ANR BULLETIN, 14 December 2005

[Stan]

ANR Bulletin

Adventist News Review

Trans-European Division of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church

14 December 2005

In this Issue:

* Cyprus: New leadership team appointed for Adventist Church in

Middle East

* England: Strong Adventist presence on BBC television and radio this

Christmas

* The Netherlands: Church paper receives New Year make-over

* TED Prayer Guide for week 18 ? 24 December

NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM APPOINTED FOR ADVENTIST CHURCH IN MIDDLE EAST

NICOSIA, CYPRUS [ANR] ? After a search process lasting some months,

the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Middle East Region is to have

a new administrative team. Dr Kjell Aune, president was appointed by

the Trans-European Division Executive Committee at its Winter

Meetings in November. Conrad Vine, secretary-treasurer was appointed

by the Trans-European Division Administrative Committee and both were

formally introduced to and confirmed in their appointments by the

Middle East Union Executive Committee on 5 December, at the

commencement of the church?s year-end meetings in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Dr Aune, who has significant administrative experience, is currently

serving as president of the Adventist church in Egypt and will hold

both positions until a new leader can be appointed for Egypt. Dr Aune

and his wife Marianne are from Norway and have two grown daughters.

Conrad Vine, who has business and theological training, has worked

for Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) for the past ten

years. Currently pastoring churches in London, Conrad and his wife

Luda who comes from Russia, together with their two young children

will move to Cyprus in spring 2006.

During the year-end meetings the members of the executive committee

were delighted to be able to vote a number of people to serve the

church at the following locations: North Sudan ? Dr Miroslav Djidara

(president), Francis Achire (treasurer), Laszlo Szabo (ministerial

secretary); East Mediterranean Region ? ¬ Salim Farah (acting

secretary-treasurer).

The Adventist Church in the fourteen countries that comprise the

Middle East region has a membership of approximately 15,000. Because

of the instability within the region it has been a constant challenge

to recruit willing persons to staff some of the church?s employment

vacancies.

[Alex Elmadjian/ANR]

STRONG ADVENTIST PRESENCE ON BBC TELEVISION AND RADIO THIS CHRISTMAS

WATFORD, ENGLAND [ANR] ? British Adventist musicians are once again

to be featured in high profile media events with the BBC (British

Broadcasting Corporation) during this holiday season.

The London Adventist Chorale under the direction of Ken Burton will

be featured on two radio channels in 2 separate programmes on

Christmas Day and another in January when the Adventist group ?Take

Six? will also be featured.

This weekend, representatives from the Croydon Seventh-day Adventist

Church Choir also under the direction Ken Burton will be part of a

choral group in a national television quiz programme.

The ?Adventist Vocal Ensemble? will take part on Christmas Day in the

?Big Sing? from London?s Royal Albert hall. The programme will be

part of the popular television broadcast, ?Songs of Praise? and will

feature the nation?s top ten carols. A quartet from the same ensemble

will also feature in ?Songs of Praise? in January.

[John Surridge/ANR Staff/ANR]

CHURCH PAPER RECEIVES NEW YEAR MAKE-OVER

HUIS TER HEIDE, THE NETHERLANDS [ANR] ? Beginning with the January

2006 issue the church paper of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in

the Netherlands will be totally revamped. The editorial formula of

Advent is changing drastically.

The current journal, published on a subscription basis, offers

in-depth articles on various theological and social issues, while

also providing a limited coverage of domestic Adventist news and

denominational news from elsewhere.

The new formula will emphasize news coverage, human interest features

and information about future events. Advent also gets a complete

graphic overhaul with many additional visual features and 16 of its

32 pages in full colour.

Another novelty will be its method of distribution. The monthly

magazine will be sent by mail to every Adventist home in the country

and ?friends? of the church may also receive the journal. While a

substantial gift has been contributed towards making this project a

reality, we are hoping that periodic voluntary gifts from subscribers

will help defray the considerable expenses.

?The Netherlands Union?, says Reinder Bruinsma, president of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Netherlands ?believes that this

new approach will prove to be a good investment and a great blessing.

We urgently need a channel for effective communication with all our

church members and I believe that this will go a long way towards

realizing this goal.?

[ANR Staff/ANR]

TED Prayer Guide for week 18 ? 24 December 2005

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND [ANR] ? Towards the end of last year one of my

brothers phoned and asked what I would like as a Christmas present.

Like many families all over the world, we love to get together

through the festive season to spend gift-sharing times with those we

haven?t seen all year. When the exciting time came to open his

beautifully wrapped present, I was at first bewildered then couldn?t

contain my laughter as I read the following:-

?

did you say nothing? When you were asked what you wanted for

Christmas don?t you remember saying, ?NOTHING?. Well this time

someone heard you, searched high & low, and found this perfect

gift

THE JAR OF NOTHING?.

Unlike my gift-giver who gave me something that was ?nothing? for

Christmas, God gave us something of great value ? His Son. His

greatest desire for us is that we ?Ask

seek

and knock

for everyone

who asks receives; he who seeks finds

and to him who knocks, the door

will be opened? Luke 11:9, 10.

Prayer Requests:

1. That we will daily accept the gift of His Son to live in our lives

2. That we will ask, seek and find the good gifts our Heavenly Father

desires for us ? love, peace, joy etc.,

3. That we can share with others ? that, the greatest gift of all is

returning to take us to live forever in his homeland - Heaven.

[Nerida Richardson/ANR]

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ANR Staff: Miroslav Pujic, news director, Beverly Coysten, editor

ANR, 119 St Peter's Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England

E-mail: []anr@ted-adventist.org[/]

Website: www.ted-adventist.org

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