News Briefs for April 20, 2018
Stories from San Bernardino, Texas, London, Pennsylvania, the Caribbean, the Association of Adventist Forums, and worship on the Internet ……
As part of the National Student Walkout in the United States today, high school students in San Bernardino (California) are gathering at the Community Seventh-day Adventist Church at 3 pm to discuss gun violence and how it affects students and communities. The event in many cities has the purpose of honoring the victims of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as well as the 19th anniversary of the fatal shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. (Source: Redlands Daily Facts)
People magazine in its current issue features the new Branch Davidian group that currently controls the Mount Carmel compound near Waco (Texas) where a 51-day standoff with police ended in a fire that killed 75 people, including 25 children, on April 19, 1993. It began on February 28 when authorities came to investigate accusations that self-appointed prophet David Koresh had been sexually abusing minors and stockpiling weapons. A shoot-out left four federal agents and six Davidians dead. “God wants us to gather people that believe in the truth as it is in Christ,” new leader Charles Pace told the magazine which is one of the largest circulation publications in the United States.
Adventist Radio London went live on digital audio broadcasting on 8 April with the Sunday Breakfast program hosted by Lynette Allcock and Sam Gungaloo, two young adults. The day before more than a thousand people packed the Brixton Adventist Church for a dedication service for the new radio station led by Pastor Victor Hulbert from the denomination’s Trans-European Division and Pastor Ray Allen from Adventist World Radio (AWR). Planning and preparations have been underway for months, including getting a license from Ofcom, the United Kingdom governing body for issuing broadcasting licenses.
The death of Barbara Bush this week brought a story in The Sharon Herald remembering when she spoke at the centennial celebration of the Adventist Church in nearby small town of Sharpsville. The town is in western Pennsylvania and is the ancestral home of the Pierce family into which Mrs. Bush was born. The church was built by her great-great-grandfather, James Pierce and later sold to the Adventists. Mrs. Bush’s father, Marvin Pierce, was born across the street from the church. She spoke there on 19 July 1982, when her husband was Vice President of the United States. He later was elected President, as was their son later o
Pastor Elie Henry was elected the new president of the Adventist denomination’s Inter-American Division (IAD) during the Spring Meeting of the General Conference executive committee on April 11. On August 1, he will replace Pastor Israel Leito, who has been considered a possible candidate for GC president in 2020. The IAD includes the Caribbean basin with 13,500 local churches and a total of 3.7 million baptized members and an estimated seven million Adventists which children are included as well as those who identify themselves as Adventists in census and survey interviews.
Dr. William G. Johnsson, the retired editor of the Adventist Review and noted Adventist Bible scholar, has published a critique of the Uplifting Jesus Statement that was released by the GC officers immediately after the Spring Meeting. It was published on the web site of the Association of Adventist Forums, the largest organization of Adventist academics. “The statement isn’t what it purports to be,” he wrote. “It isn’t about uplifting Jesus: it scarcely mentions Jesus and is silent concerning His life and teachings. What is it really about? Apparently an attack on The One Project … I have asked and asked what was wrong with The One Project. No one can give me a solid answer. The leaders of The One Project were subjected to character assassination; for what purpose?”
You can worship with an Adventist contemporary worship service for young adults provided each Sabbath by the Arlington Church in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. A live-streaming link at 10:15 am: http://www.arlingtonadventist.com/ygchurch/
