The events of September 11 have not changed the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but have instead infused all church planning and activity with a greater sense of purpose and urgency, says Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church.

The three core values of the church—growth, unity, and quality of life—remain at the heart of what it means to be an Adventist, Paulsen told more than 400 church members gathered October 20 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We are serious about our mission,” he said. “We are serious about the values we have. There was never a time in which these three values did not matter to us.”

But in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, said Paulsen, “we are now looking at ourselves, at our church, and at the times in which we are living, and asking, ‘How can I be more useful to God at this hour in Earth’s history?’”

September 11 was a wake-up call for Adventist Church members, both individually and corporately, he said. “It was a moment when we asked ourselves, ‘What’s happening with me as a person? Have I got my priorities right? Have I made my choices clear?  Is Christ the most important one in my life?’

He said many are looking around at the material structures that gave their lives a sense of security and are asking, “How dependent is my life on these things? How ready am I to walk away from them, saying ‘I know Christ is enough?’”

The return of Jesus is a certainty, said Paulsen, but the timing “is God’s decision.” He urged the importance of trusting God even when faced with inevitable questions like, “Lord, who is in charge?” or “Lord, how long? When is enough, enough?”

“So great must be our trust in God that we can feel safe, and strong, and secure in saying, ‘Lord, you know all things,’ and being prepared to leave it there.”

Paulsen made his comments during the Sabbath, or Saturday, morning worship service at a convention hall in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He was guest speaker at a conference sponsored by Maranatha Volunteers International, a lay Adventist organization dedicated to building churches and other urgently needed buildings around the world.  [See news story in this bulletin, “Maranatha Conference Celebrates Unity in Mission.”]