Adventist Receives National Award

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea…[Vic Bonetti/Record/ANN] The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea, Wilson Stephen, was appointed Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

The MBE award, which acknowledges Stephen’s years of service and his contribution to Papua New Guinea’s growth as a nation, was presented by the governor general, Sir Silas Atopare, also an Adventist, at the Government House in Port Moresby last month.

Stephen and his wife, Mary, have served the church for 35 years.

Polynesia: Church Grows on Easter Island

Santiago, Chile…[ASN/ANN] A church is growing on a small island in the Pacific Ocean where just three years ago no Seventh-day Adventists existed.

La Voz de la Esperanza (The Voice of Prophecy), a radio program produced by the Adventist Church, has broadcast from the island for more than 25 years, bringing the Christian message of hope. But until three years ago, there were no Adventist church members in the region. In 1999 Luz Maria Palma went to Easter Island with the purpose of bringing the Adventist message to the island, where superstition and worship of gods dominates.

Currently there are 12 church members on Easter Island meeting in a rented location. Plans are underway to build a church in the near future.

Easter Island is the eastern most of the Polynesian Islands, located 3,700 kilometers off the coast of Chile, South America.

North America: Adventist Church to Receive Stewardship Award

Silver Spring, Maryland…[ANN Staff] The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America will receive the 2003 “Outstanding Stewardship Education Award” from the Christian Stewardship Association at its annual meeting in late January, association officials recently announced.

Dr. Scott Preissler, president of the association, described it as the highest association-wide education award. “Your impressive education programs and numerous books and materials put your denomination out front as a stewardship education leader,” he said. 

The Adventist Church was chosen from among many nominations.

Adventist University in Chile Receives Accreditation

Chillan, Chile…[Humberto Rasi/ANN] Chile Seventh-day Adventist University was recently granted full government recognition and autonomy through a decree issued by the national ministry of education.

The accreditation represents the culmination of a process that began in 1990 involving a period of institutional mentorship under the guidance of three older national universities.

With an enrollment of about 1,200 students, the university serves a constituency of more than 100,000 Adventists in a country of 16 million. The university, located near the city of Chillan, is one of 99 colleges and universities worldwide operated by the Adventist Church.