On a six-day visit to the Philippines and Southern Asia-Pacific region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, exhorted Adventists in the Philippines saying “you as a community of believers and as a people belonging to God should let your identity find expression in your lives.”

Speaking at two special convocations to more than 3,000 faculty, students and church members at the Adventist University of the Philippines and at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Paulsen said that only 50 years ago the church’s membership was small, “but today we are 20 million or more, including children, who are known to be a people of strong vested interest in the quality of life, [we are] known to be loyal citizens of our respective countries.” Paulsen invited everyone to live a life in the interest of somebody else. “As a church we exist to be so,” he explained.

Arriving at the Manila airport on November 6, Paulsen met briefly with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Commenting on the conversation during the convocations, Paulsen said “it was such a wonderful opportunity for me to lift the image of the church in your country and to buoy our Adventist members in the Philippines.”

Earlier, President Arroyo gave a warm welcome to Adventist leaders in the Southern Asia-Pacific region during their annual council meetings in the Philippines, which Paulsen attended. “I am confident that this gathering will be able to effectively mobilize your ranks towards better performing your task of spreading the word of the Lord in this new era,” she said. “It comes at a very opportune time when the need to deepen our faith has become more urgent in the face of international unrest and numerous challenges facing humanity.” A full-page welcome message appeared in the Manila Standard daily.

On Sabbath [Saturday], November 10, Paulsen spoke to a gathering of 20,000 Adventists in Manila. Speaking about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he said that “having the Holy Spirit means having access to power.” That power, he continued, enables God’s people to live a quality life which is spelled out by caring for the needs of people, behaving as people belonging to God, morally, ethically, and spiritually.

In an interview by television host Julie Yap-Daza of the ABS-CBN News Channel live program “Tell the People Now,” Paulsen explained that he came to the Philippines to “feel the pulse and discover the dynamics of what the concerns are, what the plans are, and what the hopes and aspirations of our church here are.”

Responding to a question about whether it is possible to solve a problem as vast and as deep and as rooted as poverty within our lifetime, Paulsen said “probably not.”

“Poverty is a huge issue—not just in the Philippines. There are countries elsewhere in the world with even greater poverty levels, but I cannot as a Christian, as a minister, leave the gospels without being struck by the fact that Jesus cared enormously for the poor. So I think the church, my church, has an obligation also to look after the needs of the poor and to do what they can to address it.”

In answer to a question from a viewer about alleviating the drug threat from society, Paulsen said “drugs are a problem in many, many countries. I don’t think we should view drug addicts as a threat primarily to society. I think they are victims themselves.” He commented that “society needs to do better in meeting the needs of addicts.”

In his parting words on November 11 to more than 1 million Adventists in the Philippines, Paulsen said, “I see the enormous strength in you—use this. There is no time to sleep. You have God’s power in your hand to expand His kingdom in this part of the globe. Keep the profile of God’s church high. Keep on till Jesus comes.”