By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Tracey Bridcutt)

A special Sabbath is being planned—like no other Sabbath in the history of the South Pacific Division (SPD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
On this special Sabbath, thousands of Adventists from around the Division will be united in a way they have never been before. Whether you are in Kiribati or Tonga, Port Moresby or Wellington, you will have an opportunity to be part of this historic initiative.
Scheduled for May 22-23, the event will comprise a Friday evening program, Sabbath school…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News)

With stay-at-home restrictions still enforced due to the Coronavirus pandemic, top Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Inter-America continue to juggle multiple video conference meetings, trainings, devotionals, sermons, and anything in-between to strengthen the church membership across its 24 unions, or major church regions.
“We are living in a new paradigm and we have to make sure to continue focusing on our ministry to nurture the church,” said Elie Henry, president of the church in…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Royston Philbert/NCC Staff/Inter-American Division News Staff)

For more than three weeks now, a group of Seventh-day Adventists across the Dutch Island of Sint Maarten have been serving over 300 meals to volunteers who have been assisting the government in packing and distributing meals to seniors and other citizens who depend on the country’s social aid system. Volunteers from churches throughout the island have been preparing the hot meals six days a week since Apr. 5, 2020, as the island continues a nation-wide curfew because of the coronavirus…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Victor Hulbert)

How big a thank you have you said this week? My neighbour works in a local supermarket. She told me how good it felt to be thanked and to feel valued during this crisis. The reality of the value of ordinary people doing ordinary but important jobs has hit home. They are the ‘new celebrity’.
So while you sit at home, lock your door and stay safe, why not share this message of thanks to farmers, shop workers, pharmacists, bakers and more – all those who contribute in real ways to our safety,…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Glenn Townend)

Thousands of people have lost jobs, superannuation funds are worth substantially less and relationship issues are becoming more apparent—those are just some of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. People are infected, health care workers are stressed and families are grieving; everyone is suffering.
The virus and its affect do not surprise God, but what is He doing about it? This question assumes two characteristics about God. Firstly, that God is love and wants to help people—the Bible…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Staff)

Even as the global Covid-19 pandemic dominates news headlines, a major report on religious freedom released this week in Washington, D.C. provided a sobering reminder that religious persecution and restrictions continue unabated in many parts of the world. The annual report, which tracks both positive and negative trends in religious freedom, was issued April 30 by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent watchdog agency that helps inform US…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists)

Editor’s Note: Below is a transcript of a message, posted to You Tube on May 1, from president of the Adventist Church, Ted N.C. Wilson. Elder Wilson will release a new video each week, during the Coronavirus pandemic, which you can view here.
I’m glad to make contact this week with you, with you, our wonderful church members around the world. God has protected and cared for His church, and by God’s grace, you have been protected this week. Be of good courage in the Lord. We will get through…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (ADRA International)

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is serving more than 2.4 million households around the world where lives have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. ADRA has launched COVID-19 response projects in 37 countries to support frontline workers, low-income families, the elderly, and people facing layoffs as a result of the crisis.
“ADRA has been on the ground since the coronavirus outbreak, immediately responding and assisting the most needed areas of the world, helping…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Maryellen Fairfax)

Members of Gatton and Laidley Seventh-day Adventist churches in Queensland, Australia, have teamed up to facilitate the distribution of more than 11 pallets of fresh produce donated by Coles Supermarket in response to COVID-19—on top of food hampers they regularly hand out at their “ADRA Lockyer Food Pantry”.
Having heard about their dedicated food pantry ministry, food distribution service Second Bite asked Gatton church to distribute a large donation of fresh fruit and vegetables from Coles.
…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Adventist News Network and Adventist Review)

What could go wrong if Seventh-day Adventist Church entities and organizations do not adhere to working policies currently in force?
Many things, said General Conference Auditing Services (GCAS) director Paul Douglas on April 14, 2020. For one, noncompliance often pushes church leaders to make uninformed decisions, which can ultimately put the noncompliant church organization in jeopardy, he explained.
Douglas’s remarks were part of his presentation to dozens of leaders attending the first…

Source:: sda website