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

The women housed at the “Emergency Center for Victims of Domestic Violence”, or “Casa ADRA, ” were in for a surprise when president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, Jonathan Duffy, along with his wife Cathy, came to celebrate a decade since ADRA Romania founded “Casa ADRA.” The celebration was part of an International Women’s Day event held on March 8 held at “Casa ADRA”
“For me, the topic of victims of domestic violence is a sad one. We are so happy to see the…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Edward Rodriguez with additional reporting Rodolfo Bautista, Jr.)

Representatives of the Seventh-day Adventist church recently attended a flag raising ceremony regularly attended by officials and employees of the Philippine government. Attending allowed members of the Adventist Church to pass out literature to the uniformed men and women of the armed forces.
The distribution was done on March 11, by the Bagong Usbong na Lingkod Bayan (BULB), an organization of Adventists in government service, following an event held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Mylon Medley)

More than 1,200 youth and young adults in the United States’ fourth largest city rallied together to give testimonies of how their Pathfinder clubs and youth groups spread the love of Christ on Global Youth Day. The annual initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Youth Ministries encourages youth and young adults around the world to “Be the Sermon” in their communities by being the hands and feet of Jesus.
The youth rally took place on the afternoon of March 16 at the World Harvest…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Libna Stevens/IAD)

Thousands of Seventh-day Adventist young people embraced service with passion, out-stretched arms and bright smiles to touch the lives of people in cities and communities across the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory on Sabbath, Mar. 16, 2019.
The annual event coined as Global Youth Day is sponsored by the Adventist world church’s youth ministries department and motivates millions of Adventist youth from around the world to unite efforts and get out of their comfort zones to “Be the…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Kimi-Roux James, ADRA International)

On March 16, flash floods and mudslides hit the eastern Indonesian province of Papua near the subdistrict of Jayapura. Reports are the flood waters left at least 104 dead, 60 missing, 74 injured and displaced more than 4,000 people. Over 350 houses and two main bridges are also reportedly damaged. Additionally, more than 11,700 households in total are affected.
With roadways underwater, getting to communities affected has delayed ADRA aid workers. Currently, ADRA staff and volunteers in local…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Hannah Gallant, with contributions from Nehemiah Sitler and Laura Fierce)

The first-ever Rise Up Against Abuse Rally was held on the campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, from March 7-10, 2019. Sponsored by the Offices of University Health & Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion, this rally was the official launch of the new Rise Up Against Abuse initiative, designed to help people use awareness, education, intervention, and prevention to take decisive actions against all forms of abuse.
More than 225 people registered for the three-day rally, which…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Catherine Athony Boldeau, ADRA UK)

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in the United Kingdom completed its second phase of the ‘I AM URBAN’ initiative for Global Youth Day on March 16 in the Holloway and Willesden district of churches in London.
‘I AM URBAN’ is a joint venue between ADRA in the United Kingdom (Lead Partner) and the Adventist Community Services (ACS) of the British Union Conference (BUC) and includes partnerships with several other entities of the church in the United Kingdom, including the…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Jarrod Stackelroth)

Seventh-day Adventist churches and members from around New Zealand have offered comfort to the country’s Muslim community in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings that left 50 dead and many others wounded on March 15.
The city, which has suffered the shock of recent devastating earthquakes, is now reeling from what people are calling an “unnatural disaster”—an unprecedented attack on a faith community at worship in New Zealand.
In response, church leaders have shared statements of…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Communication Department, Southern Asia-Pacific Division)

Flash flooding and mudslides resulting from torrential rains in East Indonesia destroyed millions of buildings and left more than 50 people dead, 70 people injured and thousands displaced in the Northeastern town of Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura. Authorities expect the death toll to rise as search and rescue efforts are still on-going.
Emergency response teams are having difficulty reaching locals especially those in areas submerged in neck-high water and mud. The flash…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (ANN Staff)

On Saturday, March 16, Adventist young people around the world mobilized to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in their communities for Global Youth Day 2019 (#GYD19). The theme for the annual service Sabbath was “Adopt.”
Regional reporting stations around the world took turns sharing stories about everything from Adventist youth in northern China adopting a nursing home to youth running anti-gambling drives in Italy. Participants uploaded a torrent of social media updates using hashtag…

Source:: sda website