Seventh-day Adventists in the Euro-Africa region are challenged with bringing a missionary vision to a largely post-modern culture. Covering nations as diverse as Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Turkey—as well as Mediterranean nations such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, the church confronts many people indifferent to, or totally unfamiliar with, the Christian message.

Ulrich Frikart, regional president of the church, said “The problem of our church is not the lack of activities. It seems, however, that the vision is often missing.”

He recalled the “longest” Bible study he ever delivered: it was a conversation with a college student during a flight from Zurich to Washington, D.C. The young man didn’t stop asking questions about God and religion, Frikart said, noting that young people are looking for spirituality, even if they don’t know where the answers lie.

“Do we still have a vision and the courage to answer the questions that people ask us?” Frikart asked. “We even delegate the welcome addresses in our churches. We are well organized, but do we sense the motives of the people around us?”

Frikart declared that “If we have nothing to tell the world, we are in danger of losing our vision.” He added, “We want to encourage each other, to make 2004 a year of ‘interest in the people.’”