Supporting Seventh-day Adventist church members who are active in civil government, the International Association of Adventists in Public Affairs, or IAAPA, which was organized last year, is now establishing chapters in many nations.
Supporting Seventh-day Adventist church members who are active in civil government, the International Association of Adventists in Public Affairs, or IAAPA, which was organized last year, is now establishing chapters in many nations.
On March 25 the Papua New Guinea chapter of the IAAPA was officially organized under the presidency of Supreme Court Justice Mark Sevua. This followed a similar IAAPA meeting on March 23 in the Solomon Islands under the interim leadership of the Honorable Simeon Bouro, member of Parliament. An IAAPA retreat was recently held in the Philippines and a chapter of the IAAPA had its first informal meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2002.
“We have a number of Adventists who serve in public office in Papua New Guinea. Our IAAPA chapter will strive to provide spiritual support for these members, and help to keep strong ties of faith and encouragement with our church,” says Sevua.
“The Adventist Church is not naive about the challenges our members who serve in government face,” states James Standish, who serves as secretary-general of the IAAPA, as well as director of legislative affairs for the Adventist world church.
“They are the same challenges faced by Joseph and Daniel. The IAAPA’s goal is to provide encouragement, spiritual inspiration, and a spirit of collegiality among Adventists who serve in government around the world. The IAAPA also aims to encourage all of its members to operate with strict financial honesty, Christian decency during political campaigns, work to heal ethnic, racial and religious divisions, and promote respect for the disadvantaged in society,” Standish adds.