News Briefs for July 8, 2021
News reports from Jamaica; Puerto Rico; Miami, Florida; Nigeria and Pacific Press:
According to the Jamaica Observer, an (at press time) unidentified man was shot on Saturday, July 3, just outside Granville Seventh-day Adventist Church in the St James Parish of Jamaica. The man was the victim of a drive-by shooting. He was walking home from a nearby soccer field when he was killed. Church was in session at the time of the shooting.
On June 8, 2021, the South Puerto Rico Conference of Seventh-day Adventists announced the appointment of the first female pastor ever in the territory. Pastor Abigail Babilonia was named the new Youth Director, ADRA Director, and pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
From an NAD News release:
This past week, Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) has been active in the Miami, Florida, area as search and rescue teams work in Surfside, after the early morning collapse of a 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium building on June 24, 2021. While the rescue and recovery efforts continue, ACS DR has organized a warehouse in partnership with Feeding South Florida with donated supplies for survivors who have been displaced. ACS DR has also determined various distribution sites, including several Adventist churches, and is working to render aid through emotional/spiritual care providers who give support to local residents and family members affected by the tragic event where 36 are confirmed dead and 109 missing, as of July 6.
On July 5 Daily Post Nigeria reported that Adventist College Kujama in Northern Nigeria was one of several educational institutions ordered shut by Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority for security reasons. Earlier that day about 140 students were kidnapped from Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi, a boarding institution in the north of the country. Adventist College Kujama was deemed to be vulnerable to attack based on its location.
Pacific Press Publishing Association and AdventistBookCenter.com have announced an online summer camp meeting sale July 11 through 16 featuring major discounts. During the sale, AdventistBookCenter.com will feature a list of products that will be sold at 33 percent off retail. Shipping on most orders over $50 is free.