True Prophecy | World News

Hugs and kisses all round office Trinidad News Yesterday, Miller, a staunch Seventh Day Adventist who normally attends church on a Saturday, said she remained at home to look at a movie about the Sabbath. Her sister, Doreen, told Sunday Newsday that her sister informed her that she was looking ... and more »

City boys triumph in Indian Certificate Of Secondary Education & Indian School ... Times of India Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) principal Sahebrao Khandagle, said, "Our school is closed on Saturday, hence we will be able to disclose the result related details only on Monday." However, among the remaining two schools the competition was one-sided. and more »

Group protests 10 Commandments marker in Starke WJXT Jacksonville The monument was unveiled May 3 during the National Day of Prayer ceremony in Starke. The American Atheists now want the monument moved. "The believers, a lot of the time, think we're trying to take their rights away when in fact trying to uphold the ...

St Ann centenarian, other senior hailed for community spirit Jamaica Observer BY DYHANN BUDHOO-FLETCHER For that milestone and their contribution to their Hazel Wood District, Bamboo, St Ann, community, the two were recently recognised by the Seventh-day Adventist church and the Brittonville Community Club.

Day of Prayer undermines religious freedom The Coloradoan The Colorado Day of Prayer, principally organized by the exclusionary and divisive National Day of Prayer Task Force, is divisive and unconstitutional. Despite what those with a religious agenda will have us believe, the constitutionally supported ... and more »

Wilson, South American leaders put footprint on evangelism outreach Adventist News Network Concluding a spring meeting for the South American Division, Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted NC Wilson put his foot down, literally. First, however, the sole of Wilson's foot was dabbed with rubber-stamp pad ink.

Adventists seek new church: Web version Langley AdvanceNews By Matthew Claxton, Langley Advance May 17, 2012 A new Seventh Day Adventist Church planned for Old Yale Road drew supporters and opponents to a public hearing at Langley Township council Monday. The project is slated for a piece of land in the 23500 ... and more »

TribLocal

Skin-to-Skin Contact After Birth Benefits Moms, Newborns Patch.com New mom Jean Howard enjoys skin-to-skin contact with baby Lucas, born May 9, 2012, at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital Editor's Note: The following is a release from Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital. In preparing for childbirth ... Pink 5k Brightens Up The DayTribLocal all 2 news articles »

Division to raise US$50 million for ‘big city’ outreach; Buenos Aires top target

May 17, 2012 São Paulo, Brazil
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

---

Concluding a spring meeting for the South American Division, Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson put his foot down, literally.

First, however, the sole of Wilson's foot was dabbed with rubber-stamp pad ink. Then, joined by division and union leaders here, each similarly "inked," he stepped down on a map of South America. Each leader repeated the process.

This visual demonstration had a scriptural basis, declared SAD President Erton Köhler: Just as God promised to Joshua and the children of Israel the land wherever Moses' successor trod (Joshua 1:3), Adventists were claiming the division for Jesus. Each of the 17 unions had its own map, all bearing the footprint of a leader.

Backing up the dramatic display was an even more dramatic commitment: the South American Division expects to raise US$50 million to fund outreach in dozens of locations in 2013. Buenos Aires, the heart of a 13-million population metropolitan area, will be the chief priority, but every other union has identified a big city as an outreach target.

The Argentinian capital is of special interest, for the city is one where only 9.1 percent of the population consider themselves "evangelicals," while 18 percent aren't interested in any religion at all. Ten challenges have been outlined by the Argentine Union, including the establishment of a clinic, a vegetarian restaurant, Adventist schools and churches in the federal capital, or central city. "Mission Caleb," a youth outreach program, hopes to enlist 3,000 young people, and the church plans to distribute 300,000 DVDs titled "The Last Hope."

These efforts, along with outreach to former Adventists, a special project at Radio Novo Tempo (New Times), and 167 small evangelism campaigns, culminating in a satellite series by Pastor Luís Gonçalves in September 2013, are expected to lead at least 3,000 people to baptism in the city, along with the establishment of four new congregations.

Similar goals are planned for many other cities, including Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus in Brazil; Asunción in Paraguay; Cochabamba and La Paz in Bolivia; Santiago and Valparaiso in Chile; Montevideo, Uruguay; Quito and Guyaquil in Ecuador; and Lima and Trujillo in Peru, among others.

In an impassioned message to division leaders, Wilson recalled Jesus looking out over Jerusalem and weeping – not for the buildings, but for its people.

Wilson asked, "Are you weeping for the cities of the South American Division? [Jesus] wasn't weeping for the city itself, He was weeping for the people of the city. Because you see, the city is made up of thousands and thousands of people."

During a day of stirring reports about evangelistic outreach and literature distribution – South American church members placed 25 million copies of "The Great Hope" in the hands of residents in nine countries on March 24 – Wilson recalled his own effort that day in São Paulo, and said he’s advertising the success in many places.

"Let me tell you, the world is amazed at what South America has done," Wilson declared.

He added, "But these big cities, many of them have no idea about Jesus. So the General Conference and the world divisions have focused on mission to the cities, bringing hope to the cities. The hope of Jesus' soon coming."

At the same time, Wilson said, evangelism must be grounded in our own personal connection to the One we're seeking to introduce to others.

"All of these plans, slogans and visuals ... will mean nothing if you and I do not know personally that person [Jesus], the One who saved us. The One who will come to take us home. The main reason we do this for all of the cities of the world is to introduce them to Him."

Second regional event held to thank religious liberty advocates

May 15, 2012 Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Gay Tuballes-Deles/ANN staff

---

A recent festival of religious freedom cements the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indonesia as a leading proponent of free expression of religion in the country.

Some 2,000 people gathered at the Aula Mapalus Kantor Gubernur Sulawesi Utara auditorium in Manado on May 5 to recognize the combined efforts of government and faith groups in preserving freedom of belief in the Southeast Asian country.

Interest in religious liberty has grown in Indonesia since the Adventist Church first held a festival of religious freedom in Jakarta two years ago, church religious liberty advocates said.

Faith representatives at this month’s festival commended the Adventist Church for organizing a festival that offers appreciation to government and faith leaders who advocate free expression of religious belief.

“We thank the Seventh-day Adventist Church for leading out in expressing our thanks to God and to the government for the religious freedom that we are enjoying in Indonesia, particularly here in North Sulawesi,” said J. Pangaila, leader of the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia.

Deputy Governor of North Sulawesi Roy Roring echoed Pangaila’s appreciation. 

Muslim leader Tamzil Permata said, “We are committed to live peacefully together, Christians and non-Christians alike.”

Holding a public event organized by the Adventist Church demonstrated the positive relationship the church has promoted among faith groups in Manado, said East Indonesia Union Conference President Noldy Sakul, who organized the festival. Religious groups represented at the event included Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country with a Protestant Christian population of 6 percent. In 2006, reports of violence between faith communities surfaced, including the vandalism of church property and forcible closure of churches.

Since then, the Indonesian government has made “positive efforts to unite religious groups and foster and attitude of toleration and respect,” according to the Religious Freedom World Report. The publication, released by the Adventist world church’s department of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, also notes that “fanaticism” and “deep-rooted violence” remain. 

“You may not be affected today as you still enjoy [religious] freedom, but tomorrow it may not be the same story,” PARL director John Graz told the audience in Manado. He added that religious freedom is essential to “peace, unity and prosperity for the people of Indonesia and the government.”

Herbert Fletcher University to operate through affiliation with Griggs, Andrews universities

May 9, 2012 Miami, Florida, United States
Libna Stevens/ANN staff

---

A new Seventh-day Adventist distance-learning institution inaugurated this week in Inter-America expands the education options of students in the region, particularly for those whose work, family or financial situation put strains on further study. 

Top church leaders and educators from the Inter-American Division’s 12 universities donned academic regalia to attend the official launch of Herbert Fletcher University in Miami, Florida.

The newly inaugurated distance-learning institution will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees online in church administration, leadership, instructional design, educational technology and Adventist teaching.

HFU began offering courses last year, available in English and Spanish, through an affiliation with Griggs University and Andrews University. Griggs, The church’s distance-learning hub, moved to the campus of church-run Andrews University in Michigan, United States in 2011 to benefit from a broader faculty base and increased resources for curriculum development.

HFU President David Siguelnitzky said the school will “build on the deep roots of our Seventh-day Adventist principles and excel in the knowledge for our students.”

The university is designed to serve the specific needs of students who must juggle work or family responsibilities with school or who cannot afford to move to another city or country to study, Siguelnitzky said in his keynote address.

“Mothers with children, fathers with full responsibilities … sometimes the economy of the family doesn’t allow people to leave their job and educate themselves,” Siguelnitzky said. “That is the public that HFU serves today and will continue serving in the future.”

HFU is not the Inter-American Division’s first foray into distance learning. Last year, the Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary received full accreditation. The institution operates through a distributed campus, offering degrees taught in English, Spanish and French from 10 sites across the region. The arrangement allows pastors to study and work within their own territory and culture.

“I support distance education, so long as we make certain that students have access not only to lots of information at any time, but also to teachers who can help them sort through it and make sense of it,” said Andrews University President Niels-Erik Andreasen, who joined the HFU launch ceremony via videoconference.

Siguelnitzky said 64 percent of HFU professors have doctoral degrees, 21 percent are Ph.D. candidates and 14 percent hold a master’s degree. It’s a team “many universities would dream of having,” he said.

Andreasen affirmed the school’s partnership with Andrews University in developing the church’s educational infrastructure in Inter-America and worldwide.

“God bless this new initiative,” he said. “It promises to be a great blessing to the church and its members.”

Griggs University President Alayne Thorpe said during the ceremony, “With this partnership with Griggs and Andrews universities, we can reach out to every student, members and constituency no matter where they are.

John W. Taylor, associate director of the Adventist world church’s Education department, congratulated IAD leaders for their vision and tenacity in adding another institution to the global network of Adventist higher-learning. There are currently 1.6 million students studying at 111 accredited church-run colleges and universities worldwide, Taylor said.

Ella Simmons, the Adventist world church general vice president who oversees education, brought greetings from Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson and spoke on the Adventist vision of education.

Herbert Fletcher University is named after the late Herbert L. Fletcher, who held executive educational posts in the region.

“Herbert Fletcher was the embodiment of what Adventist education is about,” said IAD President Israel Leito, who offered a tribute to Fletcher’s legacy during the ceremony. “His influence is still causing many men and women today to live up to the ideals of a true Christian.”

Fletcher’s family members were in attendance, including his widow Olive, his son, daughter and grandchildren.

Fletcher served the church for more than 44 years as a teacher, district pastor, youth director and education direction. He was also president of what is now Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica, and later held the position of Education director for Inter-America.

Herbert Fletcher University is based in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and joins Inter-America’s 12 Adventist universities and one junior college across the region.

In North America, half of Adventist pastors 10 years from retirement age

May 8, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Ansel Oliver/ANN

---

A recent review of pastoral demographics in the United States reveals that nearly 50 percent of Seventh-day Adventist ministers will reach retirement age within 10 years, a discovery that is prompting ministry officials to examine potential scenarios to address the coming dilemma. 

Namely, will the denomination hire a new crop to replace retiring ministers, or will it urge much of its experienced, aging workforce to continue working longer than previously planned? Each option has its own advantages, and church leaders say they’re exploring a mix of both possible solutions.

Retirement age is considered 66.5 for the year 2022, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration.

The choice of whether to retain ministers past retirement age into their late 60s and early 70s keeps experienced ministers on staff, church leaders say, but it leaves several generations between pastors and the young adults and teens they minister to. Yet this demographic is small – leaders say the median age of an Adventist in North America is 56.

How leaders address the situation could affect everything from hiring requirements and remuneration policies to seminary tuition and the cultural needs of the region’s diverse congregants. All aspects of developing and supporting ministers could be up for analysis.

“We’re going to be looking at how we can have top-level quality pastors in this opportunity that’s presenting itself,” said Dave Gemmell, an associate director of the Ministerial Department of the church’s North American Division (NAD).

What’s certain is that leaders will explore how to renew recruiting efforts, sponsor more graduate students for theological training and develop the recently formed Board of Ministerial Education. Until recently, NAD was the only one of the denomination’s 13 world divisions without one. The board would offer additional formal training for practicing ministers.

“We have a good system of education, but we haven’t historically had oversight of that in North America,” said Ivan Williams, director of the NAD Ministerial Department.

A caveat

Church leaders noted that the above statistics on retirement age do not include “regional” conferences, church administrative units that oversee historically African-American congregations in the Central and Eastern U.S. There are nine regional conferences within the division’s total of 58 conferences and one attached field. About 25 percent of NAD members belong to regional conferences, according to statistics from the office of the NAD executive secretary.

Statistics for this survey were gleaned from records in the NAD Retirement office. Regional conferences operate under a separate retirement structure and comparable stats aren’t available as of yet.

The entire division has about 3,460 ordained ministers and 230 commissioned ministers. There are about 920 licensed ministers, typically college theology graduates who have yet to enter the seminary or seminary graduates yet to be ordained.

The 1.1 million Adventists in NAD live in the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and the North Pacific islands that comprise the Guam-Micronesia Mission.

Hiring the trained

Addressing future staffing challenges in the U.S. also presents opportunities to examine other factors in hiring pastors. Ministerial leaders say they would like remuneration practices to better reflect a candidate’s training. Currently, wages are similar for a pastor who has a doctorate in ministry compared to a pastor who doesn’t have a college degree. That fact could lead NAD officials to consider making an adjustment in salary policies.

“I think [they] should,” said Denis Fortin, dean of the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

But that decision is ultimately up to leaders at divisions, unions and conferences. Fortin says a trend in the past decade is the increased hiring of pastors who don’t have a master’s degree in theology, and sometimes no college degree at all. A seminary professor said a study several years ago found that on average about four pastors in each local conference did not have a college degree.

This practice of filling pastoral slots with Bible workers who have completed a several-week training course actually violates the North American Division Working Policy. Section L 05 states that “educational requirement for entrance into the ordained ministry shall be the completion of the seven-year ministerial training program,” specifying that college graduates “shall attend the Andrews University Theological Seminary.” Exceptions are allowed for “age” and “unusual circumstances.”  

Seminary leaders say an increasingly educated membership deserves educated pastors.

“Why would the ministry not need good, solid education when other professions in North America require good, solid education, whether it’s a lawyer or someone in the medical field?” Fortin said.

One potential way to enforce the current hiring policy, Fortin said, could involve requiring a theological education before ordination or commissioning.

Who’s at the seminary now

Fortin said the seminary graduate program has about 350 to 400 students enrolled, depending on the semester, and about 100 graduate each year. Church leaders estimate that about 200 pastors per year will be needed to fill future vacancies.

Walt Williams, an NAD Ministerial Department associate director and director of the seminary’s InMinistry Center, said more second-career students are entering the seminary, many of whom are attractive hiring options to conferences seeking a candidate with more life experience.

The seminary continues to experience an ongoing shift in demographics. Nearly 20 percent of the seminary’s current enrollment of graduate students is women, up from 15 percent a decade ago, Fortin said.

Also, ethnic demographics of seminary graduate students have shifted slightly. Caucasians still make up the seminary’s largest ethnic group at about 35 to 40 percent, but Fortin said that figure is down from about 50 percent in the last decade. About one-third are Black, 15 percent are Hispanic and 12 percent are Asian, Fortin said.

Funding education

Another consideration up for review by NAD officials is which party will pay for a seminary student’s tuition. Williams said he has noticed a shift in the last 10 years: where conferences once hired college theology graduates for an internship and then sponsored the candidate at the seminary, they now increasingly hire seminary graduates.

Part of that shift may have resulted from an incentive program to motivate conferences to hire seminary graduates. Several years ago the division began offering increased subsidies to conferences to hire unsponsored graduates fresh from the seminary. Some conferences are increasingly waiting to earn the incentive rather than risking sponsorship on an undergrad, with graduates frequently getting nothing to offset their debt.

“Now you have more theology majors going straight to the seminary without that one- or two-year break of an internship, which was very valuable,” Williams said.

In many cases, it has also increased the debt load of more graduates. Now, only about one-third of seminary students are sponsored by conferences.

Division leaders want to reverse that trend. NAD now subsidizes the seminary’s graduate program with about $3 million annually based on 200 students, with another $1 million of subsidies for unions and conferences to sponsor graduate students.

“We want more sponsored students,” said Tom Evans, NAD treasurer. “We don’t want conferences going to the seminary and hiring graduates at the last minute with the graduate having paid for everything.”

NAD Ministerial leaders say most of the conference hiring rate hinges on the economy. Williams, the ministerial associate director, said hiring has picked up some in the past year for the first time since the recession, but also proffered, “the floodgates have yet to open.”

Still, most graduates find jobs. Fortin said seminary research suggests that about 85 percent of newly minted pastors are hired “within a year or two.” Some of those positions are in chaplaincy and not in the traditional pastoral role at a congregation, he said.

Williams said he hopes that conference leaders continue to employ and train young pastors with a long-term focus in mind.

“Any farsighted conference that I’ve been in tends to hire younger pastors,” he said. "It’s going to take such courage to plan for the future."

“But I understand the challenge of administrators who have older pastors on staff who want to remain employed.”

Church a fixture in society, ‘not just a destination,’ Adventist mission expert says

May 7, 2012 Miami, Florida, United States
Libna Stevens/ANN staff

---

Seventh-day Adventist leadership pledged at the church’s first Urban Ministries Summit in Inter-America to better connect with the more than 36 million people living in three of the region’s largest cities: Mexico City, Mexico; Bogota, Colombia; and Caracas, Venezuela.

Experts from the world church’s Office of Adventist Mission and international authorities on urban evangelism met in Miami last week to train more than 100 church leaders from the Inter-American Division on best metropolitan ministry practices.

“Our intention for this summit is to equip church leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary for unique focus on the cities,” said Samuel Telemaque, Adventist Mission coordinator for the church in Inter-America.

Historically, the Adventist Church has focused its energy and resources on rural evangelism. But the challenge of urban ministry remains and must be addressed immediately, said Inter-American Division President Israel Leito.

Last year, Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson first called on church leadership worldwide to prioritize outreach to urban centers, where half of the world’s population now lives.

According to Leito, the division has already allotted special funds for urban ministry in Inter-America. He said funding is expected to continue as the church endeavors to reach secular, post-modern society with the Adventist message of hope.

For a church with more than 150 years of existence, “our methods have not been working in the large cities,” said Gary Krause, who directs Adventist Mission for the world church. Krause suggested that Adventist churches and institutions located in urban regions should serve as centers of influence in the community.

“Instead of expecting them to come to us, we go to them like Jesus did,” Krause said. “The church is not just a destination; the role of the church is to equip, train and empower its members to be in the community.”

Evangelism is not a spectator sport, Krause suggested. “Jesus mingled, showed sympathy. He ministered to needs, won confidence and bid people to follow Him,” he said, citing Christ’s example of evangelism as the only effective way of drawing people to the church.

Participating in marathons, health summits and urban evangelism series have connected with residents of Bogota, Colombia over the past several years, church leaders from the region said. 

In Caracas, Venezuela, one Adventist outreach group performs cultural presentations in plazas across the city. Other ministry teams reached the community through health outreach, a church planting movement and even a vegetarian restaurant.

Learning a region’s culture can also help evangelists reach urban communities, said Samuel Wang, associate director for the Center for East Asian Religions and Traditions. Wang spoke to a group of pastors from Venezuela on reaching the more than 1 million Chinese living in the country. He advised pastors to learn the Chinese culture. Knowing that the Chinese value family life and a healthy lifestyle can help pastors cater their ministry, he said.

Still, challenges persist across the region. Tomas Torres, president of the church in Central Mexico, said he is reminded of the difficulty of reaching secular, post-modern society every day as he heads to work in Mexico City.

With more than 20 million people and a ratio of one Adventist per 575 people, the task is huge, he said. Yet Torres said the church in Mexico City has endeavored to strengthen its leadership and membership by training them before they venture out to minister.

Kleber Goncalves, director of the denomination’s Center for Secular and Postmodern Studies, based in Brazil, agreed with this focus on training.

“Working with the postmodern person is not a job for just any person or pastor,” he said. “Pastors must be well trained in this area because it is in a different context and it does not happen overnight.”

Training is just what Josney Rodriguez, president of the church in East Venezuela, is excited about. He has already lined up Goncalves this year to train a special group of pastors who will head up urban ministries in Caracas.

So far, more than 10,000 active church members have been recruited to impact their communities in Caracas, and additional training will follow, Rodriguez said.

Ultimately, the goal is connecting with the community, said Rick McEdward, Global Mission director for the Adventist world church. “We need to be creative with the proclamation of the gospel. It’s about seeking to reach outside of our comfort area,” he said.

Krause encouraged summit attendees to challenge local leadership to commit to identifying the needs of the community. Then, local leaders should join forces with church ministries to ensure that centers of influence are created within each urban community. 

“Those churches involved in the community are the ones that are growing and in contact with the world,” Krause said.

New Armenian programming joins some 80 languages offered by Adventist World Radio

May 4, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Shelley Nolan Freesland/ANN staff

---

Adventist media officials say two new Adventist World Radio FM stations in Armenia will connect with residents of the world’s oldest official Christian country.

AWR recently began broadcasting programs in Armenian, the latest in a line-up of more than 80 languages offered by the radio arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A radio station in the capital city of Yerevan and another in Vanadzor will carry programming on spirituality, health and family.

“Many young people are moving to the capital for jobs and education, and the nation is facing hard economic times, especially in the villages and small towns,” says Vigen Khachatryan, Media Center director for the church’s Trans-Caucasus Union Mission, based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

“Radio programs can help the church’s outreach efforts in Armenia,” Khachatryan says, adding that the historically Christian nation is more open to spiritual issues than many secular European countries.

Knarik Petrosyan, a student at Yerevan State University, is heading up a production from a studio built by AWR. The team includes businessman Tigran Stepanyan, who serves as presenter and programmer, and the entire Mkhitaryan family. Hovik is a journalist and his wife, Gegecik, is a teacher. Their son, Joseph, is 10 years old. The family has broadcast experience from their involvement with earlier radio work in Vanadzor.

“The most challenging problems in Armenia are smoking, alcohol, decrease of family values, atheism and poverty,” Khachatryan says. “Our programs will offer hope, help in overcoming secularism, more complete family principles, assistance with stopping smoking and drinking, and more.”

Within the next few months, Armenian programming will also be available online – on demand at awr.org and as podcasts through awr.org and iTunes. AWR officials say online access is particularly valuable, as there are more than 4 million Armenians living outside of their home country.

Armenia is home to a population of some 2.5 million people, about 800 of whom are Adventist church members.

Veteran advocate Thames on sway of private citizens, faith groups, NGOs

Apr 30, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause/IRLA with Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

---

When veteran religious liberty advocate Knox Thames addressed the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom last week, he held a piece of rubble from a Seventh-day Adventist church building in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, demolished some years ago by government authorities. 

Thames, who directs Policy and Research for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he has seen first-hand the results of the current global religious liberty crisis while representing the U.S. Department of State worldwide.

Yet, at the same time, Thames sounded a note of optimism. “I’m not without hope that religious liberty advocates can make a real difference,” he told an audience of 900 religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts in the Dominican Republic to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.    

Thames illustrated the power of advocacy by chronicling the state of religious restrictions in Turkmenistan.

After a decade of advocacy by individuals and organizations, the U.S. and other governments were motivated to pressure Turkmenistan to ease restrictions, Thames said. Today, minority faith groups such as the Adventist Church face eased registration requirements in the central Asian country, he said.

“I have seen that the efforts of individuals, faith groups and non-governmental organizations can save lives, change laws and expand religious freedom,” Thames said. He warned that ongoing advocacy is difficult and results are never assured. He also advised advocates to act with discernment and persistence, and to reject the temptation to exaggerate their cause or to speak without knowing all the facts.

Later, Thames joined president of the Center for America’s First Freedom Robert Seiple and director of National and Legislative Affairs for the American Jewish Committee Richard T. Foltin to discuss the role of grassroots advocacy.

Whether it’s involvement in local religious freedom issues or helping to change the situation for believers in Laos or Vietnam, the presence of non-governmental organizations and private citizens is essential to the promotion and protection of religious liberty, the panel said.

“Governments can be very, very helpful. But ultimately it has to be people who are committed to this for the duration,” Seiple said. “Never expect more from the government than the government is prepared to do.”

Thames noted that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s budget is limited, so they are “delighted to partner with NGOs and religious organizations” to monitor religious freedom on the ground overseas. The commission exists to inform the U.S. Congress on issues of religious freedom worldwide.

While different organizations can and do united on common issues, having “space” for differences of opinion is also vital, Foltin said.

“To get your voice heard, you have to leverage your presence by working in coalition,” he said. “What’s important is that there’s a relationship that allows us to work together.”

And whether the issue is local or global, Seiple added, achieving results can often take far longer than expected. He noted that it was only after decades of work in Laos and Vietnam that NGOs began to see positive results. And in some countries, where an American diplomat may have difficulty in presenting a wide range of issues, the NGO that focuses on global engagement in the religious freedom sphere can often be more warmly received, he said.

All three experts stressed the need for NGOs and religious liberty advocates to get young people involved. Thames reaches out via the Twitter messaging service; Seiple commended youth involvement; and Foltin observed that it’s also necessary to let young people express differing opinions as part of the engagement process.

Imprisonment, death, police raids not uncommon, panel says

Apr 26, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mark A. Kellner, News Editor, Adventist Review

---

It's one thing to lose a job because of your religious beliefs. It's quite another to be deprived of your freedom -- or even your life.

Those are perhaps the most extreme challenges facing believers of many different faiths around the world today, and the situation can sometimes change without warning or even explanation, attendees at the 7th World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association heard this week during a panel discussion in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Tiffany Barrans, international legal director for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) in Washington, D.C., recalled the torture and murder of Pakistani Christian businessman Rasheed Masih in 2010. Four Muslim competitors lured Masih to a rural farmhouse, ostensibly to discuss the potato business. Instead, they tried to force Masih to convert to Islam, and, it was alleged, beat him to death when Masih refused.

ACLJ's European affiliate got involved and, working with attorneys in Pakistan, helped secure convictions of three of the alleged killers, each of whom received a life sentence.

The center is also very active on behalf of Iranian Christian Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, arrested in 2009 on charges of "apostasy" from Islam, a faith Nadarkhani never practiced. He was sentenced to death in 2010, but massive international pressure has delayed the execution so far.

Barrans said of the ACLJ's work, "Our attempt is to use the judicial system ... and create a precedent, so people know they cannot kill, cannot beat and cannot hurt the religious minority with impunity," she said.

In both Russia and Kazakstan, the roughly 60-year-old Church of Scientology is facing persecution and discrimination, said the Rev. Susan L. Taylor, president of the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington, D.C.

"Last December, police entered our church in Moscow full force, burst into homes of staff members, and also brought a man from a TV station to film the raid," Taylor said. "The idea is to close down various churches of Scientology," she added.

"In Kazakstan, we're also experiencing persecution. Members have had to go underground," Taylor said. "In Almaty, the Ahmadi Muslims were shut down all over Kazakstan, and a local news report asked, 'Is the Methodist Church next?'"

Scientologists, Taylor explained, "have a policy in our church that we abide by the rules of the land. Working in that framework, we fight for our rights, we fight to exist."

Attorney Kevin Kimball, legal counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, presented his personal views on the subject, saying he was "a longtime student of religious liberty" issues.

"We protect and reverence the right of liberty, the privilege of worshipping almighty God," Kimball noted after quoting statements from several LDS leaders including founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Societies, he said, "need to respect other's rights to practice their own religions."

Such respect is growing in the Dominican Republic, Kimball said. In 2011, the national government enacted a law granting civil (legal) recognition to marriages performed by churches other than the Roman Catholic Church. He said this was an important step for Dominican churches and their members.

Now, leaders of evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist, LDS and other churches are meeting informally to advance other laws aimed at gaining rights and privileges in Dominican society, he noted.

"It's our hope that we will continue to build on the momentum we have here, [during this] period of time when our host country affords a measure of religious freedom," Kimball said. The goal, he added, "is not to diminish rights the Catholic Church has, but to extend those rights to other religions."

For Vladimir Ryahovsky of the Slavic Center for Law & Justice (SCLJ) in Moscow, the challenges are basic. "I represent a country where the institution of religious freedom is still in the process of developing," he said.

While there was considerable religious freedom after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of it was later withdrawn. Evangelical Christian movement The Salvation Army was under fire from Russian authorities because of the word "Army" in their name and the fact that the movement's international leader carries the rank of "General." Ryahovsky's group helped in an eight-year legal battle to gain recognition for The Salvation Army in the country.

The SCLJ focuses much of its activity on educating lawyers, judges and government officials on the details of religious freedom. "We organize training seminars for religious organizations as well as for governmental officials. [University] chairs of church/state relations have been established; and we publish an academic journal on 'Religion & Law' to which many people subscribe," Ryahovsky said.

Religious freedom ‘bears signature of God’s love,’ Wilson says

Apr 26, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Bettina Krause

---

Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson today challenged believers to grasp the opportunities for open discourse that a secular state preserves.

His comments came during a keynote address to the 7th World Congress for Religious Freedom. The gathering has drawn hundreds of religious liberty advocates, government officials, scholars and legal experts to the Dominican Republic this week to examine the influence of secularism on religious expression.

Although acknowledging the inevitable conflict between the values of believers and that of secular culture, Wilson said, “We have to accept this tension as part of a free society. We have to accept the challenges and find appropriate responses, through God’s leading.”

Wilson drew a distinction between “radical” or “extreme” secularism—which seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere—and “secular governance,” which remains neutral toward religions and protects the religious freedom rights of minorities.

“If intolerant and ideological secularism attacks our religious values, we have to stand up for them with conviction,” he said.  Wilson cited examples of where secularism has been taken too far, including attempts to prohibit Muslim girls from wearing headscarves to public school, or to mandate the provision of abortions by institutions that reject the practice as a matter of conscience.

“It’s taken too far when the mention of creation of the world is totally forbidden in the public schools or when Christian agencies for adoption of children are threatened to lose their legal recognition, if they refuse to list as potential parents same sex couples,” he said.

However, Wilson also said that people of faith should reject the temptation to see a “religious state” as an acceptable alternative to secular governance. “If the state gives one religion a privileged legal position, no equality is possible and life becomes a nightmare for those who are different,” he said.

“Which type of society is it that condemns to death someone for apostasy because they have changed religions?” he asked. “Is that a secularized or religious society?”

Wilson said that Adventism’s strong heritage of religious freedom activism and its support for state neutrality between religions has firm biblical foundations, and that Adventists “feel very close to believers who have stood for religious freedom during thousands of years of restrictions and persecution.”

He said his life-long passion for promoting religious liberty has its roots in memories of his father, Neal Wilson—a former world church leader—who often spent hours with government officials explaining the value of freedom of conscience.

“We need to instill in young people the love for preserving religious liberty and freedom of conscience,” said Wilson. “Let us encourage them to join in this vitally important pursuit of freedom of conscience for all.”

Nearly 900 delegates meet in Dominican Republic for seventh world event

Apr 24, 2012 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

---

Addressing nearly 900 delegates and guests at the Seventh World Congress of the International Religious Liberty Association, Denton Lotz, a noted Baptist minister and IRLA president, summarized the purpose of this three-day event: "We're here today because we believe that freedom of religion is basic to all human rights."

That view, sadly, is not shared in many parts of the world, something Lotz said made holding the sessions even more important.

"It's incumbent upon us to work together that we live together in harmony and concord," Lotz said to an audience of leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other communities. "We don't need religious wars."

That violence against believers remains a problem was evident from a session-opening video presentation noting the death sentences pronounced – but not yet carried out – on Christians in Pakistan and Iran on charges of "blasphemy," and the assassinations of Pakistani officials Salman Tasser, governor of Punjab province and minorities minister, Shahbaz Bhatti. Also cited was the extreme religious repression found in North Korea.

While the main congress theme, "Secularism and Religious Freedom – Conflict or Partnership" may seem far removed from lands where persecution is active, Lotz took a different view.

"Most people worldwide suffer from a lack of religious freedom. Seventy percent of the world lives in places of religious repression," he said.

Speaking to an audience that included Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Mormons and Scientologists, among others, IRLA secretary-general John Graz noted the world congress is a multifaceted event.

"This congress is about religious freedom, but it is not a religious event," Graz said. "We are all here together. We represent different faiths, different religions and different churches. We are different, but we are respectful of each other."

With the theme of "Secularism and Religious Freedom -- Conflict or Partnership," speakers and delegates will attempt to negotiate the challenges of a world which is increasingly hostile to a variety of religious expression in the public square. While standing for separation of church and state, IRLA leader Lotz issued a call for religion to avoid following a secular society's lead.

"When religion becomes secular, I believe it is the greatest challenge to religious freedom, allowing secularism to define what a religion believes," Lotz told delegates. "When we allow the secularization of our faith to transcend the transcendent, it loses its meaning," he added.

According to Lotz, "Religion will die when it no longer focuses on God, but only on autonomous man. Religion will thrive when it focuses on God."

In a statement read to delegates, the country's president, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, offered "a most cordial welcome to the Dominican Republic, a land of freedom. The Dominican Republic is a place of freedom for Christians, Muslims, Jews and people of other faiths."

Plans start to reduce North American Division’s contribution in 2013

Apr 19, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Mark Kellner/Adventist Review

---

The formula for contributions by world divisions to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will change in 2013, if suggestions recommended by global church leaders on the concluding day of the movement’s Spring Meeting are adopted later this year.

By 2020, the North American Division would annually contribute 6 percent of its gross tithe receipts to the General Conference budget, down from 8 percent today. Other world divisions – of which there are 12 – may see their annual contribution increase to 3 percent of gross tithe, although that is less certain. A commission is being formed to study the matter and report back to the 2014 Annual Council, said Robert E. Lemon, treasurer of the Adventist world church.

“This request will allow the North American Division to carry out its missional goals and the funds will be used to advance the work throughout the division,” said Tom Evans, treasurer of the North American Division, in a statement. “The North American Division has been blessed in being instrumental in the growth of the world church since its inception,” Evans added.

Because an adjustment in the contribution percentage is a matter of policy, leaders explained, it can be voted only at an Annual Council, next slated to take place in October 2012 at the world headquarters. For now, church leaders have authorized the General Conference’s Treasury department “to prepare the budget based on these assumptions,” that the change would be made, said Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference.

In explaining the move, Lemon said the North American Division, or NAD, the region where Adventism was born, “needs to remain strong. … In addition to that, every part of the world considers NAD to be their territory and they come and raise funds in NAD. We have to understand the level of commitment NAD had given over the history of the church has given to mission.”

After the measure was approved, on a voice vote, Wilson said, “Let me underscore the appreciation on the part of the world field and the General Conference for the generosity on the part of the North American Division for decades. We do value it and appreciate it.”

In other actions at Spring Meeting, the Executive Committee voted to approve a “Client Identification and Cost-Sharing Action Plan” for the General Conference Auditing Service, or GCAS, which would shift some audit work to local, outside firms, and require church units to financially participate in the costs of audits conducted by the GC organization.

The 35-year-old GCAS operation is currently tasked with financial compliance audits of many church operations around the world, from divisions to remote clinics staffed by one or two people, said Lemon. While the North American Division pays for its audits, the General Conference pays for most of the rest, leaving an $8 million annual shortfall. In view of this, reorganization would ease the dollar drain, he said.

“This is a very comprehensive and needed action, but it's complicated,” Wilson noted during discussion of the measure. Passed on a voice vote, further plans are to be discussed at Annual Council.

In other financial news, Lemon reported the General Conference operated in 2011 at $10 million below budget caps, and received an additional $18.8 million in unexpected income due to foreign exchange rates and other considerations. The Spring Meeting leaders voted to allocate $15 million to a variety of outreach and development projects aimed at reaching non-Adventists and strengthening church members in their faith walk.

Executive Committee hears of plans for urban area outreach, Bible reading program

Apr 17, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Ansel Oliver/ANN

---

Top regional Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders today identified 24 cities that will receive targeted outreach efforts, the next step of a plan voted by church officials last year to focus on urban area ministry worldwide.

During today’s opening of Spring Meeting – one of two annual meetings of the global Executive Committee – leaders stated plans for renewed outreach in a mega city in each of the denomination’s 13 world divisions. Some divisions identified several cities.

In Moscow, Russia, and Kiev, Ukraine, the church will hold a total of more than 30 simultaneous outreach campaigns, each following previous work building and training small groups of those interested in joining the church. Church leaders will plant churches in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in Lagos, Nigeria. And alumni of Hiroshima Adventist Academy will be recruited to take part in outreach to Tokyo, Japan.

The worldwide urban ministry focus will start next year in New York City, with a representative from each division attending part of the four-week initial outreach.

“It’s not just an event, it’s God’s comprehensive plan for reaching big cities,” said Adventist Church President Ted N. C. Wilson. “New York will be a symbolic launch.”

A full list of the selected cities appears below.

Meeting at the church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, leaders reminded Spring Meeting delegates of the world’s changing demographics, which led to the voted plan last year. “For the first time in history, more than 50 percent of the world’s population live in cities,” said Mark Finley, an assistant to the president. “About 70,000 people every day move from rural areas into cities.”

Many divisions are prioritizing the initiative by starting a unique fund. Leaders in South America have built a several-million-dollar fund for reaching Buenos Aires.

“Our priorities need to be [reflected] in our budgets,” said Erton Kohler, president of the South American Division. “We are planting seeds and preparing our people for something big.”

World church officials today also unveiled the Revived by His Word initiative, a plan urging members to read through the Bible between now and General Conference Session in 2015. The initiative includes a website, www.revivedbyhisword.org, which features daily blogs and other resources to promote Bible study.

Leaders said research suggests that 47 percent of world membership regularly reads the Bible.

“Our goal is to have at least half of the church membership involved in some aspect of Revived by His Word in systematic daily Bible study,” Finley told delegates.

Leaders kicked off the program with each division president reading a portion of Genesis 1. Backed by top world leaders on the platform, Wilson held up a small Bible and urged members worldwide to join the program.

“Unfortunately … thousands of Seventh-day Adventists are not reading His Word and even some of our own schedules are demanding. I’m going to commit myself today to spending more time in the word of God,” Wilson said.

Delegates also received a report on the newly formed Greater Middle East Union, where church leaders are establishing community centers to serve local neighborhoods.

Homer Trecartin, the union’s president, said the “centers of influence” would offer numerous services: everything from job, language and computer training to libraries, Internet cafes and counseling services. Five are in initial stages of being established and plans call for 25 set up by the end of the year, with 100 by the end of 2013, Trecartin said.

“This has created excitement among both local and expat workers,” Trecartin said. “It’s part of our goal to mingle with people and meet needs.”

The Greater Middle East Union was created last October and leaders classified the territory as a “world priority.”

—Cities identified for urban ministry emphasis by division:

East-Central Africa Division: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Euro-Asia Division: Kiev, Ukraine; and Moscow, Russia.

Euro-Africa Division: Prague, Czech Republic; Geneva, Switzerland; Hamburg and Munich, Germany; and Vienna, Austria.

Inter-American Division: Mexico City; Caracas, Venezuela; and Bogotá, Colombia.

North American Division: New York City.

Northern Asia-Pacific Division: Tokyo, Japan.

South American Division: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division: Luanda, Angola.

South Pacific Division: Sydney, Australia; Christchurch, New Zealand.

Southern Asia-Pacific Division: Manila, Philippines.

Southern Asia Division: Mumbai, India.

Trans-European Division: London, United Kingdom.

West-Central Africa Division: Lagos, Nigeria.

Humble beginnings for Beiguan Church; Member donations fund construction

Apr 13, 2012 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Andre Brink/ANN

---

The young man looked left to make sure that he was perfectly lined up with his coworkers. Then he straightened his tie.

“We have been looking forward to this visit from Adventist church leaders for a very long time,” student Elisha Ding said.  Ding is one of over one hundred young people being trained for ministry at the Beiguan Adventist Church in Shenyang, in the northern Chinese province of Liaoning.

Dressed in black suits, young men and women lined the walkway singing songs of welcome as a delegation from Adventist world church headquarters walked towards the church for evening worship.  Led by world church President Ted N. C. Wilson, the delegation was on an official ten-day visit to China to meet church members and local leaders. 

“The foundation of the Beiguan Church is based on service and sacrifice,” said Adventist world church Secretary G. T. Ng.  “This church needs an enormous number of workers to run these church plants because they don’t have a formal church system,” he added. 

Young people are trained for one year and during this time are given various responsibilities by their supervisors. After one year the best students are hand picked for additional theological training. Some students are also sent abroad as missionaries to various countries.

“All our students are self-supporting and need to fund themselves,” said Hao Ya Jie, church and school leader.

Beiguan Church had humble beginnings with twenty members meeting in someone’s home. Later, they shared a church in downtown Shenyang, later rented a church and finally had enough savings to build their own four-story building. 

Many members took savings that they had kept for their children’s education and donated this to the church. People also gave much of their retirement savings. With winter approaching, construction workers needed to pour the concrete for the main pillars of the church in time to prevent cracking.

“The concrete had just been poured when a cold front passed causing great concern,” said Chinese Union President David Kok Hoe Ng. “Most church members brought their blankets from home and wrapped these around the pillars to save the building. It was quite a sight to see all these brightly colored blankets,” he added. 

Today, the Beiguan Adventist Church has more than 3,000 members and has generated numerous church plants totaling another 7,000 members.  Every morning at 5 a.m., 365 days a year, church members come to the church to pray.

“The winters in the north are very cold and sometimes there are not too many people, but there are always at least one hundred members praying every morning,” Ng said. 

Wilson reminded church members that God is calling them to carry on the work of revival and reformation. “You are a vital part of God’s worldwide people who are moving towards the Second Coming of Christ, a destiny that Christ himself has provided,” Wilson said. 

The day before, the delegation visited the cultural city of Hangzhou, where Wilson greeted church members at Meilizhou Church inside an upmarket resort development. 

This church also came about through sacrifice and the commitment and vision of key church members. A church elder and businessman saw an opportunity and contacted a friend who was a property developer. He told him that his resort had almost everything but one important element – a church.

The church elder contributed 25 percent of the funding and the developer paid the rest to build a church centrally located in the upmarket resort. Meilizhou Church’s membership is growing steadily as it serves the surrounding community.

"It is incredible to see the way our members are sacrificing their time and means to move forward the work of the Lord," said Adventist world church Treasurer Robert E. Lemon. "To see how our members have been able to build such a strong and vibrant church based almost completely on local volunteer support is thrilling."

The churches in China are a testament to God’s blessings when members are willing to sacrifice time, talents and money.

Religious freedom festival in Indonesia recognizes government, faith leaders Adventist News Network A recent festival of religious freedom cements the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indonesia as a leading proponent of free expression of religion in the country. Some 2000 people gathered at the Aula Mapalus Kantor Gubernur Sulawesi Utara auditorium ...

Adventist Hinsdale Hospital announces new MRI system TribLocal Yesterday at 7:04 am Patients at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital will now have access to a state-of-the-art MRI system. “Providing the best diagnosis and treatment means investing in the latest imaging technology,” said Michael J. Goebel, ...

Colo. Court Rules Day of Prayer Proclamations Unconstitutional Christian Post By Katherine Weber , Christian Post Reporter A Colorado appeals court ruled last week that the state governors' previous proclamations regarding the National Day of Prayer were unconstitutional as they implied a "government endorsement of religion over ... and more »

National Day of Prayer excludes non-Christians Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (blog) At least one event connected with the National Day of Prayer in Kansas Thursday, May 3, in Topeka excluded Jewish people. In fact, according to a story published in the Topeka Capital-Journal, no non-Christian groups were represented at the event, ...

New Adventist distance-learning university expands education options in Inter ... Adventist News Network A new Seventh-day Adventist distance-learning institution inaugurated this week in Inter-America expands the education options of students in the region, particularly for those whose work, family or financial situation put strains on further study.

OregonLive.com

Seventh-day Adventists' health guidelines, longevity still powerful draw OregonLive.com By Nancy Haught, The Oregonian View full sizeFaith Cathcart/Ther OregonianEd Hoover, manager of wellness services at Adventist Medical Center in Southeast Portland, helps participants calculate their "health age" at a recent women's health fair.

Seventh Day Adventist Church hosts spiritual retreat Rapid City Journal Inspirational speaker Brenda Walsh was the main speaker at a spiritual retreat held April 28, at St. John's Lutheran Church and hosted by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Hot Springs. HOT SPRINGS - Nearly 100 ladies gathered at the St. John's ...

Adventist Hinsdale Hospital to host blood drive TribLocal Yesterday at 2:49 pm Four police and fire departments will compete in a “Boots versus Badges” blood drive May 7-10, hosted by Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. Blood and platelet donors who visit the Adventist Lab Partners Blood Center between 8 am and 6:30 ...

Secular Group Continues Legal Challenges Against National Day of Prayer Christian Post By Michael Gryboski , Christian Post Reporter As the 2012 observance of the National Day of Prayer has come and gone, one secularist group continues to file suits against various city and state governments for their involvement in the event. Atheist group and well-known pastor have much in commonExaminer.com all 2 news articles »

Derby joins National Day of Prayer for the first time Chicago Tribune Pastor Daniel Rodriguez of the Rebirthin Christ Christian Church in Derby speaks during the Naugatuck Valley's National Day of Prayer celebration Thursday 5/3/12 on the Derby Green. Photo by Peter Hvizdak / New Haven Register DERBY -- Thursday was a ... and more »

Students, Officials Meet for National Day of Prayer Patch.com Ron Johnson attended the Ozaukee Christian School National day of Prayer event on Thursday. By Lyssa Beyer Police Chief Bill Meloy, Village President Barb Dickmann, Senator Glenn Grothman and a staff worker for Sen. Ron Johnson attended Ozaukee ...

Attendees at National Day of Prayer program look to God for answers to today's ... Journal Times The Harbor Rock Tabernacle Choir sings during a National Day of Prayer event Thursday, May 3, 2012, at Christian Reformed Church, 900 Illinois St. The choir is directed by Randy Gamer. / Lindsay Fiori lindsay.fiori@journaltimes.com RACINE — People ... National Day of PrayerThe Daily Republican all 14 news articles »

WHNT

Hampton Cove Christian Academy Honors National Prayer Day and Service Members WHNT Dozens of Hampton Cove Christian Academy students gathered around the school's flagpole on a drizzly Thursday morning for the 61st observance of the National Day of Prayer. The school also used the opportunity to honor our country's service men and ...

ChinoHills.com

National Day of Prayer, A Largely Christian Event, Grows In Popularity As It ... Huffington Post The National Day of Prayer, which has been observed on the first Thursday in May for 24 years, is still a largely Christian event, in which millions of Americans from thousands of churches across the country will participate, bowing their heads to God ... Local Christians reach out to nation in prayerChicago Tribune National Day of Prayer Participants Call for Wisdom and UnityChristian Post A National Day of Reason?Washington Post (blog) KSAT San Antonio -Chillicothe Gazette -Tucson Citizen all 522 news articles »