The Seventh-day Adventist Church “must be known in the community and by the government as peacemakers and as good partners,” Pastor Jan Paulsen declared in a May 9 address at Nyamirambo regional stadium, the start of a multi-day visit that emphasized the need for Christians to focus on reconciliation, forgiveness and moving forward.

Pastor Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, spoke to more than 5,000 Adventists as part of his second official visit to the East African nation. Although there are about 400,000 Adventists in the nation today, the church in Rwanda has suffered much over the past 11 years since the 1994 genocide.

Arriving during a spring rainstorm, Paulsen and his party were greeted at Kigali’s airport by Adventist pastors, women’s ministry leaders and youth groups. Dignitaries welcoming the group included Mrs. Edda Mukabagwiza, the justice minister; David Kay, American consular officer in Kigali; and Dr. Ephraim Kabaija, chief of staff to Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

In his stadium address Paulsen often referred to the past atrocities and to the soon return of Jesus Christ, saying, “in heaven there will be no genocide. And perhaps for many the scars may never go away but you must learn to forgive, find healing and move on. This is what God expects of us as a community.”

Paulsen added, “We must see that something like this never happens again. Our children deserve better!”

On May 11, Paulsen met with Rwandan President Kagame, who thanked the church “for the good work that has been done, because the church has been in the forefront of development and reconstruction.”

Kagame said he was well acquainted with the work of the church particularly in education and health, as well as the humanitarian work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

Paulsen told the president the Adventist Church “cannot forget the painful past, but we must forgive and move on. In a sense, we all failed Rwanda 11 years ago, the church and the world, but we must ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.”

The world church president also referred to an Adventist Women’s Ministry program on the outskirts of Kigali, where women are trained to sew, and then return to their village to be self-reliant. He then indicated the church was offering additional funds for this project, for which President Kagame expressed gratitude.

The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts and a prayer by Paulsen for the president and the Rwandan people.

On the same day, Paulsen visited the Kigali Memorial Center, which contains the remains of 250,000 genocide victims. He laid a wreath inscribed with the words “In memory of those who suffered.  Presented by Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, May 11, 2005.”

He said, “It is a sobering experience to visit this memorial—a place that honors those lost during the tragic events of 1994. Why in this most Christianized of African countries, where almost 90 percent profess to be followers of Christ did such a thing take place?

“One can try to comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy, but it is an impossible exercise. It is with humility that all Christians must examine the events of 1994. And it is with sadness that the Seventh-day Adventist Church must also acknowledge that in the midst of this tragedy, many church members—people who should have known better—failed to display basic love and care for their brothers and sisters.”

Many Adventists lost family members in the genocide. One church member, now a theology lecturer at the Adventist University of Central Africa, says he lost more than 150 family members in the killing. At the same time, it must be acknowledged that some Adventists also participated in the attacks; two were sentenced to prison terms for genocide-related offenses in 2003.

Nearly 3,000 Adventist congregations hold weekly worship in Rwanda. In addition, the church operates 39 primary, or elementary, schools, four secondary schools and a university.