are keen to make a difference on the
global stage and that many of them have taken to heart the message of
the 'MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY' campaign. They also show that Christians are
planning to come out in force and vote at the forthcoming election
and that many are in key positions in their locality to influence and
make known the issues that matter to them."

The Rt. Rev. Pete Broadbent, Bishop of Willesden, and a member of the
leadership team at Spring Harvest, described the survey as
'brilliant' and commented, "With 83% deciding to vote it is really
encouraging to see Christians taking their responsibilities so
seriously."

[© 2005 Ekklesia/ANR]


TED PRAYER GUIDE FOR WEEK 17 ? 23 APRIL 2005

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND [ANR] ? A British newspaper recently carried an
article opposing a suggestion to extend compulsory schooling by three
years to the age of 19, and pointing out the effectiveness of
promoting values in education. The point was made that in the
Eighties, only 12% of the British people wanted to legalise cannabis,
and, 70% thought that homosexual practice was wrong. After two
generations had gone through ?relentless propaganda?, the numbers had
shifted significantly. Support for legalisation of cannabis was up to
41%, and, the number regarding homosexual practice as wrong had
fallen to 47%! What really caught my attention was the writer?s next
sentence. He remarked that if the young in schools can be insulated
from the views and values of their parents, and subjected to current
propaganda for three more impressionable years, then the change in
values would be complete. Against that kind of tide, Adventist
Education and schooling remain committed to supporting parents and
promoting the values of the kingdom of God.

Prayer Requests:

1. God?s help in making Adventist Education more available to the
children and youth of the church.
2. A double portion of the Holy Spirit?s guidance and influence on
all staff and teachers in our schools.
3. The children and youth in our schools that they may have an
experience that, not only prepares them for usefulness in this world,
but intentionally promotes citizenship of the world to come.

[Orville Woolford/ANR]


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