Adventist Medical Helicopter Missing in the Philippines—and More News

A helicopter from Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services went missing on March 1, according to a report from the Associated Press and posts on social media. The helicopter, "carrying five people, including a hospital patient and a nurse, went missing in a western Philippine province on Wednesday and an air and sea search has been launched, civil aviation officials said."

The helicopter, carrying a pilot, the patient, two companions and a nurse, was flying to a hospital in Brooke’s Point in Palawan from another town in the island province when it went missing, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.

All those aboard are Filipinos except for the nurse, who is American, said Eric Apolonio, the aviation agency’s spokesperson, citing a report from a rescue coordination center.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Southern Adventist University identified the nurse on the flight as Janelle Alder, a 2021 graduate of the university serving as a medical missionary.

Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services is a "non-profit organization which was established in 2007 with a mission to provide air medical aviation services to vulnerable groups in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas," the organization said in a March 1 Facebook post about the incident.

—From the Associated Press, "Medical Helicopter with 5 Aboard Missing in Philippines."

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"Caribbean Sabbath" Celebrated at Maryland Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church

Pastor Trevor Kinlock lead his Hyattsville, Maryland, Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church congregation in celebrating "Caribbean Sabbath" on the third Saturday of Black History Month, according to a report by Adelle M. Banks for the Religion News Service.

As worshippers entered the sanctuary of Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church, doorman Percy Joseph greeted them with “Happy Sabbath,” his bright red Trinidad and Tobago T-shirt showing beneath his long black coat.

Inside, guest steel drum players began to play “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” giving the tune known as the Black national anthem a steady beat reminiscent of the homelands of many congregants.

Then, marching and dancing flag bearers processed down the main aisle, first with the American flag, and then with banners of those lands, from Barbados to the Dominican Republic to Trinidad and Tobago.

Pastor Trevor Kinlock kept up the enthusiastic flavor of the service as he greeted the congregation before his sermon.

“Come on, raise your flag and represent,” Kinlock said to those fellow congregants who, like him, had Jamaican roots, before turning to a more global celebration. “We’ve come to celebrate him and we thank God for the beauty of our diversity as a people.”

Kinlock used his time at the lectern to emphasize why Black churches need to remember the history of Black people, including Americans like “Sister Harriet Tubman and Mother Sojourner Truth,” the latter who had ties to Adventism.

. . .

Asked about the Metropolitan service, Monika Gosin, associate professor of sociology at the College of William & Mary, said it exemplifies the latest juncture in the growth of U.S. Black immigrant populations, who have long been a part of the Black community and its churches. Pew reports that nearly half of the country’s foreign-born Black population—46%—was birthed in the Caribbean.

“The way that we even conceptualize the Black church is changing,” she said. “This particular church service really reflects that, the way that Black people in United States are grappling with and embracing this particular diversity that they have.”

—From the Religion News Service, "At Maryland Church, It’s ‘Caribbean Sabbath,’ Not Just Black History Month."

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New UK Adventist Dating Site Launched

Seventh-day Adventist Randy McLean has created a "dating site exclusively for those within the denomination." Branded JA Singles, it opened in April 2020 in the United Kingdom and reports 7,000 "subscribers who are searching for a meaningful relationship which will lead to marriage," according to a report from the Jamaica Star newspaper.

The Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, its family life department, and the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists are reported to support this endeavor.  

A "15-pound subscription fee" is required to access certain sections of the site.

While all single Christians are welcome to search for love, cross-denomination dating or marriage is not encouraged. McLean told The Weekend Star that a six-month workshop was held to give presentations to educate single Christians on this and other issues.

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"So far we have had two persons who got married last year and they are very happy. We are glad that the site was able to help in joining them together. This ties in with our mandate of not only offering a service but also being a ministry. We have also made several other happy connections. Our goal is to help people meet the right people with the right values, to form real and deep connections with, rather than a whole lot of shallow, unimportant ones," he said.

. . .

He said they have also turned down subscriptions and requests from persons who are either not baptised or practise a different religion.

—From the Jamaica Star, "Christian Starts Dating Site for Seventh-day Adventists."

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Adventist Pastor in Botswana Accused of Killing Prostitute

Marvin Pelonomi Radihephi, a married 38-year-old Adventist pastor in Botswana, is accused of murdering a Zimbabwean prostitute, according to a report by Tim E. Ndoro for iHarare.com. The victim "was found dead in her house in Maun on Christmas Eve."

Radihephi "was remanded out of custody on the condition that he reports to Francistown Police Station every two weeks."

"The police are waiting for DNA and post-mortem results, which will guide the Directorate of Public Prosecutions on how to proceed with the case. The DNA tests from a used condom are also expected to be used to either bury or exonerate Radihephi.

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The pastor is alleged to have solicited Bhuni’s services two days before Christmas Day while visiting his home village of Maun.

—From iHarare.com, "Sabbath Day Bloodshed: Married SDA Pastor Arrested for Killing Lady of the Night."

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 Yucaipa, California.

Title image credit: Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services, via Facebook.

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