Adventists around the world

Tanzania: Two Adventist leaders die in traffic collision ... Two Seventh-day Adventist church leaders in East Africa were killed in a traffic accident Saturday, November 10, church officials said. William Mutani, president of the church in southwest Tanzania, died in the accident along with Godleen Mangilima, the region’s executive secretary. The two had boarded the same bus in the town of Tunduma after preaching at different churches earlier that day. The bus was struck by an oncoming truck, killing several passengers. Mutani was regarded as a popular leader and was effective in mobilizing churches for evangelism in the region, church leaders said. He presented the family life series during the recent “Safari Africa” evangelism campaign. His wife serves as Women’s Ministries director for the church in the region. The death of the two key leaders in Tanzania is a tragic loss for the church of Eastern Africa, said Steven M. Bina, Communication director for the church in East-Central Africa. Five church workers from Tanzania were killed in a traffic accident two years ago.

Peru: Nation’s first lady visits ADRA office ... The first lady of Peru, Pilar Nores de Garcia, met with Adventist Development and Relief Agency officials during a three-hour visit to ADRA country headquarters in Lima last month. Nores de Garcia, an economist active in several nongovernmental organizations that support children and families, learned of ADRA’s health programs that have successfully reduced the rate of chronic infant malnutrition. ADRA country director Walter Britton and other staff also shared details of ongoing recovery programs for survivors of an August Earthquake that killed more than 500 people and displaced thousands. ADRA Peru implemented its first project in 1965 and is now recognized as one of the largest and oldest NGOs in the nation.

France: Adventist healthcare professionals address care among Muslims ... Sensitivities encountered by Christian physicians when working in Muslim societies topped the agenda of a conference of Seventh-day Adventist doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals representing French-speaking countries. Some 800 Adventist medical professionals from France, Belgium and Switzerland—all members of Association Medicale Adventiste de Langue Française (AMALF)—met in Tours, France, earlier this month to better understand Islam and better prepare for potential challenges arising from the increasing number of Muslim patients. Because AMALF personnel often serve in international assignments, they regularly meet adherents of different faiths. According to Dr. Patrick Guenin, one of the organizers of the conference, Muslim patients often react negatively to certain aspects of Western medicine. When treating a Muslim patient, healthcare professionals were cautioned not to take the role of medical evangelist, but to follow examples from the Bible where Jesus healed without preaching.

Netherlands: Church growing, adapting to country’s multicultural makeup ... The Adventist Church membership in the Netherlands grew by about five percent during the last five years, mostly from growth in baptisms rather than immigration. During an annual business session, church leaders also adopted a document on unity and diversity in the Dutch Adventist Church. It offers guidelines on fostering constructive dialogue in the midst of diverse theological and ethical viewpoints. The 5,000-member Dutch church has become increasingly multicultural and multi-ethnic, said Reinder Bruinsma, outgoing president for the region. Leadership has advocated a proactive approach to challenges and has recognized the possibilities of growth among indigenous and integrated immigrants, leaders said. Wim Altink, a pastor of in Hague, was elected president.

South Korea: Region’s church celebrates decade of service ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Northern Asia-Pacific Division celebrated its 10th anniversary in a celebration at its regional headquarters in Gyeonggi-do, Goyang Ilsan, Korea, on November 1. “The purpose of creating the Northern Asia-Pacific Division was for more effective ways to approach the 1.55 billion people in Northeast Asia,” said Jairyong Lee, division president. The current territory is comprised of Japan, Mongolia, China—including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions—North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan and Mongolia. The Adventist message was first introduced to the region in 1888 when 66-year-old Abram La Rue traveled from California to distribute church literature in China and Japan. The former administrative structure, the Asia-Pacific Division, was based in Singapore. More than 562,000 Adventists worship in some 1,780 churches in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division.