Time will tell if a new a new freedom of conscience initiative will last 2012, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States John Graz Rome recently launched an “Observatory on Religious Freedom,” an initiative aimed at making Rome the “reference point for the defense of religious freedom in the world.” This initiative is supported by the mayor of Rome, the Roman Catholic pontiff, Vatican officials and several international diplomats. According to news reports, the observatory is a conference “dedicated to the status and protection of Christian minorities in the world.” I had mixed feelings as I considered this report. Four years ago, I shared a similar dream with my colleagues as we met together for an International Religious Liberty Association Meeting of Experts. I asked, “Where could we organize a World Forum on Religious Freedom in a city that has long associations with the cause of religious liberty?” We considered possibilities – perhaps Richmond, Virginia, home of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, America’s well-known “fathers of freedom”; La Rochelle, in France, in memory of the persecuted Huguenots; Geneva, Switzerland; or Toronto, Canada. But we never considered Rome.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Will Rome be the new world capital for religious freedom?

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Family medical needs prompt departure from India 2008, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Megan Brauner/ANN Ronald Watts speaking at the Adventist World church session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, in 2005.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Adventist Southern Asia church president Watts resigns

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Townsend calls military ‘mission field’ 2008, Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States Keri Suarez/ANN Staff Adrienne Townsend accepts the oath of office to serve as the first Adventist woman chaplain for the U.S. Navy during a July 24 ceremony. Townsend brings a background in education and psychology to military chaplaincy, which she calls a “mission field.” Adrienne Townsend accepted the oath of office and was officially sworn in July 24 as the first Seventh-day Adventist woman to serve as an active duty chaplain in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Junior Grade Townsend said her four years as associate dean of women at Adventist-owned Andrews University prepared her for chaplaincy and called her new post a “huge mission field” where she could minister to similarly aged young people

Citeste mai mult la sursa: United States: First Adventist woman commissioned to serve as Navy chaplain

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Small speaks on community, government partnerships against abuse; ‘Why shouldn’t we join them?’ 2008, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN The Adventist Church’s annual Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day, held August 23 this year, is part of a wider effort to curtail abuse within and outside of the church by changing attitudes, says Heather-Dawn Small, Woman’s Ministries director for the world Adventist Church. Excuses cannot be part of the church’s message against abuse

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Church Chat: Why the church can’t slacken its abuse-prevention message

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Conscious Café offers Pittsburgh nontraditional ministry; ‘If this is a church, I’m coming back every day’ 2008, Carnegie, Pennsylvania, United States Elizabeth Lechleitner/ANN A local teen paints over graffiti in downtown Pittsburgh. Clark, who directs Adventist Community Services for the city, regularly recruits the teenagers who hang out at Conscious Café for community outreach projects. A group of local teenagers frequents Conscious Café, where manager Andrew Clark has opened his doors to young people seeking a safer alternative to street life.

Citeste mai mult la sursa: Adventist storefront church leading community-based evangelism

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