“Growing together in worship of God” was the theme of the year-end meetings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European region, an event which brought together 85 delegates from Europe, the Middle East, and Pakistan. The participants met November 19 to 22 in the Netherlands for four intensive days of reports, discussions, and strategic planning for the church in the region.

In his keynote address, Bertil Wiklander, Trans-European church president, invited church leaders to “make worship of God central to the life of the church,” and to remember that “being a servant or a minister is first of all to worship God.”

Harald Wollan, Trans-European church secretary, reported that almost 4,300 new believers had joined the Adventist Church in the region during the past year. “We are grateful to God for the growth we are able to see despite the difficulties in working in a predominantly post-modern, materialistic society,” he said.

Miroslav Pujic, communication director, presented a new evangelistic initiative called LIFEdevelopment.info. The project aims to involve Adventists in building lasting friendships with people in their communities through networks of small groups or cafe churches. Church members will have access to a multi-media package—videotapes, CDs and printed material—which will help them in sharing their faith. “In reaching secular people we have to work on their terms,” said Pujic. “This requires a paradigm shift in the minds of members and pastors of the church.”

Robert Rawson, treasurer of the Adventist world church, and Lowell C. Cooper, a vice president of the world church, also attended as special guests at the year-end meeting.