ANR Bulletin, 12 January 2006 - 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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#68212 - 01/12/06 06:00 PM ANR Bulletin, 12 January 2006
Stan Jensen Carpe Diem!!! Registered: 09/15/06 Posts: 3945 Loc: 49.05° Lat- 122.3° Long	ANR Bulletin Adventist News Review Trans-European Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 12 January 2006 In this Issue: Netherlands: Record growth for the Netherlands Egypt: Sudanese Adventist killed in Cairo Violence *Cyprus: Arabic make-over for GraceLink RECORD GROWTH FOR THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCN IN THE NETHERLANDS THE NETHERLANDS [ANR] ? Two hundred and fifteen new members joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Netherlands last year, reports Dr. Reinder Bruinsma, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Netherlands. Forty-five baptismal services took place across the Union, accounting for 209 of the accessions, while the other six entered membership through the confession of their faith. This means that in 2005 the Adventist church in the Netherlands had a growth rate of over 4.5%. ?As far as I have been able to ascertain?, comments Dr. Bruinsma, ?this number of accessions to the church is the highest we were ever able to register. We applaud the hard work of our pastors and lay members, which, under the blessing of our Lord, has made this result possible. We thank God for the rich harvest and pray for it to continue.? When the official reports are compiled, the Adventist church expects that the total membership of the Netherlands Union will pass the 4,700 mark for the first time. [ANR staff/ANR] EGYPT: SUDANESE ADVENTIST KILLED IN CAIRO VIOLENCE CAIRO, EGYPT [ANR] - An active member of the Sudanese Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cairo, Betty Asenzo Bernard, was killed when thousands of Egyptian police officers broke up a protest camp outside the United Nations building in Cairo on Friday, Dec. 30, 2005. Several members of the Adventist congregation are still missing after the event. Many families have been separated as police raided Sudanese homes and took people away for questioning. Media reports indicate that more than 3,500 Sudanese migrants were protesting outside the U.N. refugee agency since September for better treatment of refugees and improved living conditions. The violence erupted when police attempted to forcibly remove the protesters with truncheons and by spraying a water cannon. Twenty-seven protesters were killed and 11 injured, although some unofficial reports put the figure closer to 216 dead. Some protesters were swiftly deported to Sudan because they had misplaced their identity papers. Pastor Kjell Aune, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Middle East, is currently in Cairo. Commenting on the events he said, "The Sudanese community in Cairo is grieving because of this deeply frustrating situation -- having lost family and close friends. The Sudanese need our prayers as they try to come to terms with an uncertain future." Tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees fled to Egypt, following decades of civil war in Sudan. Nearly 80 people regularly attend the Sudanese Adventist Church that meets in Cairo. [Alex Elmadjian/ANN Staff] ARABIC MAKE-OVER FOR GRACELINK NICOSIA, CYPRUS [ANR] ? In 2000 the GraceLink Curriculum for Children?s Sabbath School, published by the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, began rolling off the printing presses. It was not too long before children attending Seventh-day Adventist churches all over the world were enjoying more creative Sabbath School programmes. The innovative activities, contemporary illustrations and up-beat stories made Sabbath School an eagerly anticipated weekly event for the age group, birth-to-fourteen. ?It also gave a boost to family worship as parents could use the material during the week to help develop their children?s spiritual habits in an engaging way,? says Valerie Fidelia, Children?s Ministries Director for the Adventist Church in the Middle East Region. The Adventist churches in the Middle East eagerly anticipated this new resource. It was fresh and exciting but not in Arabic. ?As English is not widely spoken in the Middle East? says Fidelia, ?We taught the Children?s Sabbath School teachers, who knew some English, how to use the new materials and some even used the teaching techniques in their Primary School classrooms.? The vision of the church?s Middle East office was not only to have GraceLink translated into Arabic but also adapted to reflect the local cultural setting. ?We searched for financial assistance, but having costed the job we knew that we could not fund it on our own,? commented Fidelia, who encouraged members in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq as well as the headquarters office in Cyprus to make it a matter of earnest prayer. In April 2005, Anne-May Wollan, Children?s Ministries Director for the Trans-European Region, accompanied by Valerie Fidelia, visited Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan for Children?s Ministries training events. It quickly became apparent to Mrs Wollan that without the Sabbath School lessons in Arabic the children would never understand. She resolved to make it a matter of priority to help source some funding. After a considerable search, donors have are coming forward who are willing to fund the translation and printing expenses. ?We have found a translator who has already begun, and we are working together as a team to ensure that the completed material reaches the Middle East as soon as possible,? says Amir Ghali, Publishing Director for the Adventist Church in the Middle East Region. Alex Elmadjian, Communication Director for the Adventist Church in the Middle East, considers this to be a breakthrough for the Arab World. ?There is a desperate need for culturally appropriate material to be designed for the 337 million people in the Middle East and North Africa who have Arabic as their mother-tongue. I am proud that our church is taking this important step for the children of this region. For years many of them have endured Sabbath School programmes which centered on a dated picture roll depicting mostly pale-skinned Bible characters!? Although the project has commenced, there is still not enough money committed for actual printing and distribution. Therefore, the initial phase of this venture will be to place electronic versions on the Internet to be downloaded locally as needed. ?Jesus loves the little children,? says Fidelia, ?and wants all of them to know Him as their friend and Saviour.? GraceLink is going to be an important tool in that process, because it is all about God?s Love and Grace. [Alex Elmadjian/ANR] ?Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, ?You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.? Psalms 16:1,2. Prayer Request: That God may protect His people, especially in troubled areas of our Division --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANR Staff: Miroslav Pujic, news director ANR, 119 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England E-mail: anr@ted-adventist.org Website: www.ted-adventist.org ANR (Adventist News Review) is a news and information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. You are free to re-print any portion of the bulletin without need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify ANR whenever you publish these materials.
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