TED News Bulletin
Trans-European Division of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church

14 November 2007


In this issue:
-------------------------
* Netherlands: New Team Elected
* England: First Special Needs Conference
* Hungary: Academy for Parents
* Sweden: A First Partnership Workshop
* USA: Swede Voted Adventist Woman of the Year
* Poland: Luther under Attack in Poland
-------------------------


NETHERLANDS ELECTS NEW TEAM...[Reinder Bruinsma/TED News Staff/TED
News]

Apeldoorn, Netherlands - During the two-day session of the
Netherlands Union Conference a new leadership team was elected. Wim
Altink, pastor of the church in the Hague, was elected as the
president, replacing Dr Reinder Bruinsma, who has reached retirement
age and had indicated that he did not seek re-election. The general
secretary as well as the treasurer of the union were also replaced.
Both had indicated that, for personal reasons, they did not want to
continue in their office. The session elected Pastor Gerard Frenk,
who has served for 15 years as Sabbath School director and secretary
of the Ministerial Association, as the general secretary. Andre Amsen
was elected treasurer, replacing Mary Louise Brouwer.

Expressions of gratitude to the outgoing team were made, and
prolonged warm applause was given especially to Dr Bruinsma, H.
Koning, and W. Altink. Also elected were three core directors,
Education and Ministerial Association: L. Brouwer, Church Growth
Director: R. Dingjan, and Youth Director: J. Tuinstra, with the new
Executive Committee to add other responsibilites and appoint other
departmental directors as they see fit.

The secretary reported a net membership growth of about five percent
over the last quinquennium, mostly resulting from a growth in
baptisms rather than from immigration. In fact, the number of people
arriving and departing is now almost in balance. Membership in the
Netherlands Union now stands at almost 5.000.

A key item was the adoption of a statement about Unity in Diversity
in the Dutch Adventist Church. The document is intended to offer
guidelines as to how a constructive dialogue can be fostered in the
midst of diversity as church leadership has stimulated a pro-active
approach in facing the challenges but also in recognizing the
possibilities of growth and mutual enrichment. J. Manuela, a delegate
commented, "there is a good spirit of give and take between the
cultures".

Some sixteen recommendation were processed by the Plans Committee and
were approved on the floor by the 190 delegates. They covered a wide
range of issues, from evangelism and youth work to an innovative
approach to the use of the new media, such as the Internet - both for
internal communication and training and for evangelistic outreach.

During the closing ceremony Dr Wiklander, President of the
Trans-European Divison, emphasized the importance of making the
crucified Christ the centre of everything the church does and says.
Dr Bruinsma referred to the words Moses spoke to his successor about
expecting total support from God. Pastor Altink finally reminded all
delegates of the importance that the community of believers is to be
a force of healing in this world.


FIRST SPECIAL NEEDS CONFERENCE HELD...[BUC News/TED News Staff/TED
News]

St Albans, England - Training, learning and experience were the focus
of the first Special Needs Coordinators' Conference held at St Albans
Adventist church on Sunday, 4 November. Jointly hosted by the British
Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church and the
Adventist Special Needs Association, it was an opportunity to
celebrate the work of those who care for individuals with special
needs and disabilities and to develop the role of the newly appointed
coordinators.

Under the theme, 'Achieving Access', delegates were provided with
adequate training and support to further enhance their experience as
Special Needs Coordinators and encourage greater understanding of
their role. They were then given relevant information to raise the
profile of disability awareness in their churches and facilitate the
development of the Coordinator's role.

Pastor Terry Messenger, Personal Ministries director of the South
England Conference, gave an engaging keynote address focussing on the
diverse needs of our communities, and the keynote plenary
presentation was delivered by an external Christian organisation,
Causeway. The key aim of Causeway is to make the gospel accessible to
people with disabilities.

Afternoon workshops included: Developing a Ministry for People with
Learning Disabilities, Supporting Carers and Raising Awareness about
Mental Illness, Removing Barriers to Access, and Deaf Awareness by
Sign Ministries. All the workshops were specifically developed to
support church ministry, empowering the attendees to work with and
for those with special needs.


ACADEMY FOR PARENTS...[Church Planter's Exchange/TED News Staff/TED
News]

Pecel, Hungary - In October a new initiative called the 'Academy for
Parents' was launched at a charity concert in Pecel, at the east
border of Budapest. Seventh-day Adventist pastors, qualified in
counselling, presented subjects such as stress management and how to
develop a healthy self-esteem, in a programme held at a local public
elementary school.

Teachers at the school and parents of its pupils have attended the
weekly meetings, which have also been broadcasted by the local
Television station.

The Pecel Church Plant which started two years ago currently has 15
Adventist adults and 15 children participating in worship every
Saturday, together with 4-6 visitors.


A FIRST PARTNERSHIP WORKSHOP...[Siri Bjerkan Karlsson/TED News
Staff/TED News]

Rimbo, Sweden - Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Sweden
held its first partnership workshop at Ekebyholm, Rimbo, from 28
October to 4 November. Representatives from ADRA offices in Mali,
Burkina Faso, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa, Malawi
and Bangladesh, ADRA Sweden's main partner countries, plus
representatives from ADRA International and ADRA AFRO office, came
together for a week of meetings, with the purpose of getting
acquainted and discuss how to work with programmes rather than short
term projects.

The workshops examined in depth questions such as: What is
partnership? What works well? What is our identity and how can we
live according to our basic values? How can partnership help us to
work with programmes rather than short terms projects? What plans and
strategies do we need to improve?

Representatives from SIDA (the Swedish Government Aid Agency) and
Swedish Mission Council, Lakermission, were invited to present the
structure of the humanitarian aid system in Sweden.

Group work, dynamic participation and interesting new ideas were
shared throughout the week, and at the end of the week the group
produced a declaration of partnership, which all those represented
could support.


SWEDE VOTED ADVENTIST WOMAN OF THE YEAR...[Audrey Andersson/TED News
Staff/TED News]

Silver Spring, USA - At the Association of Adventist Women's annual
conference, at Silver Springs Maryland, Rigmor Nyberg was named
Adventist Woman of the Year for Humanitarian Excellence and for
masterfully managing resources to multiply blessings.

Rigmor's name is synonymous with ADRA in many parts of the world. In
1985, the newly formed ADRA International chose Rigmor to open its
first Swedish office. She soon built ADRA Sweden's project portfolios
and developed a network of relationships within government agencies.
She submitted only the highest-quality proposals and revealed herself
to be a reliable humanitarian partner.

A major challenge soon became evident: how to implement the numerous
worthy ideas that came to her desk. That Rigmor found ways to embrace
so many needs is clear evidence of her managerial genius. Recent
catastrophes for which she has provided relief include the great
earthquake in Pakistan, the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, HIV and
AIDS in Africa, and desperately needed help in Bangladesh, Liberia,
and war-torn Sudan. Through the years, Rigmor promoted projects that
helped women and young girls obtain an education and become
financially independent. "To see the difference in people-especially
young women and young girls-when they have been involved in our
projects was very satisfying," she says.

Over 20 years, Rigmor took the Sweden ADRA annual budget from
$200,000 to $2,000,000. ADRA Sweden has raised $50,000,000 for its
humanitarian projects during Rigmor's tenure.

Rigmor reflects on the key qualities which have enabled her to
succeed, giving enormous credit to loyal friends who gave consistent
support, and especially to her daughter, Annilie, who unselfishly
shared her mother with those she helped.

On receiving the award Rigmor said: "I am surprised and humbled to
receive this award. I am happy to have had the privilege of working
for ADRA, and had the opportunity of sending money from Sweden to
people in developing countries. I thank God that he has been with me
every day and blessed this work."

Swedish Union President Robert Sjolander said, "We are delighted that
Rigmor has received this award in recognition of the wonderful work
she has done. We extend our congratulations and best wishes to her
and wish her God's continued blessing in her life."


LUTHER UNDER ATTACK IN POLAND...[ANN/TED News Staff/TED News]

Lublin, Poland - Protestant leaders in one of Poland's largest cities
have condemned a poster campaign denouncing Martin Luther, the 16th
century German Protestant leader, as a blasphemer and heretic, a news
release on 7 November by Ecumenical News International (ENI)
reported.

"These actions are clearly illegal [in Poland], yet the local council
has said and done nothing," Mariusz Maikowski, a pastor of the
Seventh-day Adventist church in Lublin in eastern Poland, told ENI.

According to the release, the posters were captioned, "The blasphemy
and heresy of Martin Luther," and pictured a devil whispering in the
Protestant reformer's ear. The posters were displayed throughout
Lublin to advertise lectures by Ryszard Mozgol, an official with
Poland's National Remembrance Institute, the body charged with
handling the records of the country's communist-era secret police.

The lectures were held on 15 and 31 October, the 490th anniversary of
Luther's Protestant Reformation, and were planned by the Organization
of Polish Monarchists. Founded in 1989, the group claims to have
several thousand members and seeks to establish a "Catholic state"
within Poland.

Maikowski said the campaign had "caused deep offense" to Lublin's
Protestant and Orthodox communities. He also said local prosecutors
should mount an investigation.

The Rev. Dariusz Chwastek, a Lutheran pastor from Lublin, described
the posters as "highly damaging." Chwastek, who oversees Lublin's
Holy Trinity parish, said, "I think too much blood has flowed, and
too many stakes been burned, to re-ignite these disputes again
centuries later."

The monarchist organization's president, Lukasz Kluska, refused to
apologize and was quoted by Poland's Dziennik Wschodni newspaper as
saying that minority church representatives could have presented
their opinions during the lecture.

The Adventist Central Church in Warsaw was the only Protestant church
in the country that organized a celebration of the 490th anniversary
of Reformation, said church sources in Poland.

Poland has a population of 38 million, of which 95 percent are
Catholic.
________________________________________________________________
TED News Staff:
Paul Clee, News Director and Editor
Heidi Kamal Kendel, Editorial Assistant
119 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts.,
AL1 3EY, England
E-mail: tednews@ted-adventist.org
Website: http://www.ted-adventist.org

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