By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Vania Chew)

Many years of service to his local community has seen an Adventist man recognized in the 2019 Australia Day honors.
Robert (Bob) Kalaf was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of his services to the Cooranbong (northern NSW) community, including building the Waratah Medical Center, and helping to establish the Cooranbong shopping village and Morisset industrial estate. He was president of the Cooranbong Chamber of Commerce from 1990 to 2006 and also volunteered as a…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission)

Twelve-year-old Naomi Felicia Maftei was running late to church school in Constanta, Romania.
Knowing that she had already missed morning worship, she rushed straight to her classroom. The teacher stopped her at the door.
“You have to go to worship,” she said.
Naomi turned around and raced to the worship hall. She could feel her heart pounding as she ran. She didn’t even think about stopping to rest. She was terribly late for worship.
At the worship hall, she stopped to look for a place to…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Christopher C. Thompson)

It’s 9:30 on Sabbath morning, and Alethea Truman is already on her way to the newly planted Breath of Life Church in Tampa, Florida, where she is set to participate in the divine worship service. But, she is not simply reading Scripture or collecting the offering. On this particular Sabbath, she is scheduled to deliver the sermon. Most people would be terrified to stand in front of a crowd and deliver a message, but not Truman. She is a local elder at the Mt. Calvary Church in Tampa, and she is…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Laura Marrero/IAD News Staff)

Nearly 50 students, teachers, medical staff and volunteers from Montemorelos University, recently visited several indigenous communities in the mountainous region in the State of Chihuahua in North Mexico, sharing hope and giving out toys, blankets, clothing, bible books, and solar radios. The 300 solar radios, or godpods, included bible study lessons, songs and programs in the Rarámuris native language, and were donated by Adventist World Radio. In addition, free medical and ophthalmology…

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

More than 200 Indigenous Australians gathered together in Victor Harbor, South Australia, for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries (ATSIM) national camp from January 16-21.
From Geraldton (WA) to Kuranda (Qld), from the Finke and Tennant Creek (NT) to Port Augusta (SA), from Hammond Island in the Torres Strait to Tasmania, and everywhere in between, they flew, caught buses and drove great distances to gather in the beautiful coastal town. One lady even claimed to have flown in…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Prince Bahati, communication director, East-Central Africa Division)

Church members are becoming more inspired for mission as Total Member Involvement catches the fire of the Holy spirit in the East-Central Africa (ECD) region of the World Church. With the conviction that only Christ’s method will rescue our perishing world, the Nairobi Central Adventist Church organized a wholistic evangelistic campaign in Siaya county resulting in 273 baptisms.
Senior pastor Jean Pierre Maiywa-Massai explains that church members engaged in active evangelism in their community…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Jefferson Paradello) Correios, a Brazilian mailing company, launched eight exclusive stamps for participants of the 5th South American Pathfinder Camporee recently held in Barretos, Sao Paulo. The series commemorates the 60th anniversary of the first Pathfinder Club in Brazil, established in 1959.
Businessman Samuel de Paula, with his sister and business partner Priscila Silvana de Paula, initiated the project, in association with the government. “This is memorable, because it is the first time the Pathfinders have…

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By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Lydia Litvinova)

The Balakovo Adventist Church in Russia’s Saratov region held a special thanksgiving service on December 30 to end the year with parishioners and community guests. New Year’s is the time of summing up, when people look back and analyze the outgoing year and make plans for the future. The Balakovo community is grateful to God for all the blessings granted in 2018.
Every element of the New Year’s program centered on “thanksgiving,” from solos and choral performances to the general hymns…

Source:: sda website

By AdventistNews@gc.adventist.org (Kimbelry Luste Maran, with Mylon Medley)

More than 600 ministry leaders gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Jan. 13-16, 2019, for the “Stronger United: Many Voices, One Vision” Adventist Ministries Convention (AMC).
Conference, union, and division ministry partners came together to inspire, educate, and renew church ministry leaders across the North American Division (NAD) through daily devotionals, special music, church resource exhibits, Ted Talk-style presentations, breakout sessions, and awards given to individuals for…

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

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia (AUC) is concerned that proposed amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act could adversely impact both Adventist schools and churches.
It has voiced these concerns in a submission to the review of the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Removing Discrimination Against Students) Bill 2018. Adventist Schools Australia has partnered with Christian Schools Australia in a separate submission.
The bill, introduced to Parliament by Senator Penny Wong on November…

Source:: sda website