News Briefs for November 17, 2022
17 November 2022 |
Big Lake Director Les Zollbrecht Credited in Banff International Film Festival
According to the Oregon SDA Conference website, Big Lake director Les Zollbrecht is credited in a film gaining international recognition at the Banff Centre Mountain Film & Book Festival this year. Les’s connection to the film and the story it tells dates back nearly two decades to when he began trekking in Nepal with a local leader named Jagat Lama, whose story is the central focus of the featured film Kumari: A Father’s Dream.
The relationship between the people of Kumari and film has evolved over the years as local leadership has begun to bring major changes to the village.
“I feel that my role in this project is to be a storyteller,” said Les. “I’m not trying to run any of the programs. I simply engage and am part of the economic engine––guiding and trekking––that helps the community in Kumari have a sustainable income that helps them out of the cycle of poverty.”
You can watch a trailer for Kumari: A Father’s Dream, or rent the movie through the Banff Film Festival premier website.
Pacific Union College (PUC) Offers Rare Five-Year Global Health Degree
Global Health Program director Nancy Jacobo reports that “PUC is the only Seventh-day Adventist college offering a B.S. in Global Health and one of the few in the US with a five-year track. There are only a few others who have adjusted down to five years, including Boston University and, recently, Biola University.”
In order to accomplish this, PUC partners with Loma Linda University School of Public Health to offer a fast-track to a Master’s degree in Public Health, with an emphasis in Global Health.
Jacobo continued, “We spent the year developing the degree, partnership, and committees’ and boards’ approvals. We launched in 2022 the ‘4+1’ program which allows qualified students to complete their education and training to earn their B.S. and MPH degrees in five years instead of the usual six required to complete their four-year B.S. and a two-year master’s program.”
Program details can be found at: https://www.puc.edu/academics/departments/nursing-health-sciences/global-health.
GC Global Pastors’ Survey Lists “Male-Only Ordination” as Church Teaching
The Institute of Church Ministry sent out this year’s Church Pastor Survey – a survey conducted every five years. The survey was titled “GC Global Adventist Pastor’s Survey,” with an introduction statement stating, “The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists wishes to learn more about how you understand your role as a pastor, and how you see your work as contributing to the mission of the Adventist Church.”
Under a section reading, “To what extent do you personally accept the following individual teachings of the Adventist church?” different established beliefs were listed, such as the Second Coming, the state of the dead, and seven-day creation. Some pastors were surprised to find that the last option listed was “Pastoral Ordination Limited to Males,” as this was grouped as an official teaching of the Adventist church.
Pastors who observed this inclusion of male headship theology commented online, listing the Fundamental Beliefs and noting that not one includes this assertion.
The entire survey can be viewed at this link: https://bit.ly/3V9bRvw.
United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Golf Classic Hosted by Oakwood University
Oakwood will be hosting a Golf Classic tournament fundraiser on Friday, April 7, 2023, in order to raise money for school scholarships. The promotional poster shows different giving levels and a partnership with UNCF.
According to their website, UNCF has the “mission to build a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly-qualified college graduates and to ensure that our network of member institutions is a respected model of best practice in moving students to and through college…UNCF’s North Star is to increase the total annual number of African American college graduates by focusing on activities that ensure more students are college-ready, enroll in college, and persist to graduation.”
For more information about the local UNCF campaign and to register, sponsor, or donate, please visit: give.oakwood.edu/uncf-golf/.
Seventh-day Adventist Church to Host Thanksgiving Fresh Produce Giveaway
According to NAD News, “The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s North American headquarters will give away 10,000 lbs. of fresh fruit and vegetables this Thanksgiving season.”
The big giveaway will be held on November 20, 2022, at the 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive location in Columbia, Maryland. It will begin at 10 am and last until whenever supplies run out.
Visitors will be able to choose from a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Additional giveaways will include reusable bags, sharing literature, and children’s activity pages. Younger attendees will also be able to enjoy the onsite bounce house.
“We love being a part of the Howard County community, and a produce giveaway is a small way to serve our friends and neighbors. This is our fourth time to host this event, and we look forward to welcoming new and familiar faces,” says Johnson, Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.