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World News & Perspectives ■■WORLD CHURCH Annual Council Ends With Flurry of Administrative, Ministry Actions BY ELIZABETH LECHLEITNER, Adventist News Network Deacons and deaconesses in the Seventh-day Adventist Church—a force of 700,000 who support church activities worldwide, particularly in congregations lacking a full-time pastor—will now be supported by the church’s Ministerial Association, thanks to an October 16 vote by Annual Council delegates. The move was one of several actions taken on the final day of the yearly gathering of Seventh-day Adventist leaders from around the world, held this year in Silver Spring, Maryland. Jonas Arrais, associate secretary for Elders and Ministerial Training, asked delegates to officially place deacons and deaconesses under the auspices of the association, which already supports church pastors and local elders. Arrais explained that fewer than 30,000 pastors oversee the Adventist world church’s 140,000 congregations. The church’s 250,000 elders are often recognized—rightfully so—as surrogate pastors, he said, but the work of the church’s 700,000 deacons and deaconesses often goes unacknowledged and unsupported. “When Jesus came to earth, He came to serve. The ministry of Jesus as a servant is the model for the ministry of deacons and deaconesses,” Arrais said. “They have a deep spirit of service. We need to recognize, we need to value, the work of these volunteers.” Delegates approved the request unanimously. At the meeting, Andrews University president Niels-Erik Andreasen introduced a new Bible commentary to be published by the university’s press in 2015. The commentary is a companion to the previously released Andrews Study Bible, Andreasen said. It is being edited photo: Ansel Oliver/Adventist News Network CHANGES PROPOSED: Adventist Church undersecretary Myron Iseminger introduced several suggested policy adjustments at Annual Council on October 16, 2013. by former Biblical Research Institute director Ángel Manuel Rodríguez and written by an international team of Adventist Bible scholars. Andreasen said the new commentary would deepen readers’ understanding of biblical themes, going section by section rather than verse by verse. Verses, he explained, were not added to the Bible until later, making thematic study of the Scriptures essential. Delegates each received a printed sample of selected portions of the commentary. The General Conference is assisting Andrews University in funding the project. During the meeting, GC president Ted N. C. Wilson took to the microphone to draw attention to the “distinction” between church and institutional structure. Some church entities, he said, now use the title “vice president for finance” instead of the traditional “treasurer.” Similarly, he said, some church administrators now favor “vice president for administration” over “secretary.” “This is not as it should be. Please use the correct nomenclature,” Wilson said. “When you use the other nomenclature, you are setting up a presidential system. Within the church, we report to the Executive Committee, not the president. We work in consultation.” Later delegates approved several reorganization requests from local church administrative units. The Indian Ocean Union Mission and Botswana Union Mission will each become union conferences, a move that recognizes self-sufficiency in leadership and finances. “It hasn’t been easy to gain union conference status in some parts of the world,” said Pardon Mwansa, a general vice president of the General Conference. “This is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations and blessings.” Delegates also approved the reorganization of the Kenya Union Mission into two union conferences—the East Kenya Union Conference and West Kenya Union Conference. Similarly, the Tanzania Union Mission will split into the North Tanzania Union Conference and the South Tanzania Union Mission. Delegates also voted to grant union mission status to the North East Congo Attached Territory. All reorganizations will go into effect by December 31, allowing the newly created administrative units to send delegates to the 2015 General Conference session. Earlier in the week, Annual Council delegates also voted to receive a statement from the recent International Urban Mission Conference, in which the church pledged to make significant efforts to reach large cities, particularly those without a Seventh-day Adventist presence. The statement calls for a “twice-yearly reporting and assessment system that informs the church about urban mission objectives, activities, and progress.” Delegates this week also celebrated the success of the Great Controversy Project, an initiative to distribute copies of The Great Controversy, authored by Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G. White. More than 142 million copies have been distributed since the initia- 10 (1034) | www.AdventistReview.org | November 21, 2013
tive launched in 2011. Many people joined the Adventist Church through the initiative, including Marcelo Pereira dos Santos and his family, from Brazil. “We understand that this is only the beginning of a new life,” said dos Santos, who addressed delegates from the stage. “I hope my life and testimony will be useful to many brothers and sisters who have not yet realized the infinite love of God.” n —additional reporting by Mark A. Kellner ■■WORLD CHURCH Ten Years On, Adventist Church’s Hope Channel Claims Global Victories New Philippines channel launched during Annual Council report BY MARK A. KELLNER, news editor Devir Magaad uses his own strength to operate a pedicab—a tricycle with a large seat for passengers and cargo— through the streets of Cagayan de Oro City, capital of the southern province of Mindanao in the Republic of the Philippines. For that arduous work he makes perhaps US$5 per day. Although Magaad is not yet a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he was so inspired by the Adventist message and the potential for Christian television via a new Hope Channel Philippines, that he’s committed to donate 50 Philippine pesos, about US$1.16, weekly to help the outreach grow. “I’m here to willingly give my donation,” Magaad says to a camera filming his visit to a Seventh-day Adventist Church office. “I feel so happy to help the Lord’s work.” That spirit, augmented by the commitment of millions around the globe, has propelled Hope Channel, a General Conference-owned network now consisting of 15 different satellite and broadcast operations spanning the globe and using a dozen or more languages. Delegates to the 2013 Annual Council heard a report celebrating the PHOTO: Brandan Roberts/ANN PHILIPPINES EXPANSION: Alberto C. Gulfan, president of the church’s Southern Asia- Pacific Division, explains the plans for Hope Channel Philippines to Hope Channel executives Kandus Thorp, vice president for programming and international development, center, and Brad Thorp, Hope Channel president. tenth anniversary of Hope Channel’s launch, which took place at the 2003 yearly business meeting, and witnessed the formal launch of the Philippines’ station. Brad Thorp, Hope Channel president, recalled “a history of miracles” in the course of developing the network. In the past few years Germany adjusted its broadcast standards to allow “single point-of-view” religious stations to operate in the nation, something that hadn’t been possible in more than six decades. Thorp noted that Hope Channel Germany was the first such station licensed by the government there. A similar license was approved in Bulgaria, and an application is pending in Russia, he added. Hope has added service for the Middle East/North Africa region, India and China, Thorp said. The organization now has 65,000 hours of programming available for broadcast. And such programs are bringing results, he added, quoting Erton Köhler, South American Division president: “Every week, thousands of people come into Adventist churches because of the Hope Channel.” But it was the story of the Philippines opening that likely had the most emotional impact on the Annual Council audience. The three Seventh-day Adventist Church unions in the country, along with the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, headquartered near Manila, have established three media centers to serve production needs. However, licenses and related costs had to be met, a total, division president Alberto C. Gulfan said, of 520 million Philippine pesos, or approximately US$12 million. Broadcast licenses have already been obtained for five of the nation’s largest cities, and 36 more applications are due to be filed, Thorp added. www.AdventistReview.org | November 21, 2013 | (1035) 11
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