News Briefs for October 14, 2022
News reports from Southern Adventist University, Finland, Loma Linda University Health, Taiwan, and La Sierra University:
A Taste of Southern
A Taste of Southern, the first event of its kind hosted by Southern Adventist University, debuted on October 2, 2022, in downtown Chattanooga. The event featured music ensembles, works of art, and a farm-to-table dinner provided in part by the university’s own Thatcher Farm. Held at the alumni-owned Westin hotel on Pine Street, the invitation-only evening provided 200+ local business and organization professionals in attendance a glimpse of what students and employees enjoy every day on the Collegedale, Tennessee, campus.
More than $88,000 was raised, with proceeds going to establish an endowment scholarship for first-generation college students. As early as Fall 2023, students whose parents do not have four-year degrees will benefit from the new funds. The event’s program included stories from a current first-generation student, as well as from a first-generation alum who is now impacting the Chattanooga community as director of video at McCallie School.
Nordic Streaming
In a major new initiative, Hope Channel Finland is launching its recently upgraded free streaming service. In cooperation with the Finland Union of Churches Conference, Hope Channel Finland released major updates to their hopetv.fi website to better engage with secular audiences.
With nearly 100 hours of free content, and eBooks – including a brand-new Finnish translation of Ellen White’s classic, The Great Controversy, this upgrade will serve in introducing viewers without a religious background to the basic teachings of Christianity, and to Jesus. With ReactJS technology – similar to that used by Netflix, and beautiful new productions, hopetv.fi is stepping up and offering a unique service.
In preparation for the launch, a new booklet has been created, in collaboration with other entities, and distributed, explaining the main teachings of Christianity in everyday language. “Distributed free of charge to every Finnish household, that adds up to more than two million copies,” said Dr Timo Flink, speaker director of Hope Channel Finland, and Communication director for the Finland Union.
Remarkable Feat
From Loma Linda University Health:
“Loma Linda University Health’s transplant team last month broke its own record with a marathon of eight transplants completed in 72 hours. The marathon, coincidentally, also marked two significant milestones for the team: 1,000 living donor transplants and 4,000 total transplants. Transplant surgeon Charles Bratton, MD, says the dedication and sense of purpose from the transplant team have allowed them to successfully transform thousands of lives.…”
Getting Together
From a Northern-Asia Pacific Division News Release:
Taiwan Conference (TWC) held a family retreat for church workers Aug. 7-10, 2022, at Yoho Resort in Pingtung, Taiwan. It has been six years since the last retreat, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons. A total of 220 people with spouses and children signed up, including pastors, staff members, and Pioneer Mission Movement (PMM) pastors serving in Taiwan. This retreat aimed to achieve physical and mental relaxation through beautiful nature, to promote friendship among staff and pastoral families, to share spiritual experiences with one another, and to be ready for better service to God.
The Science Behind Forgiveness
From a La Sierra University Facebook post:
Please join professors Lourdes Morales-Gudmundsson and Melissa Brotton in a webinar Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. presented by Dr. Everett Worthington, Jr., today’s leading scholar of the scientific study of forgiveness. The lecture is titled “Helping People Forgive: What Science Can Tell Christians to Help Them Put Their Painful Past in the Past.” To register: https://bit.ly/3S4qCxH
Over four decades Dr. Worthington has developed the REACH model to teach people how to forgive; created the “Hope-focused” model in couples counseling; published hundreds of scholarly articles based on extensive studies and clinical trials; and authored 37 books on forgiveness and related topics, such as reconciliation, humility, and justice. As Virginia Commonwealth University professor emeritus, he is currently engaged in what he terms “game-changing research” using his intervention model. The study involves 4,400 participants from six sites scattered across five countries on four continents and is being submitted for publication.
Image: Screenshot of Hope Channel Finland streaming service via tedNEWS.
