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

25 May 2005

In this Issue:

* Norway: Union Session maps out the future
* England: Newbold College Graduation
* Serbia: Law may discriminate against religions not approved by
State
* Ireland: New publishing director makes his debut at Galway
* England: Intercessory prayer team at Session
* TED Prayer Guide for week 29 May ? 4 June


UNION SESSION MAPS OUT THE FUTURE

TYRIFJORD, NORWAY [ANR] ? The quinquennial session for the Norwegian
Union Conference (NORUC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was held
20 ? 22 May at the Junior College, Tyrifjord. The Trans-European
Division was represented by Bertil Wiklander, president, and Harald
Wollan, secretary.

The election of officers gave the following results: President: Tor
Tjeransen (re-election), Secretary: Finn Eckhoff (election),
Treasurer: Terje Dahl (election after interim service for less than a
year). The departments were staffed as follows: those re-elected,
Gunnar Jørgensen (Communication and Media, Editor), Per de Lange
(Health Ministries), Turid Myklebust (Women?s Ministries); those
newly elected, Terje Bjerka (Personal Ministries, Sabbath School, and
Ministerial Association), Victor Marley (Children?s, Youth and Family
Ministries), Gry Haugen (Music Ministries), and Lars Jørgen Stølen
(Religious Liberty).

The position as Education Director was referred to the Union
Executive Committee, to allow for some practically motivated
investigations.

Reflecting on the meeting, Wiklander said: ?The session was
well-organized and characterized by a spiritual tone, demonstrating
fellowship and commitment to bringing the gospel to all people."
Particularly impressive were the lively, stimulating discussions with
the delegates during the business sessions. Wiklander continued, "God
has given great talents to pastors and members here and the new plan
for the coming five years shows the way to church growth."

Many important items were voted during the session with special
decisions aimed at working for closer cooperation with the Adventist
Church in the Nordic countries; arranging special gatherings for
health professionals; fostering personal contacts with people outside
the church community; strengthening the work for children and youth
including the schools; and a more efficient use of the Internet. An
impressive array of reports was voted, indicating an enormous range
of activity.

It was agreed, however, that much of this high-quality work needs to
be geared in the future towards children and youth, making them tools
of evangelism in the church. Wiklander commented, "The young people
are our future, and the best way to keep them in the church is to
make them active witnesses for Christ.?

Pastor Tor Tjeransen (47), re-elected president for a second 5-year
period, has been the driving force behind the new long-term plan for
the church, which was adopted after some minor adjustments by the
session. It focuses on unity, quality of life and growth, and invites
the church in Norway to work together towards common goals which are
easy to communicate; goals that are shared with the world church, but
leaving room for local adaptations.

Attention was also given to the church?s membership in all-Christian
organizations. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway has been a
member of the Norwegian Council of Free Churches since March 2003.
Its main purpose is to represent the members before the Government on
issues common to all churches, such as private schools and various
financial issues. As the Council will be joining another organization
next year, in which the Lutheran (State) Church and the Roman
Catholic Church are members, continued membership presents challenges
for the Adventist Church. The union session voted, therefore, to
initiate a process where all members, local churches, and districts
are invited to share their views on the matter before a final
decision is made either by the union executive committee or an extra
union session. An alternative possibility would be to ask for
observer status in the new organization, which would be in harmony
with what the Adventist Church normally does internationally. ?A
formalized cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church presents
theological and ethical challenges for us,? says Tjeransen. ?This
position goes all the way back to the Protestant Reformation. On the
other hand, it is also clear that there are areas where we ought to
be able to work with religious communities that differ from us
theologically.?

The union team under the leadership of Pastor Tjeransen is looking
forward to increasing the level of evangelistic efforts in the
future. Drawing on the gospel story of Jesus? meeting with Zacchaeus,
pastor Tjeransen gave a moving Sabbath sermon, inviting everyone to
work together for the goal of witnessing for Christ to the people of
Norway. He made it clear that the union will give every available
support to the conferences, pastors and members in their endeavor to
make the gospel attractive to modern people.

[Gunnar Jorgensen/ANR Staff/ANR]


NEWBOLD COLLEGE GRADUATION

BRACKNELL, ENLAND [ANR] ? For the first time this year, students
completing their studies in Newbold's 'Institute of Christian
Counselling (ICC) were included in the Graduation Ceremony at Newbold
College, England on 22 May. Seventeen students completed the Advanced
Certificate in Christian Counselling (accredited by the Counselling
Training Initiative/Open College Network); twelve of whom were
present to receive their awards from Lucia Hall, Director of the
Institute and Dr David Penner Newbold College Principal.

The student travelling the most miles was Icelandic singing teacher
Greta Jonsdottir who had found details of the course on the Internet
(newbold.ac.uk). Flying the six-hour return trip from Reykjavik to
London Greta had attended once a week for the twenty weeks per year
of term-time.

In the ten years following her young daughter's death from Cancer,
Greta had looked for ?something to do? that would help others. "When
I saw the class, I knew that was what I wanted to do" said
Jonsdottir. Already she is giving counselling-related seminars and in
the near future plans to start a counselling agency in Iceland.

The elements of Greta?s story, recognition of a need in themselves
and others, followed by a desire to serve, are present in the lives
of many of the young people who graduate from Newbold. Determination
to find their own method of service, followed by commitment to years
of study concludes with qualification and then service, or as so many
of them describe it: ?making a contribution?.

Newbold?s two Graduation ceremonies reflected the variety of ways in
which the College offers help for those aspiring to service. In the
morning, thirty-seven students received certificates and diplomas in
Counselling, Christian-Muslim studies, and Religious and Pastoral
Studies, followed by twenty graduates from fifteen countries who
received Bachelors? degrees in English, History, Behavioural Science,
Accounting and Management.

In the afternoon ceremony forty six students from twenty-four
countries received Bachelors? degrees in Humanities, and Biblical and
Pastoral Studies; and MAs in Biblical Studies, Pastoral Studies and
Theological Studies. Fourteen students received awards in absentia
many of whom are already hard at work in their chosen fields of
service throughout the world.

In his annual report, Dr Penner shared news of a generous and
anonymous gift to the College of £100,000 which will be used for
scholarships for new and gifted students and fellowships for staff.
This project will be called 'The Randolph Initiative'. In his speech,
the principal wished farewell to two departing members of the Senior
Management team, Dr Penny Mahon, Dean of Students and Head of
Humanities, and Mrs Judith Vucic, Bursar. He paid tribute to the
enormous contribution both have made to the College.

The speaker at both services this year was Dr John Matthews, Newbold
graduate and Professor of Educational Administration and Religious
Education at Andrews University, USA and father of Humanities
graduate, Angela Matthews. His simple biblical message to the
graduates offered a choice between finding limited meaning in
religious ritual or more authentic life and meaning in relationship
with Jesus Christ. "I challenge you to live your life so
authentically that if you were to live it again, the repetition would
be sweet" said Matthews. "If you make right choices now, your life
will bring life to you and others and the river will flow into
eternity."

[Helen Pearson/ANR]


LAW MAY DISCRIMINATE AGAINST RELIGIONS NOT APPROVED BY STATE

BELGRADE, SERBIA [ANR] ? The basic human right of freedom of
conscience may be under siege in Serbia, as the government is
reportedly waiting for input from the Serbian Orthodox Church on a
proposed new law detailing religious rights. A formerly public
process is now shrouded in secrecy; say religious leaders and human
rights watchers.

"At the moment there are no statements for the press and no
information," Milan Radulovic, Religion Minister, told the Forum 18
News Service on 12 May. "When the time comes, all will be informed."

Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Serbia are cautiously optimistic
about the outcome of such discussions. "The intention is to involve
us in the process" said Pastor Miodrag Zivanovic, president of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Serbia. "The [Serbian] government is
becoming more open to dialogue and better communication." However, he
acknowledged, "there are still not the processes which will give
equal status to the Adventist church in the area of ? involvement in
the writing of new legislation."

Zivanovic added, "At the same time, cooperation and dialogue among
religious communities is increasing." He also credited the influence
of the European Union and the United States for advancing the
progress of this legislation. "There is visibly better communication
among the denominational leaders [of the] Serbian Orthodox and
Protestant [churches], as well as Islamic and Jewish organizations,"
he reported. "We look forward to the new legislation, which will
secure better [working conditions for] the Seventh-day Adventist
Church in Serbia, but moreover recognition of the [Adventist] church
as a Christian [community]."

Forum 18 reports that the draft law "disappeared from public view in
mid-March after the religion ministry suddenly cancelled the
participation of invited guests from various religious communities"
at a roundtable discussion organized jointly with the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Council of Europe
missions in Serbia. However, the news service reported that the
meeting took place "behind closed doors" on 17 March.

"The OSCE invited us to attend the roundtable, but the meeting was
postponed," Dr. Zdravko Sordjan, general secretary of the
Belgrade-based Centre for Tolerance and Inter-religious Relations
(formerly the Association for Religious Freedoms), told Forum 18.
"Later we learned that the meeting was held after all; but without
us. It is still not clear what happened." He told the news agency
that his group had intended to contribute to improving the text of
the draft law, holding several meetings to discuss the freedom of
religious expression and the status of religious communities. "We
wanted to communicate our findings to religion ministry officials."

Earlier this year Zivanovic said some progress had been made in
gaining rights for so-called "new" religions under the draft
legislation, while adding that more needed to be done. "We haven't
measured it, but we reckon more than half our earlier objections have
been resolved. The team working on this law has made a significant
improvement since the beginning," Zivanovic told Forum 18 in a 14
February interview. But he said that although the Constitution and
the draft law proclaim all religious communities as equal, in some
articles and official regulations "the state is making a rift between
the seven 'traditional' religious organizations and the rest of us."

The problem is that those "traditional" or "historic" religious
communities seem to gain special privileges under the new law,
despite constitutional assurances. The seven religious organizations
recognized as "traditional" are the Serbian Orthodox Church; the
Catholic Church; the Islamic Faith Community; the Jewish Religious
Community; the Slovak Lutheran Church and also the Lutheran Church of
Serbia; and the Hungarian Reformed Church. All were similarly
recognized in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1941) with laws that
regulated their position. Other religious communities, such as the
Baptists, Methodists and the Nazarene Christian Community, which also
had legal status at that time but without individual laws regulating
their relations with the state, are not considered "traditional" or
"historical." The Adventist Church also had legal status in the 1918
to 1941 period.

Those religious groups lacking "traditional" status may suffer
discrimination under Serbian law. A 2001 law exempting property owned
by religious groups and used for worship services was limited, in
late 2004, to the "traditional" religions. In the Northern province
of Vojvodina, tax monies can be used to build or repair places of
worship, but again only for the "traditional" faiths.

Different faith communities may or may not wish to accept such funds,
but inequality before the law in one area can impact the work of
churches in other areas of society. Taxing one church's property
while leaving another's tax-free would also be a negative
development.

Vidan Hadzi-Vidanovic, a researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Human
Rights, told Forum 18 the proposals on taxation of religious property
are not in accordance "to European human rights standards. How is it
possible that one constitutional right is here divided into two
categories?"

In 2003, there were 10,000 Adventist Church members worshipping in
over 180 congregations in Serbia. The Adventist message was first
preached in Vojvodina, Serbia in 1890, and a church region was
organized in 1907.

[Miroslav Pujic/ANN Staff/Forum 18 News Service/ANR]


NEW PUBLISHING DIRECTOR MAKES HIS DEBUT AT GALWAY

GALWAY, IRELAND [ANR] ? Pastor Curtis Murphy, previously president
for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ireland and now
newly-appointed Publishing Ministries Director for the Adventist
Church in Britain, participated in his first publishing rally at
Galway on Sabbath, 14 May. In attendance were almost 80 church
members from several towns in western Ireland. Many of whom have only
recently moved into the region from far-away places as Kenya, Ghana,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, and Moldova. Also present were
longstanding leaders and members.

Guest speaker for the Sabbath meetings in Galway was Pastor John
Arthur, Publishing Ministries Director for the church in the
Trans-European region. His PowerPoint mission spotlight featured the
history and current relevance of printed products in a Christian
context. The morning sermon challenged members to become more
involved in sharing Christ?s good news and the afternoon topic
entitled '15 Reasons Why the Church should give more attention to
Door-to-Door Visitation' served as a catalyst for fruitful
discussion, and a subsequent regular order for 250 additional copies
of the LIFE.info magazine.

The church at Galway grew from the work of Literature-evangelists,
Tony Brownlow and David Ahwan, who engaged in pioneer outreach along
Ireland?s west coast in the 70s and 80s. Subsequently a church school
was opened, thanks to generous support from the Emerald Foundation in
North America. Today the school is very much alive with an enrolment
of 49 pupils.

Local churches and house groups under the leadership of Pastor Ashley
Kongari are also alive in connection with worship and witness, as is
the regional connection with Adventist literature.

Recently, Frida Kvamme, a young colporteur from Norway, working in
the northern city of Londonderry, received some unexpected publicity.
Two newspapers carried a story about a ?bogus health worker? who was
engaged in house-to-house visitation. In that Frida seemed to match
the newspaper description, the local minister, Pastor Anton Kapusi
decided to contact the local police regarding the true nature of her
work. An apology was issued by a leading police officer, and the two
newspapers allowed Frida the opportunity to explain in full the type
of activity in which she is engaged to benefit the people of
Londonderry. Now she is readily recognised at all the homes she
visits.

John Arthur welcomed Curtis and Vicky Murphy into their new realm of
responsibility, and prayed for God?s continued blessing on their
ministry. Pastor Murphy hopes to relinquish his position as President
of the Irish Mission at the end of August in order to take up his new
assignment.

[ANR Staff/ANR]


INTERCESSORY PRAYER TEAM AT SESSION

ST. ALBANS, ENGLAND [ANR] ? C. Peter Wagner in his book ?Your
Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow? says "The gift of
intercession is the special ability that God gives to certain members
of the Body of Christ to pray for extended periods of time on a
regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their
prayers..."

During the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, 29 June ? 9 July, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the
Trans-European Division (TED) together with other world-wide
divisions has been asked to staff a room set aside for prayer and
contemplation. Paul Clee, TED prayer ministries co-ordinator, states
that "volunteers are asked to ensure an atmosphere that would be
conducive to prayer; pray with those who have special and personal
needs; intercede for the work of the delegates for the duration of
the Session and pray that decisions made will be constructive for the
ongoing work of the world-wide church."

For those attending the Session who may feel gifted in this area and
would like to volunteer to spend one or two hours during Wednesday 6
June (8:00am-8:00pm) please contact pclee@ted-adventist.org

[ANR Staff/ANR]


TED PRAYER GUIDE FOR WEEK 29 MAY ? 4 JUNE 2005

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND [ANR] ? One of the most important aspects of the
Christian life is the need of daily consecration. It is not
sufficient to rely on past experience. We need to make a new
commitment to God each day, surrendering self and seeking His
guidance.

Ellen White wrote about this in her little book Steps to Christ
?Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first
work. Let your prayer be, ?Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay
all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me,
and let all my work be wrought in Thee.? This is a daily matter. Each
morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your
plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall
indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands
of God, and thus your life will be moulded more and more after the
life of Christ.? (p. 70)

Prayer Requests:

1. God?s help in following His will for our lives
2. Divine guidance in all aspects of our lives

[Michael Thorman/ANR]


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ANR Staff: Miroslav Pujic, news director, Beverly Coysten, editor
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Website: www.ted-adventist.org

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