Adventist Response Team Helps Fire Victims

Cebu City, Philippines - The 3A Media, a disaster response team organized by lay and church leaders in Central Philippines, has been doing disaster relief programs during the last three years in the Visayas in Central Philippines. On August 4, after a fire that swept through two villages (Sitios Tangke II and Lawis) in Cebu City, where over 900 families were left homeless, 3A Media responded by providing the immediate needs of about 349 families. The aid consisted of rice, noodles, detergent soaps, and other important items.

The second to respond following the government’s Department of Social Welfare and Development, the 3A Media assistance came 54 hours after the destructive fire broke out in these villages.

The 3A Media worked in cooperation with the Adventist Community Service operated by the Adventist church in the Central Visayas and the Personal Ministries Department of the Church in Central Philippines. [Roy Perez]

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College Rejoices Beyond Academic Achievement

Iligan City, Philippines - Mindanao Sanitarium & Hospital College of Medical Arts Foundation, Inc. (MSH College) rejoiced anew in the Lord when its School of Nursing performed very well in the June 2006 Licensure Examinations.

With a passing rate of 63 percent, as against the national passing rate of 42 percent, the June nursing board examinations placed MSH College at the top of nursing schools in region 10 of the Philippines and third in the whole island of Mindanao.

A remarkable feature of MSH College is its student population which is largely composed of students coming from different religious groups including Islam. Such diverse religious backgrounds pose a great challenge as well as opportunity to the administration. However, the school upholds the Adventist educational values in its curricular programs and extra-curricular activities. Bible subjects are taught in simplified and practical terms since a majority of the students are “first-timers” to opening the Word of God. Hence, religion classes often shift from academic discussions to evangelistic appeals. In addition, through its Chaplaincy Department, the school conducts yearly evangelistic programs both on and off campus that yield baptisms and church planting projects.

There were instances in the past when MSH College produced top notch examinees in radiologic technology. The church rejoices with MSH College as it participates in achieving the church’s goal of seeing people accept Jesus as their personal Savior through Adventist education.
[Jim V. Adil, Jr]

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Church Accepts Challenge of City Evangelism

Jakarta, Indonesia - Today, many people flock to the cities where they can earn a living. Aware of this situation, the Adventist Church has to find a way to reach out to this burgeoning metropolitan population with the gospel message of hope.

“Our church, as herald of God, must take the Gospel to where the people are,” say church leaders.

Armed with the assumption that people moving to a new place find it much easier to believe and accept new presentations of the truth and faith, the Adventist Church responded to this challenge and opportunity. As such, the West Indonesia Adventist Church (WIUM) has selected Surabaya as its target for city evangelism during the year 2006-2010, following the choice of the Church in the Southern Asia-Pacific (SSD) region of Jakarta City as its target for evangelism during 2006-2010; and Bangkok, Thailand as the choice of the Adventist world church.

Kicking off this concerted effort of reaching the metropolis of Surabaya, the leaders of the church in East Java have mobilized pastors and church members to find people interested in Bible studies.

Each congregation was tasked to hold evangelistic meetings--first by pastors, followed by the East Java Conference officers and directors, and then West Indonesia regional officers and directors that finally ushered in the reaping evangelistic series, July 10-15, led by Dr G T Ng, SSD Executive Secretary.

This one-week series was held at the Garnisun Hall, in Surabaya City with a nightly attendance of about 500 who were enthusiastically treated to a festival of faith through dynamic biblical presentations entitled, Life at Its Best by Pastor Ng.

Dr. O. Sumendap, Family Ministries Director for SSD, provided messages on family life and practices.

The meetings came alive by the participation of several choirs, including one from the Methodist Church. These presentations led many attendees to a renewed commitment to the Lord while 78 were brought to accepting Him as their personal Savior through baptism to become a part of the Adventist church. This baptism was preceded by the baptism of 186 before the series last week. [Jerry Wauran/JF Manullang/AND]

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AUP Ambassadors Win World Choir Olympics

Silang, Cavite, Philippines - The Ambassadors Choral Arts Society of the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) was champion at the Fourth World Choir Games held in Xiamen, China, July 15.

The AUP Ambassadors bested 400 choirs from 47 countries, winning two gold medals and a silver in gospel-spiritual, mixed chamber, and sacred music categories.

In the Music world ranking, the AUP Ambassadors ranked 29th—the highest rank ever attained by a Filipino choir in the history of said competition.

The AUP Ambassadors are under the tutorship and baton of Ramon “Bojo” Lijauco, Jr. He is also an art specialist.

Organized since 1957, the AUP Ambassadors have been actively involved in church services, music outreach ministries, and national music programs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Olympic games of choirs was first held in Linz, Austria in 2000, then in Busan South Korea in 2002, and in Bremen, Germany in 2004. The AUP Ambassadors was one of the ten groups that represented the Philippines in this year’s competition. The musical selections were based on the Olympic 2006 motto-Singing Together, Brings Nations Together. [Romeo M Barrios]

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Adventist News Dispatch
Southern Asia-Pacific Division
Bypass, San Miguel II, 4118 Silang, Cavite, Philippines.
Phone: +63 (46) 414.4073 | 414.4079.
Email: AND@adventist.org.ph

Adventist News Dispatch (AND) is a weekly online news and information produced by the Communication department from the Seventh-day Adventist Church regional headquarters.

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AND Staff:
Jonathan Catolico, editor
Romhelyn Gay Tuballes, associate editor;
Maxine MJ Bell and Jose Sarsoza, Jr., consulting editors;
Rhoen Catolico (Singapore), creative editor