N7N389

 

Plane Crash Kills Members of Georgia-Cumberland Conference

In Tennessee  US, a plane crash tragically took the lives of five Adventist men, all part of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, on Thursday, December 2, at about 1:15 pm. Shortly after take-off, the plane reportedly crashed into a field just 1.5 miles north of Collegedale in Tennesse. Although engine failure may have been the cause of the crash, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will determine the final cause. On board the plane were Pastor Dave Cress, president; Pastor James H. Frost,  vice president of administration; Jamie Arnall, director of communication; Pastor Clay Farwell, , assistant to the president; hired pilot and Adventist church member John Laswell, and Jim Huff, a volunteer co-pilot. Huff survived and was hospitalised and released the following day. The group had just concluded meetings at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, and were headed to Knoxville where meetings with Seventh-day Adventist pastors and other officials were to be held.

 

African churches stress need for Congo peace after Rwanda tension

A build-up of tension over allegations of a new Rwanda invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo has spurred African churches to express apprehension about this recent development. All Africa Conference of Churches general secretary Rev. Mvume Dandala, said to ecumenical news international that  "A second incursion into Congo, even for sake of retrieving perpetrators of genocide, will only lead to further destruction and violence,"

 

 

 

Philippine churches join outpouring of support for typhoon victims

 

In the Philippines, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have joined an outpouring of national support for families left homeless after four tropical cyclones devastated a wide area of Luzon island and left more than 1300 people dead or missing over a two-week period. Priests and pastors offered prayers for the thousands of people caught in the disaster and they asked parishioners to give a "special offering" for the victims, many of whom lost their homes from an avalanche of mud, boulders and logs in flashfloods that followed the cyclones.

 

 ADRA Ghana Facilitates Donation of Cardiac equipment.

 

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency ADRA has together with USAID facilitated the donation and acquisition of a Biplane Angiogram machine. The machine was donated to the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana and is the first of its kind in the West Africa region. The Equipment will help diagnose heart and blood disorders. Jim Lanning, director of acquisitions had at a recent visit to Ghana been approached with the need for such a machine. Mr Lanning shares how ADRA came into position of this machine:

<as the US governments army bases throughout the world update their equipment, and or reposition their presence, rather than pay a lot of money to move the equipment, that they have, they have agreed graciously to give it to non profit organisations  to use it in the development programs that they have throughout the world.  So in this case this very very high tech machine from Germany was at a base that they where downsizing or closing, and rather than  pay money to store it or ship it and all that sort of thing, they allow us to use it for developing countries and humanitarian programs and that was how we were able to get a hold of it and facilitate getting it from Germany to Ghana.  >

From Germany to Ghana is quit a distance and many people volunteered of their time on the US army base to make this possible.

 

 

Muslims Reject Christian Organization’s Food Donation

In Kenya, World Vision faces allegations from the Muslim community in Kilifi, which claims that World Vision, a global relief agency, was attempting to convert them.The World Food Program, a UN agency, supplied World Vision with food to be distributed to more than 63,000 people in the district. An Islamic newsletter published by the Nairobi Jamia Mosque expressed opposition to the organisation, claiming that World Vision had religious prejudices. Freedom of worship is accepted in Kenya, but according to the Muslims, World Vision was using this policy for their sinister goals. Muslims quoted World Vision’s Mission Statement, which says that they aim to change lives through words as well as deeds. Muslims are arguing that World Vision is exploiting poverty and sickness to win souls. Because of the large Muslim population, they believe that World Vision should not be in control of the distribution of food in their district.

 

Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Head to Jerusalem

In Nigeria, Christian Pilgrims departed Saturday night, December 4th, to perform the 2004 pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Minister of State, Alhaji Abubaker Tanko, during a ceremony commencing this year’s pilgrimage reminded the pilgrims to conduct themselves as worthy ambassadors of the country. The Minister also announced that the government will no longer subsidize both Muslim and Christian pilgrimages. However, it will continue to provide medical and consular support to the pilgrims.. Tanko reminded the pilgrims that pilgrimage is not a picnic or a tour, but a spiritual journey one goes on with humility and faith. Although the government has chosen to stop subsidizing, it will continue to guarantee the rights of all Nigerians to practice their religions.

 

Religious leaders in Indonesia urged use pulpits to fight terror

 

In Indonesia, Australia's foreign minister Alexander Downer addressed 120 religious leaders at an interfaith meeting. Mr Downer  said according to ecumenical News International that "A terrible perversion of religion with a violent face threatens moderate believers and moderate states in both the East and the West, He urged the religious leaders to use pulpits, mosques, synagogues, temples and schoolrooms, as well as in parliaments and through the mass media, to fight the war on terror.