Kenya
First Masters Graduate from Adventist University
The Adventist University of Africa is celebrating its first crop of master’s degree graduates. In August, 166 students earned advanced degrees in pastoral theology and leadership. Since 2003 church education officials in Africa made expanding higher education a priority. Adventist University of Africa has campuses in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Source: Adventist News Network
Brazil
New Adventist College
The first Adventist College in North Brazil is preparing to serve a rapidly growing number of students in the region. Adventist Amazon College officially launched in August and will begin classes in February 2010. The 300-acre campus will serve a region that is home to 350,000 Adventists. Currently, students seeking Adventist higher education in North Brazil must travel 2,000 miles to São Paulo.
Source: Adventist News Network
Mongolia
ADRA Empowers Students to Stop Bullying
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is teaching positive alternatives to bullying and gender-based violence to students in Mongolia. “We teach children how to deal with their problems in a constructive way, and how to resolve conflicts between them in a peaceful manner,” says Carly Fletcher of ADRA Mongolia. The project also trains peer educators and adult educators with essential life-skills, teaching them how to communicate better and be more tolerant of others.
Source: ADRA
Indonesia
Earthquakes Leave Thousands Homeless
Christian aid groups have mobilized to reach thousands of Indonesians, Summatrans and Samoans affected by major earthquakes and resulting tsunamis in September. Thousands of homes were destroyed, with tens of thousands forced to seek new shelter. Aid groups have been working throughout these regions to provide shelter, and distribute food and medical supplies. (For more on Adventist relief efforts, see the FYI section in this issue on page 29.)
Source: Christian Post
Maryland
Adventist Church Appoints New UN Liaison
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has appointed James Standish as the worldwide denominational liaison to the United Nations. Standish was serving as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom director and was previously the longtime director of Legislative Affairs for the church. “It’s a real privilege to come back to work for the Adventist Church,” says Standish. “I think that the church has so much to offer … Being part of that effort again from the inside is something I really look forward to.”
Source: Adventist News Network
