News Briefs for February 16, 2018
News reports from Uganda, Ghana, Southern Adventist University, Loma Linda University, Jamaica and the Bahamas
The website for television network NTV Uganda reported today that Uganda’s State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Idah Nantaba, urged Ugandan Adventists to get involved in politics. He made the remarks at a dinner to welcome Elder Ted Wilson, the president of the General Conference headquarters of the Adventist Church, to the country. Nantaba is himself an Adventist. Blasious Ruguri, the leader of the denomination in East and Central Africa, spoke to Nantaba’s remarks saying he would himself consider running for a political office with the permission of the GC president. Wilson responded by encouraging Adventists to use their talents to serve God and their denomination.
The Adventist News Network (ANN) reported that during his visit to Uganda, Wilson has pledged to bring up the matter of Saturday examinations with the federal government. Adventist students suffer from educational difficulties as many do not attend exams scheduled on Saturday. Wilson will meet Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at his official residence, Nakasero State House, on Feb. 16. The Ugandan president will attend Wilson’s Sabbath sermon as well.
The Modern Ghana news site reported that a mobile blood drive in the Ashanti region of Ghana drew over 300 student blood donors on Valentine’s Day. Most of the students came from the Bantama Adventist Senior High School and the Katanga Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Both institutions are located in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region.
Chattanooga, Tennessee-based News Channel 9, reported that students at Southern Adventist University are reacting positively to a video statement by the university’s president regarding racism on campus. The statement follows a racist video attacking students at Southern which was posted to Snapchat by a former student who had been expelled from the institution some years ago. In his video statement, SAU’S president David Smith promised to look for more opportunities for diversity in administration, to chair a diversity committee, and to create a Vice President of Diversity position.
Loma Linda University Health has performed Southern California’s first Vercise implant to treat Parkinson’s disease. The procedure implanted Vercise, a new deep brain stimulation (DBS) system into an 81-year-old. Electrical stimulation is delivered by Vercise to control brain activity that causes tremors, stiffness or slow movement. Although results have not yet been reported, the goal is for the patient to not experience any of the above symptoms.
The Jamaica Gleaner reports that a prominent Adventist pastor in the country has reacted to news that devil-worship altars have been found at sites where law enforcement has conducted operations against criminals. “The prophecies have made it very clear that in these last days the evil one is going to be more influential in his activities and so we are expecting it to get worse before it gets any better,” said Pastor Charles Brevitt, pastor of the Glendevon and Norwood Seventh-day Adventist churches in Montego Bay, St. James. “I feel that some of the things that are happening are extraordinary and, therefore, it’s not surprising to me that there are demonic forces, and persons who interact with the underworld and are being influenced in that regard,” he said. A state of emergency has been declared in the parish of St. James because of soaring crime rates.
The Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis congratulated the Adventist denomination on its commitment to education and the promotion of family life in the country. He stressed the importance of strong family values in a Saturday, February 10 address to the Good News Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Flamingo Gardens area of the island of Nassau. “The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an extraordinary gift to The Bahamas,” said Minnis, drawing special attention to work of the denomination’s Bahamas Academy which was founded in 1912.
The 7th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition will be held at Loma Linda University from Monday, February 26 through Wednesday, February 28. According to the event’s website, the theme is “Plant-foods for the health of people, populations and the planet.” The event aims to “provide a review of the accumulated findings, and introduce theoretical concepts, practical applications, and implications of vegetarian dietary practices for both the prevention of disease and the promotion of health, as well as for the furthering of research endeavors.” Click here to register.
