| WORLD REPORT

 

 

The seminary was granted full accreditation by the Adventist Accrediting Association late last year, marking an important milestone in the history of Adventist education in Cuba.

 

“The Adventist Church in Cuba feels that now, with the accreditation, our seminary can better accomplish its function, since we already have our own study program according to the needs of our country and our churches,” said Esther Diaz de Guerrero, president of Adventist Theological Seminary in Cuba. “We are joyful and grateful in our hearts.”

 

After the Seventh-day Adventist Antillian College in Cuba was closed in 1967, a small seminary was established in the offices of the Cuban Union in Havana in 1970. As a result of the work of Maranatha Volunteers International, the seminary moved into its own facility in 1997. From 1987 to 2006 it operated as an extension of Mexico’s Montemorelos University. Antillian College, now Antillean Adventist University, is now located in Puerto Rico.

 

“This has been the institution that has taken the longest to receive accreditation in our territory,” said Moises Velazquez, director of the Office of Education for the church in Inter-America. “They worked hard for years towards accreditation due to the limitations of physical facilities, faculty, staff, library and computer lab specifications, and other requirements needed for full accreditation,” he said.

 

With a growing church in Cuba of more than 29,000 church members, the seminary, which grants bachelor’s degrees in theology to men and women every year, provides a much needed workforce of pastors and Bible workers who are committed to spreading the gospel on the island.

 

Luis Schulz, associate director of education for the Adventist world church, spoke to the graduates during the graduation exercises and presented the accreditation certificate to Diaz de Guerrero.
—Reported by Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division, with AR Staff

 

 

 

More than 60 delegates from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America and South America gathered for a radio symposium sponsored by Adventist World Radio (AWR), the mission radio arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The symposium took place in late August on the campus of church-owned Montemorelos University in Mexico.

 

TOGETHER: A group of radio ministries technicians and managers from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America and South America met at Montemorelos 
University for a special symposium sponsored by the church’s international radio ministry, Adventist World Radio.The five-day symposium allowed networking among radio technicians, programmers, and church leaders who are united in better fulfilling the mission of the church through radio ministries.

 

Radio managers and technicians were refreshed on techniques and operational skills, as well as the use of creative tools in operating radio stations, organizers said. The symposium also highlighted the strategies the church uses in the 10/40 window with the use of satellite, shortwave, AM, FM, and Internet technologies.

 

Seminar presenters included Benjamin Schoun, AWR president; Dowell Chow, AWR vice president of finance; and Greg Scott, AWR’s senior vice president.

 

“This symposium, which we hold every few years, helps AWR keep in contact with the local radio stations and producers in these divisions,” says Schoun. “It is also a valuable opportunity for the various attendees to network with each other.”

 

The largest group included 30 delegates from the church in Venezuela-Antilles (Inter-American Division), where there are more than 40 Seventh-day Adventist radio stations. Four-year-old Mariana Carreno was among the group. She leads a children’s radio program in Venezuela.

 

Established in 1971, AWR presently broadcasts thousands of hours of programming every day in 75 languages. People around the world tune in to AWR broadcasts via AM/FM and shortwave radio, Internet podcasts, and satellite transmitters. For more information on AWR and its programs, visit www.awr.org.
—Reported by Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division, with AR Staff.

 

 

 

During a two-week period, pupils and their parents, teachers, and church members in the Adventist Church have participated in the annual Ingathering, to support projects run by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Norway. This year projects in Southeast Asia will benefit from the funds collected by these volunteers—in particular, to prevent human trafficking, especially in Cambodia and northern Thailand.

 

Rosendal church school gathered NOK 57,000 (approximately US$9,900) the first evening of their campaign, and the other church schools are not far behind. Students and teachers at Tyrifjord Videregaende Skole, the Norwegian Adventist high school, have so far collected NOK 300,000 (about US$50,000), and they still have not finished. “Our students just don’t want to finish Ingathering,” says John Gamborg, teacher and organizer. “Students wish to spend their spare time doing Ingathering in addition to the couple of days scheduled for this.”

 

“The schools and churches are creating a good atmosphere connected to the Ingathering,” says Gry A. Haugen, ADRA/Norway. “They make it an event, serving dinner and supper, and driving for several miles. These components leave our children with good memories, which I believe is very important. We are indeed helping ourselves by helping others.”

 

Stephen Cooper, newly appointed ADRA director in the Trans-European Division, visited Norway during the Ingathering. He said: “While in Norway, I had the opportunity to see the Ingathering program in full swing. I was impressed to see the enthusiasm and dedication these schoolchildren had in collecting funds for those who are less fortunate. ADRA/Norway is a shining example of how Ingathering can be done.”

—TED News Staff