wfn.org | Adventist Global Mission: Thousands Challenged To Save The Big Cities

[Christian B. Schäffler (APD Schweiz)]

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July 8, 2005
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief APD
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Schweiz

Adventist Global Mission: Thousands Challenged To Save The Big Cities 

St. Louis, Missouri/USA, 06.07.2005/ANN/APD	The Seventh-day 
Adventist Church has official presence in 207 countries, and is 
working in all but seven of 228 countries, declared Mike Ryan, a 
general vice president of the world church and director of Global 
Mission, to the thousands attending the first Saturday (Sabbath) 
worship services of the movement's quinquennial meetings. 

But while the Adventist church is successful in rural areas and on
 islands, it does not have a significant presence in the fastest 
growing areas of the world: big cities. 

"Is there hope for the big cities of the world?" Ryan asked. An 
offering collected during the worship service will go to spreading 
the message of hope in these cities that are considered a "growing 
challenge" for Adventists. 

With the offering, Global Mission -- a department of the Adventist 
Church that shares the Gospel in places that have not heard it -- will 
help fund outreach programs and new church buildings in 60 cities. 

Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the world church, was featured on 
a video presented during the world church gathering. Standing on a 
Bangkok, Thailand street, he said, "This is one of the great cities. ... 
What are we doing in the cities? Our work has been to a large extent 
based on rural work. We have not really addressed the huge masses 
of big cities such as this." 

He added, "We are told that in 15 years, two-thirds of the world's total 
population will live in cities like this one." There are new, creative 
efforts being taken in the cities, he concluded. 

"Hope 4 the Big Cities" is funded in part by three other major offering 
collections in Seventh-day Adventist congregations worldwide: The 
first was gathered April 9 in Adventist congregations outside of North 
America; churches in the United States of America, Canada and 
Bermuda had a special collection for the project April 30; and on 
July 9, all the church's congregations -- and the world business in 
St. Louis, Missouri -- will participate in another offering for the 
project. [Editor: Wendi Rogers/ANN]

Related Link: http://www.hope4cities.org <http://www.hope4cities.org/> 

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