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Adventist Women in Fiji Become Water Champions – News Shorts

2017-05-10_news_shorts

Adventist Women in Fiji Become Water Champions. The Nakasi Seventh-day Adventist Church women’s group in Fiji has completed a two-day training from the Water Champions program. The 14 women who participated learned how water was delivered – from the source to the tap – and how to best protect this finite and fragile resource. Participant Loame Naituku said the program was an exciting experience for her. “I am really happy to participate in such a great program and to see what it actually takes to produce clean drinking water,” she said. “Worldwide, women have been shown to be the biggest users of water which is why we encourage more women’s groups from all denominations and faiths to come and learn about the value of water,” said WAF chief executive Opetaia Ravai. From The Fiji Times, “SDA women's group trained Water Champions.”

Head Pastor Killed in Ghana During Armed Robbery. In Ghana, James Agyei, the head pastor of Effiduase Seventh-day Adventist Church and Assistant Headmaster Administration of Okomfo Anokye Senior High School, was shot dead by armed robbers. According to residents, he pulled over for people who flagged him to stop. Realizing their harmful intent, he tried speeding off, but they shot him at close range, killing him. They took two of his mobile phones and unspecified cash. Police are searching for the killers. From Ghana Web, “SDA pastor killed by armed robbers.”

Kenyan Pastor Disappears After Leaving Home. Kenyan pastor Nicholas Kibagendi of Nyamira Conference Seventh-day Adventist Church has been missing for days from his home in Borabu, Nyamira County. Pastor Kibagendi left his home on Thursday April 20. According to his wife Jennifer, the pastor left their home while talking on the phone and headed toward Keroka town on foot. After the 54-year old father of five left, his phone’s signal was lost a kilometer away from the home. “He left as we were preparing breakfast but did not return. I was worried, and I called his two lines around noon, but they were both off,” said his wife, a primary school teacher. She reported the matter to police and to the Nyamira Conference which made announcements in all its churches and radio stations in hopes of locating him. From Standard Digital, “Nyamira-based pastor mysteriously goes missing.”

South African Adventist Congregants Spar in Court Again. Two groups of church members of the Grahamstown Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa are facing each other in courts following arguments at its Sabbath services. The court papers detail how one group allegedly persistently disrupted church services by singing and praying to drown out sermons by church leaders. A lawyer for this group has argued that the actions are a form of legal, “peaceful protest.” The court papers detail how a church service could not start one Saturday after the accused group locked the gates with chains, keeping rivals outside. Last year, the same church members reached an out-of-court settlement following a court battle. But they are back in court as tensions over leadership styles rise. Representatives of the Cape Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Joza Seventh-day Adventist Church, listed in the suit, declined to discuss the situation with the media. From Dispatch Live, “Court told of church feud: Loud singing ‘drowns out’ services.”

Zimbabwe Adventist Man Drowns at Church Camp. An 21-year-old Adventist man drowned at a church camp in Morondera, Zimbabwe. He had been swimming with two friends in a reservoir behind a farm dam. It is reported that his friends tried to rescue him, but the effort was in vain. The friends then rushed back to camp and informed the church leader who called the police. From ZimNews.net, “SDA church youth drowns while swimming in dam.”

Texas Church Hosts AMEN Clinic. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denison, Texas, will be hosting a free dental, vision, and medical clinic and providing free single-lens glasses. Adventist Medical Evangelism Network (AMEN), an organization through the Adventist Church, will help the Denison church clinic by providing medical equipment. “We saw a need in the community for this, so we wanted to host this for them,” church member Jan Johnson said. “We know there are low-income people in this area and that there are people with no insurance…We are excited to act as a pilot for small cities with AMEN. We are hoping to make this an annual event. If we can make it annual, I know we can get more volunteers and have more resources.” The clinic expects to have 9-10 doctors, 4-5 dentists, and two optometrists. From Herald Democrat, “Seventh Day Adventists church seeks to reach people through free medical clinic.”

Houston Church Deacon Charged with Sex Abuse of a Child.Ordained Adventist deacon, Barry Todd Durrell, 55, has been arrested in a child sexual assault investigation case and investigators are now looking for other possible victims. The two incidents of aggravated sexual assault occurred at the West Houston Seventh-day Adventist Church. The victims are a two-year-old boy and a seven-year-old boy. Durrell has confessed to the crimes. At a press conference, police said Durrell was convicted of a similar offense in California in 1988. He was not on the registered sex offender list, however. From KHOU.com, “Houston church deacon charged with sex abuse of a child.”

Loma Linda Market Bakes Prune Cakes for 60 Years. For nearly 60 years, customers have purchased Loma Linda Market's famed chocolate prune cake. The bakery team, head baker Brad McKibben, cake decorator Allison Baker, and baker Nick Mardar, prepare 2,000 chocolate prune cupcakes and hundreds of 6-, 8-, 10-inch, and full-sheet chocolate prune cakes biweekly. “It’s a labor of love,” said McKibben, who has been baking the cake for 15 of his 20 years at the market. “There are not too many people left who would take the time to make it the way we do…I can say we use fresh eggs and hand crack all the eggs that go into our chocolate prune cakes…Also, I don’t use refined sugar, only unrefined cane sugar. So overall, [the cake has] higher quality ingredients…Maybe the original recipe was inspired by dietary restrictions,” he said, “but I would not call it a healthy cake.” From Redlands Daily Facts, “It takes love, a mysterious old oven and prunes to make Loma Linda Market’s famed cake.”

 

Pam Dietrich taught English at Loma Linda Academy for 26 years and served there eight more years as the 7-12 librarian. She lives in Redlands, California.

Image Credit: The Fiji Times

 

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