TED News Bulletin, 8 August 2007

[Stan]

TED News Bulletin

Trans-European Division of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church

8 August 2007

In this issue:

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* Lebanon: Middle East Union Office Returns to Lebanon

* Sweden: New Swedish Union President

* England: Newbold College Awards Ceremony 2007

* England: Summer School Enrolment Boost

* Norway: Youth Evangelism Initiative in Norway

* England: ASI Newsletter

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EDITOR’S NOTE:

Dear Reader. We regret that our last edition, dated 25 July, did not

arrive at its destinations due to technical problems beyond our

control. Our Information Technology Consultant has rectified the

problem, and for your convenience, we are re-printing the stories as

they are of enduring interest. We apologise to you for any

inconvenience.

P. R Clee.

Editor

MIDDLE EAST UNION OFFICE RETURNS TO LEBANON...[Alex Elmadjian/ TED

News Staff/TED News]

Beirut, Lebanon - Due to the Lebanese Civil War 1975-1990, the

Seventh-day Adventist Church’s regional headquarters was forced to

evacuate from Beirut in 1984. Through the ensuing years the office

operated from the island of Cyprus, yet there was growing sentiment

that staff based at an administrative centre, which was

geopolitically removed from the Arab Middle East proper, could not

entirely identify with the people they intended to serve.

“The main concern today is that our personnel operate from inside the

Arabic context. I believe that this move will increase credibility

among the people we are serving, and naturally provide our staff with

the expertise of understanding the culture, mindset, customs,

tensions and issues of which our constituency is a part,” said Pastor

Kjell Aune, leader of the Adventist Church in the Middle East Region.

In 1995, a study commission was appointed to look into the location

of the office, and locations were explored, then in 2005 the

Executive Committee decided to move back to Lebanon. This was delayed

by the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

On 26 July the contents of the office were packed up in Cyprus and

are now en route to Lebanon, in time for operations to commence from

a largely new $710,000 facility on Sabtieh Hill, Beirut, from 1

September.

Pastor Aune comments, “People are tired of war, and except for some

individual extremists, all parties have expressed a wish to avoid

conflict. The Middle East is, and will probably always remain an

unstable region, full of surprises. Nobody can guarantee the future

of Lebanon or any other country in the region. But this is the

circumstances within which our constituency has to live, and

the

office personnel have to be prepared to live side-by-side with them”.

Back in Nicosia, the old office seems unusually quiet, as families

have already begun packing their personal household effects. “It's

difficult not to get sentimental,” says Alex Elmadjian, “but it is

now easier to empathise with our colleagues in Lebanon who watched

the office move away twenty-three years ago.”

The new contact details for the Adventist Headquarters in the Middle

East Union can be found on the following website:

http://www.ted-adventist.org/territory/lebanon.htm

NEW SWEDISH UNION PRESIDENT ELECTED...[Audrey Andersson/TED News]

Stockholm, Sweden - On 2 August Bobby Sjolander was elected president

of the Swedish Union. This mid-term election followed Bjorn Ottesen

accepting the call to be Danish Union President.

A native Swede, Bobby (as he is affectionately called) has a wide

experience of ministry having worked as a local pastor, school and

hospital chaplain. Between 1999 and 2002 he served as Principle of

the Swedish Union secondary school, Ekebyholm.

Currently Bobby is working in Madison, Wisconsin (USA) as a Grief

Counsellor. He is married to Merrilee and they have two sons,

Zachery, aged 8 and Samuel aged 4.

Christer Fors, vice chairman of the Swedish Union executive

committee, said, “We are delighted that Bobby and Merrilee have

decided to return to Sweden. We have appreciated Bjorn’s leadership

and are certain that Bobby will continue to lead the church forward.

“

President of the Trans-European Division, Dr Bertil Wiklander

commented, “I am delighted about Pastor Sjolander’s election. He

comes from a solid Adventist pastor’s home, where he learned to love

and serve the Church. He then came to the Ekebyholm Bible Seminary in

1981, when I was Principal and Bible teacher there, and I could see

that he had definite leadership talents while being a spiritual man.

I also remember that he was an excellent football player and had a

great sense of humour!

I thank God that Bobby and Merilee have

accepted the call to return to Sweden, where many positive things are

happening at the moment. It is an exciting task. And I would like to

thank Pastor Bjorn Ottesen, Bobby’s predecessor, for his good

leadership.”

Upon his election Bobby said, “I'm looking forward to work in Sweden

where I pray that God will use myself, my co-workers and each church

member to spread His Love to the people around us. I know the

challenges are great but that our God is greater and I pray that He

will give me the wisdom and strength I need to follow His will.”

The Adventist Church in Sweden currently has about 2800 baptised

members in 36 congregations nationwide.

NEWBOLD COLLEGE AWARDS CEREMONY 2007...[Helen Pearson/TED Staff/TED

News]

Bracknell, England – “The true value of the Seventh-day Adventist

Church and its education system can be found in the people.” With

these words, Dr James Standish, Director of Legislative Affairs at

the World Headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and

Newbold alumnus, addressed the audience as guest speaker at this

year’s Newbold College Awards Ceremony.

The most significant people in this particular celebration were the

50 students from 26 countries who received undergraduate and

postgraduate degrees, as well as diplomas and certificates at this

year’s ceremony. Thirty eight students were present for the occasion.

The staff, students, their family and friends were welcomed by Dr

David Penner, Principle of Newbold College and Mrs Gill Birch, Mayor

of Bracknell Forest Council.

Focusing on those he clearly expected to be future leaders of the

Church, Standish advised them to ‘ask the hard questions’ and focus

on people rather than buildings as the true heart of the Church. As

an example of this spirit, Standish paid tribute to Mrs Iris Schantz,

founding teacher of the Newbold Department of Business Administration

who had ‘asked the hard questions and moved the project with

diligence through to implementation.’ Mrs Schantz, together with a

number of other Business Alumni, was visiting the College for a

20-year celebration.

Three of Newbold’s first Gap Year students were present to receive

their awards. South African, Lyle Katzen worked for ADRA on new

projects in Salvador, Brazil. Scottish Kenyan, Charles Oroko worked

as a teaching assistant in Zaokski, the Seventh-day Adventist

Seminary in Russia. Irishman Michael Logan spent six months as a work

supervisor at Yeldall Manor, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation Centre

in Twyford, about ten miles from Newbold. A fourth Gap Year student,

Finnish, Merika Tuononen has enjoyed her work at a Bangkok language

school so much that she has extended her placement from 7 months to 1

year.

Petras Bahadur, MA graduate in Theological Studies was jointly

awarded for ‘community building’ by Newbold College and the South

Asian Seventh-day Adventist Reunion – a group of people, mostly from

India and Pakistan, who meet to worship and fellowship in East

London. ‘Newbold has given me the skills to support and minister to

this group,’ he said.

SUMMER SCHOOL ENROLMENT BOOST...[Helen Pearson/TED Staff/TED News]

Bracknell, England - Eighty-five people, between the ages of 16 and

64 have enrolled in the 2007 summer school at Newbold College which

runs 5- 30 July. The Summer School for non-English speaking students

is the largest for 10 years.

The course is divided into three one-week sessions, providing greater

flexibility for students to attend; however two thirds of the group

have elected to stay for the whole course.

Extra curricular activities during the summer school include

ice-skating, craft workshops, training in massage, and international

talent nights starring, among others, Italian karaoke singers. The

students are enjoying visits to London, Oxford, Stratford and other

tourist centres. “There is amazing talent in the group this year”

says Henrik Jorgensen, Dean of Students, “they are really getting

involved in the social and sports activities which have been

organised for them. The wet summer does not seem to have dampened

their spirits.”

The summer school has been running for more than 40 years and is

taught in addition to the regular classes in English during the

school year. The experienced teachers help students both in and out

of the classroom, and offer the chance for non-English speakers to

develop a basic grasp of English, and for more advanced learners to

improve their skills. For students thinking about studying at Newbold

during the regular academic year, Summer School provides an ideal

opportunity to experience life at the college and to get to know the

area and staff a little better before making a final choice about

attending.

For more details, please visit:

http://www.newbold.ac.uk/school-of-english/summer-school.html.

YOUTH EVANGELISM INITIATIVE IN NORWAY...[AdventistInfo/TED Staff/TED

News]

Oslo, Norway – A team of more than 20 young people between the ages

of 18 and 22 dedicated one week of their summer holiday to organise

and run a youth evangelism outreach programme in Oslo with the theme

‘The Truth Offers a Purpose’. Most of the young people came from two

Seventh-day Adventist churches, Betel and Tyrifjord, in Norway.

The team set up a stand in the centre of Oslo, inviting people to the

meetings held at Herrebadet Conference Centre. Joachim Hjortland, one

of the organisers, said “With the exception of two or three people,

this is the first time these young people have spoken in public.”

Sara Hansen, one of the 12 speakers, stated in her appeal, “God has

made a plan which offers us eternal life

to be a part of sharing

God’s plan with others gives life true meaning.”

Sigve Tonstad, senior pastor of Betel Church was excited by the

initiative carried out by these young people and expressed his hopes

that they will continue their efforts in reaching out to the citizens

of Oslo.

ASI NEWSLETTER...[TED News]

ASI Europe has produced its first newsletter. ASI stands for

Adventist-laymen's Services and Industries and is an international

group of Adventist business people who want to use their skills to

help with the witness of the church in various ways as well as to

fellowship together and share the joys and challenges of faith in the

workplace.

The ADI Newsletters is available electronically from:

http://www.asi-europe.org/Newsletter/newsletter.htm

___________________________________________________________________

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: www.ted-adventist.org

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