News reports from Southern Adventist University, Adventist International Instititute of Advanced Studies, Adventist music, Oakwood University and Voice of Prophecy:

According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, an exhibit of rare Bibles from around the world opened this Wednesday on the campus of Southern Adventist University. The “From Script to Scripture” exhibit contains a Gutenberg Bible, the first Bible in history to be mass-produced. There are only 47 copies of this Bible around the world. The exhibit also contains a French language Waldensian Bible from the group that was heavily persecuted by the Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries.

On Wednesday this week, masked volunteers at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) started cleaning up the volcanic ash fall from the nearby Taal Volcano that erupted Sunday evening. The institution’s food market has re-opened and the campus electricity, water and internet are all running. Many local businesses have also reopened as the area recovers from the devastation. Caution has been advised, as there is still chance of further eruptions.

Melvin West, the noted Adventist musician and music scholar, died December 27 at age 89. He was one of the editors of the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal published in 1985. He provided some 30 of the tunes, as well as serving as chair of the committee on arrangements. He is considered to be the largest contributor to the hymnal, according to the International Adventist Musicians Association. West served on the faculty at Adventist institutions for 65 years, including Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts, Walla Walla University in Washington state, and Union College in Nebraska. The fine arts center on the WWU campus is named after West. He was also the first full-time minister of music in the Adventist denomination, from 1977 to 1981 at the Kettering Adventist Church in Dayton, Ohio.

A new chapter of the Oakwood University (OU) alumni association was organized last weekend (11-12 January) in Canada. More than 50 alumni participated in a two-day event at the Apple Creek Adventist Church in Markham, Ontario, and Crawford Adventist Academy in Toronto. Nyasha Ruddock and D’Jauvayne Christian were elected cochairs and Daleh Mason Blake as secretary. Dr. Leslie Pollard, president of OU, and his wife, Dr. Prudence Pollard, were present for the event, along with Emile Park, alumni director. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, OU is the only Adventist institution among the Historically Black Universities and Colleges in North America.

Hundreds of Adventist churches across the United States will be part of the “Final Empire” evangelism event on 23-25 January with Shawn Boonstra from the Voice of Prophecy and local presenters. There will be a blend of U.S. history, religious freedom issues and Bible prophecy. The first session on Thursday evening, “Republic Rising.” Session 2 on Friday night, “Christianity Corrupted by Politics.” Third session on Sabbath morning, “The Earth Opens Up”; and the last session on Saturday night, “America’s Last Stand.” Locations can be found at this web site: http://finalempire.org/fe-public/locator?zip=00000

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