ANN Bulletin - January 8, 2008 - unOFFICIAL ADVENTIST FORUM

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do.
And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with
– even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department.
Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently. Romans 14.1: The Message

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#151747 - 01/14/08 12:02 AM ANN Bulletin - January 8, 2008
magilly46 Registered: 10/29/02 Posts: 120 Loc: BC	Seventh-day Adventist Church Worldheadquarters January 8, 2008 In This Issue: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenya: Workers at Adventist university evacuated as national conflict continues 7 Nairobi, Kenya Political rallies expected to spur renewed violence; Adventist students stranded in Uganda Adventist leader appeals for calm in Kenya 3 Nairobi, Kenya National election dispute, ethnic violence affecting church institutions; mob surrounds Kenya's Adventist university Robbery at Maranatha-rented warehouse leaves guard dead 3 Maputo, Mozambique Lay organization readdressing security concerns Arrested Oakwood students suspended for semester 2 Huntsville, Alabama, United States 16 students involved in December 9 melee Church Chat: Proctor clears the air on Adventist anti-smoking campaign December 14 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Tobacco almost a 'dead' issue in United States? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kenya: Workers at Adventist university evacuated as national conflict continues 7, 2008 Nairobi, Kenya ... [ Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a mob threatened the campus of Adventist-owned University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, students and staff took refuge at a local police station. Church officials have since moved the 280 students, staff and international workers to Nairobi ahead of renewed violence expected later this week. [photo: courtesy University of Eastern Africa] Church leaders evacuated 280 students, staff and international workers from Seventh-day Adventist-owned University of Eastern Africa, Baraton to Nairobi on January 6. More than 100 staff members had earlier taken refuge at a local police station amid violence fueled by contested election results in Kenya last week. Adventist Church officials in East-Central Africa secured funding over the weekend from world church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, needed for the evacuation from the university to safer conditions in the country's capital. The situation in Nairobi, while "not back to normal," has improved, with most offices open and the city's transportation system running, said Geoffrey Mbwana, president of the church in East-Central Africa. While ethnic tensions eased over the weekend, church and national leaders anticipate violence will again escalate as opposition leaders challenge President Mwai Kibaki's second term. The moving of staff and students was meant to preempt conflict surrounding a series of countrywide political rallies planned for early this week, Mbwana said. "Of course we are praying for calm, peaceful rallies, but we are taking caution at every point," Mbwana said. Church leaders reiterated their call for nationwide restraint and reconciliation in a press statement released by the East African Union on January 4. The statement echoed an appeal to end violence released last week by world church Executive Secretary Matthew A. Bediako. "The responsibility of safeguarding and maintaining peace lies with each and every one of us," the statement read. It also urged Mr. Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to engage in "honest and forthright" talks. "They should ... provide leadership in this dark hour by coming together in open and honest dialogue to bring a lasting solution to this impasse. Let us remember this country is bigger than all of us," the statement continued. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Kenya is providing emergency food assistance and medical supplies for displaced and affected families in coordination with other humanitarian agencies in the country. Meanwhile, church leaders in Kenya are working to help a group of Kenyan Adventist students on retreat in Rwanda back into the country. While some roads have reopened, most remain blocked, Mbwana said. Church leaders have sent food and basic supplies, including tents, to the students, all of whom remain stranded in Kampala, Uganda. Adventist leader appeals for calm in Kenya 3, 2008 Nairobi, Kenya ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew Bediako, world church executive secretary, called for reconciliation following recent violence in Kenya. In his statement, to be broadcast by the church's Hope Channel, Bediako also urged Adventist to exemplify the unity and forgiveness necessary to restore calm to the country. [ANN file photo] Seventh-day Adventists are joining the international community in expressing concern over violence in Kenya that has reportedly left 300 people dead and 100,000 displaced in the wake of presidential election disputes. In a January 3 statement, Adventist world church Executive Secretary Matthew A. Bediako appealed to Kenyan "political leaders, heads of religious communities, traditional leaders and peace-loving people to come together and find ways to promote reconciliation." The appeal will be televised on the church's Hope Channel. "Resorting to violence only creates victims, many of whom are innocent children," Bediako said. "As a Christian church, we also urge all Kenyans to value solidarity and the Biblical principles of peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation above ethnic loyalties." Bediako also appealed to Adventist leaders and members to be examples in promoting unity. Church leaders in Kenya report that about 200 students, staff and faculty at Adventist-owned University of Eastern Africa, Baraton are taking refuge at a nearby police station after officers escorted them on December 31 from the campus, which was surrounded by a mob. Roads to the airport have been blocked by mobs and the workers remain at the police station, said Geoffrey Mbwana, president of the Adventist Church's Nairobi-based East-Central Africa Division. Preparations are underway to transport them to Nairobi. A Kenyan official said violence has only affected about 3 percent of the country's 34 million people, according to USA Today. "As a faith community we strongly believe in prayer," Bediako said to church members. "We therefore invite our brothers and sisters around the world to bring before God's throne the people of Kenya, and other regions where there are crises. We pray that calm will be restored throughout Kenya, and throughout the world." There are more than 560,000 Adventists worshiping in some 3,500 congregations in Kenya. Watch on YouTube Robbery at Maranatha-rented warehouse leaves guard dead 3, 2008 Maputo, Mozambique ... [ Maranatha Volunteers International/ANN Staff ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Church members stand outside one of the planned 1,001 permanent churches built by Maranatha volunteers in Mozambique. A security guard was killed by robbers this week while guarding a warehouse packed with construction materials for the four-year initiative. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN] A Seventh-day Adventist security guard was killed December 30 when thieves broke into a Maputo, Mozambique, warehouse rented by Maranatha Volunteers International, a Christian lay organization that builds churches and schools for the Adventist Church worldwide. The guard, Adrian Chissano, a member of the Ximadjane Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maputo, leaves behind a wife and six children. "We are deeply saddened by this terrible act and pray for the family of Mr. Chissano," said Don Noble, president of Sacramento, California-based Maranatha. Maranatha volunteers in Mozambique said construction tools and a truck were stolen during the incident. The thieves, all of whom remain unidentified, have not yet been apprehended, but Maranatha officials are cooperating with an ongoing police investigation. "The robbery will not hinder Maranatha's progress in Mozambique in any way," said Kyle Fiess, Maranatha vice president of Marketing. "We'll definitely keep moving forward." Fiess added that the non-profit organization is reassessing its security needs and would make "necessary changes," including hiring an outside security company to protect Maranatha property and volunteers in Maputo. Maranatha is working with the Adventist Church to provide urgently needed infrastructure in Mozambique. A four-year, $30 million initiat ive is expected to result in 1,001 churches and eight schools across the country. Plans also include the drilling of a deep-water well to supply each newly constructed church and its surrounding village. Paul Ratsara, president of the Adventist Church in the southern Africa region, said the initiative will bring lasting change to a country that has been crippled by 30 years of war. Arrested Oakwood students suspended for semester 2, 2008 Huntsville, Alabama, United States ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All 16 students arrested during a clash with police at Oakwood University last month are suspended for the Spring 2008 semester, college officials said Wednesday. The announcement came after the school's three-week internal investigation of a December 9 melee that left two city police officers injured. "While the 16 students under question may apply for future entrance, all appeals are subject to institutional review," University President Delbert W. Baker said during a Ja nuary 2 press conference. The Decembe r 9 incident began when an off-duty officer arrested an 18-year-old woman for disorderly conduct after a basketball game and was driving her away in a patrol car. A crowd surrounded the car and became hostile, Huntsville Police said. "All such [violence is] unacceptable and will not be tolerated or condoned at Oakwood," Baker said during a December 11 press conference. University officials declined to answer further questions because of the ongoing police investigation. Baker said educational and training opportunities will stem from the situation, including workshops on conflict and anger management. Surveillance cameras will also be installed in and around the gym where the incident occurred. Baker expressed pride in the quality of Oakwood University students and confidence in Huntsville Police and campus public safety officers. In his statement, Baker said his prayers were with those involved in the incident. Established in 1896, the school changed its name to Oakwood University from Oakwood College on January 1. The institution has more than 1,800 students. Church Chat: Proctor clears the air on Adventist anti-smoking campaign December 14, 2007 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States ... [ Ansel Oliver/ANN ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Adventist Church is renewing its smoking cessation efforts with the launch of a world commission on tobacco and health. [photo: Rajmund Dabrowski/ANN] The Seventh-day Adventist Church might be losing a piece of its image as a leader against tobacco in some parts of the world. And Stoy Proctor, MPH, is OK with that. Proctor, an associate Health Ministries director for the Adventist world church, still promotes the church's anti-smoking campaign. It was initiated by church co-founder Ellen White in 1848, about 15 years before the denomination was established. But in promoting healthful living to celebrate God's gift of life, Proctor says the church, at least in the United States, isn't alone on the anti-tobacco front anymore. Tobacco companies have headed for potentially larger markets and Proctor travels the globe teaching the church's stop-smoking program, which he helped write. Sometimes he's an official guest of a government, and frequently he's brought in to instruct the nation's smoking cessation trainers on behalf of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Just back from such training in Armenia, Proctor this week discussed what the church is now doing to combat smoking and the best weapons to use in the fight. Though the Texan might stall when asked his age, Proctor has reached the age he is, perhaps, because he practices what he preaches. Interview excerpts follow: Adventist News Network: Adventists used to speak more openly about tobacco and lobby Congress. You don't hear about it much today. Is that because Adventists are working through coalitions? Stoy Proctor: "We have worked through coalitions, but in the U.S. we're not unique in that anymore. We've said smoking is addictive from the beginning and we were one of the first to have a stop-smoking plan. But those days are virtually gone. People know it's harmful. We're unique in that we had a [stop-smoking] program early on, and we still run it in different places, but our pastors and doctors have led the fight and the rest of the public is on board." ANN: What about in other countries? Proctor: "Overseas it's a different situation. Tobacco company sales here [in the U.S.] have gone down, down, down. So they've gone overseas, particularly to developing countries. In the Philippines people are forming coalitions like we did 30 years ago. But smoking is almost a dead issue in America. About 24 percent of the adult population smokes now and many of them are the hardcore smokers who don't want to quit. In some other countries they've got 45 to 50 of the population smoking and there isn't as much help available." ANN: How long has the church had a stop-smoking program? Proctor: "Dr. Wayne McFarland launched what was known as the Five-Day Plan in 1959." ANN: How has it evolved? Proctor: "Well it's longer now. That program was successful for many years, but when I came here [to the Adventist Church headquarters] in 1984 I was asked to revise it. My wife Leilani and I spent almost two years researching. It's had some revisions since then, too. It's now nine sessions covering four weeks. Before, they would help people stop smoking and about the time it ended that's when withdrawal symptoms set in and they'd start smoking again a week or two later. Now in the program we sit with these people for three weeks after they've stopped smoking. It takes about a month to kick a habit." ANN: What's the program's success rate? Proctor: "About two or three times what it used to be. The Five-Day Plan was about 20 percent successful. The Breathe-Free success rate is now about 60 percent. [Church-owned Loma Linda University] has worked with us and we feel we have good data of what works and what doesn't." ANN: Is it true that Breath-Free is the official stop-smoking plan in the Philippines? Proctor: "It is. It's number one. We've done training with the Philippine government. Today, Adventist pastors are accredited representatives of the health department in health education. They have their cards and they can go anywhere in a city or in the country and represent the government to do a stop smoking-program." ANN: Where else is the church's program used? Proctor: "It is the official program for Taiwan.... I don't know about now, but it has been in China.... It's the official program for Poland. It's been translated into about 15 different languages. We've done the training program in many more countries. But we haven't done it on behalf of the government's health services like we have in these countries where we were official invitees." ANN: What was unique about your trip to Armenia? Proctor: "We were able to have our Adventist pastors take the training program along with about 30 of the country's physicians. We hope they'll work together to do public training in their own cities. They tell me about 70 percent of the adult male population smokes there. That's very, very high. They liked our program because several years ago an anti-depressant company came in and spent several million dollars promoting their product. But has since pulled out. So the people there say, 'We're tired of all the nicotine replacement patches and all this stuff. We need the one-to-one help. We'd rather work in groups.'" ANN: What are your thoughts about incorporating medication with group therapy? Proctor: "We think it helps. Both the anti-depressants and the nicotine replacement. Here's why -- smoking is a chemical addiction, but it's an even stronger psychological addiction. And so by using a nicotine replacement, then they're able to sort of pacify their chemical addiction while they work on their behavioral addiction. When they get some replacement habits in place, then they can cut down on the patches or the gum so they don't have to work on two fronts at one time. But the patches, the gum, the [inhaler], Zyban, they all say it works best with behavioral therapy. I'm just reading here in [a national business magazine] a health report on new medications -- 'Behavioral therapy still is required for any smoking treatment.'" ANN: Will some people be concerned that you advocate including medication? Proctor: "Anything you can do, there's no wrong way to stop smoking. What we don't support is hypnotism, as well as aversion therapy. The medication is expensive, and for the most part you still go through withdrawal symptoms, and you can't do it alone." ANN: Is there anything else Adventists could be doing? Proctor: "There are still 45 to 50 million smokers in America. I think something we can do is help friends, neighbors, colleagues, and occasionally church members, on a one-to-one basis. The medical community can do more, but a physician spends just a few minutes with you. A smoker needs to spend more time. We've developed a Breathe-Free for one-to-one. People can e-mail us a request for it (SanchezL@gc.adventist.org). Also, [associate Health Ministries director Dr. Peter] Landless is chairing a new world church commission on tobacco and health. Hopefully this will re-energize our public service, particularly in some countries that don't have as much help." ANN: What factors most discourage smoking? Proctor: "Never scare tactics. It's a combination of three things that governments can do. Raising taxes on tobacco will discourage young people from starting. If a person doesn't start smoking before they're 21, they're not likely to start. Second, legislating smoke-free places like government and public buildings, like theaters. And then limiting convenience -- not displaying cigarette vending machines everywhere." ANN: Have you ever smoked? Proctor: "No. And that's a good question. It's been asked of me before. I know what they're getting at -- 'if I've never smoked then how can I help people?' I know what cigarettes taste like because I took a couple of puffs as a kid. But the reason I can help people is because I can teach them how to say 'no' once they've stopped. Mark Twain said 'It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.' I can teach people how to say 'no' after they quit. I remember the first time I went to China they said, 'This won't work in China because we can't do business without offering our client a cigarette.' I said 'Yes you can because you knew how to do business before cigarettes came to China.' Many places in China have cut smoking drastically. So you can teach people in any culture how to choose better habits." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- news.adventist.org ANN World News Bulletin is a review of news and information issued by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. It is made available primarily to religious news editors. Our news includes dispatches from the church's international offices and the world headquarters. Reproduction Requirements: Reproduction of information in this article is encouraged. When reproducing this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must appear under the headline or immediately following the article. The words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be given equal prominence to any other source that is also acknowledged. Ground 7 News Podcast: Ground 7 News is a review of news and information issued by the Communication Department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters and released as part of the service of Adventist News Network. Reproduction of the ANN podcast is encouraged. When rebroadcasting this material, in full or in part, the words "Source: Adventist News Network" must be mentioned before and after the podcast. ANN Staff: Rajmund Dabrowski, director; Ansel Oliver, assistant director; Taashi Rowe, editorial coordinator; Elizabeth Lechleitner, editorial assistant; Natacha Moorooven, proofreader. Portuguese translation by Azenilto Brito, Spanish translation by Marcos Paseggi, Italian translation by Vincenzo Annunziata and Lina Ferrara and French translations by Stephanie Elofe
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