News Headlines: Ted Wilson Will Inaugurate Major Infrastructure Projects in Rwanda
GC President to Inaugurate Infrastructure Projects in Rwanda. Ted Wilson, President of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church, will travel to Rwanda in February to dedicate several projects there: the nine-story Rwandan Seventh-day Adventist headquarters building and the new Adventist University of Central Africa Science and Technology-Gishushu Campus. He will also attend the groundbreaking for another construction project, the Adventist Regional Medical School in Masoro, Gasabo District. The medical school is meant to serve 11 member countries in the Great Lakes region, including Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Eretria, Somalia, and Djibouti. From AllAfrica.com, “Rwanda: Adventists to Launch Multi-Million Infrastructure Projects.”
$1 Million Gift Comes in for WAU Science Complex. Washington Adventist University (WAU) in Takoma Park, Maryland, received a $1 million check for its planned Health Professions, Science and Wellness Center. Bruce Boyer presented his gift at a meeting of the WAU Board of Trustees. The center will include a $10.3 million renovation and addition to the existing Health Professions Building on campus. “When completed, the 50,000-square-foot center will accommodate WAU’s health professions and science programs, as well as community programs to enhance wellness.” From PR Web, “Washington Adventist University Receives Million Dollar Gift for New Health Professions, Science and Wellness Center.”
Oregon Congregation Offers Free Program on Obama Immigration Policy. The Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oregon State is sponsoring a free event at Hermiston Junior Academy to provide information about deferred-action immigration programs. Immigration attorneys Thomas Roach, Alva Guizar, and Eamonn Roach, who have more than 35 years of experience in immigration law, will provide information in Spanish and translation into English. The deferred-action immigration programs were expanded by President Obama in November. From the Hermiston Herald, “Attorneys to present on immigration program.”
Jamaica Celebrates Religious Freedom, Forms Religious Liberty Association. Jamaica’s first-ever Festival of Religious Freedom, themed “Our Right … Our Freedom … Let’s Celebrate,” was held January 24 at the National Arena. People from many religions joined members from all 730 Seventh-day Adventist congregations in Jamaica. Ganoune Diop, director of the United Nations Relations for Religious Freedom at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington, DC, praised Jamaica for being “an example to the rest of the world for its respect and tolerance of religious freedom.” Communication, public affairs, and religious liberty director for the Adventist Church in Jamaica, Nigel Coke, explained that the rally signaled the formation of a local National Religious Liberty Association. The international parent organization is based on a non-sectarian and non-governmental approach to religious liberty recognized by the United Nations. From The Jamaica Gleaner, “Celebrating religious freedom in Jamaica – Thousands trek to National Arena for festival.”
Gun Violence Affects AIIAS in Philippines. Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS), the Adventist graduate institution in the Philippines, solicited prayer and support after an AIIAS student and his daughter were involved in a violent incident on Tuesday evening, January 20, 2015. According to a release, the two were walking near their house in the Silang area of Cavite, Philippines. The release states that they were approached by a gunman on a motorcycle at around 10:30pm. The gunman demanded money, and the student handed him the little money he had. The gunman expressed disappointment and then shot the daughter in the calf and as she fell on the ground, the gunman fired another shot at her shoulder. He then sped away. An AIIAS worker in the neighborhood rushed them to a local hospital. They were given immediate care before being transferred to a hospital with advanced medical facilities. The injuries were not life-threatening, according to the release. The young lady is stable and recovering in an area hospital.
New York Congregation Hosts Peace Service Amid Ongoing Tension. The Flatbush Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brooklyn, New York, held a service of hope and healing to calm tensions unrest between police and civil rights groups due to the deaths of a citizen and two police officers. The program on January 18 included “prayers for city officials, protection for the more than 35,000 city police officers patrolling the streets, and God’s healing to ease the hurt and suspicion rampant in the community.” The event also recognized the contributions of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke, of New York’s 9th Congressional District, praised the SDA church for planning the timely event. From Adventist.org, “In New York, Adventist church hosts hope, healing service for police, citizens.”
