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News Bulletin 07/1997 APD Adventist Press Service/ ANN Adventist News
(For immediate release)
In this Issue:
Albania: Adventists in Albania Reported Safe Amidst Mounting Anarchy
Hungary: Role of Churches and Society in Eastern Europe Discussed at
Religious Freedom Symposium in Budapest
Dagestan:Public execution in Buinaksk – Update About Developments in
Southern Russia
USA: Adventists Join Relief Efforts Among Victims of Arkansas Tornadoes
Romania: Romanian «Voice of Hope» Stations Return to Air, Expand Air Time
Russia: New «Voice of Hope» Studio Opens Next Month in Kazakhstan
Laos: ADRA-Laos Receives National Medal of Friendship
Peru: ADRA Assistance for Mudslide Survivors
Belgium: Evangelicals pushes for government recognition
Macedonia: Draft of Religious Freedom Law concerns Protestant Free Churches
Adventists in Albania Reported Safe Amidst Mounting Anarchy
Tirana, Albania, March 13, 1997 °ANR/APD§ As the situation in the
southern part of Albania continued to deteriorate into an armed anarchy,
some of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church’s activities have been
disrupted. According to reports from Pekka Tahti, president of the
Seventh-day Adventist Albanian Mission, and Sean Robinson, director of the
Albania office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), both
residing in Tirana, capital of Albania, there is no immediate danger for
any of the local and international church employees and volunteers who are
currently working in Albania.
Traveling around the country is hampered by the numerous police road
blocks, but it is possible to move around in Tirana and to reach Korce.
These are the two cities where most of the church members live.
The SDA church’s Trans-European Division office in St. Albans, England,
which administratively overlooks the church’s affairs in Albania, is
monitoring the situation. Church sources stated that should the situation
deteriorate, all international personnel will be evacuated. Church leaders
expressed hope that current tensions will soon diminish and that, in
particular, evangelistic activities can be resumed shortly.
In 1991 Albania was the last of the European countries to break away from
the Communist dictatorship. Until then, the countrýs leadership banned
religion and thousands of believers and clergy suffered the harshest of
persecutions. Seventh-day Adventists, were among the persecuted
denominations. Today, the church has nearly 300 baptized believers
worshiping in several congregations throughout the country.
ADRA was among the first to respond to the acute social and humanitarian
needs of the Albanians. Its office in Tirana coordinates continuous aid
program in several parts of the country.
Political power struggle and two months of protests by Albanians who lost
savings in shady investment schemes culminated in a violent eruption of
anti-government attacks that led President Sali Berisha to declare a state
of emergency on March 2. The clashes have cost lives of several dozen
Albanians. °07/97/01§
Role of Churches and Society in Eastern Europe Discussed at Religious
Freedom Symposium in Budapest
Budapest, Hungary, March 13, 1997 °APD§ «The Role of the Churches in the
Renewed Societies» was the theme of an international symposium on freedom
of religion jointly sponsored by the Office of the Prime Minister of
Hungary and the European Section of the International Religious Liberty
Association, with headquarters in St. Albans, England, held in Budapest,
Hungary, on March 2-5. The conference brought together representatives of
political life and the academia, who discussed a range of church-state
issues under current discussion in Eastern Europe.
Among the 50 participants were Mr. G. Mezei, head of the Department of
Political Affairs of the Council of Europe, as well government
representatives in charge of religious affairs from 11 Eastern European
countries. Other participants included experts from a number of European
and American universities and representatives from the International
Religious Liberty Associations and other organizations which promote
religious freedom.
In his opening address, Mr. Paul Vastagh, the Hungarian minister of
justice, set the tone for the conference by stating that «separation of
church and state is an important part of the program of the Hungarian
government» and «one of the most vital guarantees of the freedom of
society.»
The main focus during the three-day conference was on four specific
issues?(1) «What are the main achievements in Eastern Europe todate in
creating and maintaining a legal framework that ensures full religious
liberty to all?» (2) «What remedies are offered for the injuries of the
past? What have the various states done to return properties confiscated in
the communist era?» (3) «What is the social role of the churches in the
present?,» and (4) «Does the state have any financial responsibility toward
the churches and other religious communities and, to what extent?»
The conference heard presentations analyzing the recent and current trends
in Eastern Europe, and offered suggestions regarding issues that need
further attention in a number of Eastern-European states.
Much effort went into the preparation of what will be regarded as the
«Budapest Recommendation» which, in 15 short paragraphs, lists the
consensus of the participating states and other attendees regarding a broad
specter of religious liberty issues. The document, which will be sent to
many international secular and religious organizations, unequivocally
states that a careful legal distinction must be maintained between the
respective spheres of church and state, and that all churches and religious
communities are entitled to equal rights, and thus have the same standing
before the law. Furthermore, the statement affirms that every person has
the inalienable right to freedom of thought, conscience and belief, and
also has the right to express that conviction, privately and publicly, and
individually as well as in community with others.
The document also addresses the need for the return of, or compensation
for, confiscated properties to the churches, and the right for churches to
establish institutions for social and educational purposes. The
recommendation statement also recognizes the duty of the states to make
«reasonable accommodations» for the observance of respected days of worship
and other religious holidays.
In their concluding remarks, the two principle organizers of the Symposium,
Dr. Ivan Platthy, the Hungarian secretary of state in charge of religious
affairs, and Dr. Reinder Bruinsma, the secretary-general of the European
Section of the International Religious Liberty Association, stressed the
importance to conduct further meetings and dialogue in order to ensure that
all states in Eastern Europe will soon be willing and able to fully
implement the principles of the «Budapest Recommendation.» °07/97/02§
________________
Notice to the Editor: The full text of the «Budapest Recommendation» can be
obtained on request to: APD, Editorial office, CH-4003 Basel: Fax
+41-61-261 61 18; E-Mail: APDàstanet.ch (or) 74532.3017àcompuserve.com
________________
Public execution in Buinaksk, Dagestan: Update About Developments in
Southern Russia
Moscow/Russia, March 13, 1997 °APD/ANN§ News has reached many Seventh-day
Adventists around the world about a Seventh-day Adventist couple in
Dagestan, an independent republic in the Caucasus Mountains, in Southern
Russia, who reportedly died in a public execution. Following up on the
initial reports from the region, which were sketchy and conflicting as to
the motives of this tragic development, we were able to confirm the
following with sources in the Euro-Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists,
with headquarters in Moscow.
As reported in the local and international press, and confirmed by the
local police and the government authorities, Gadzhimurat Gadzhiyev, 31, and
his wife Tatyana, were accused of kidnaping and killing Shakhvazat Omarova,
a 12-year-old girl, and subsequently condemned and burned to death in a
public square in Buinaksk, a town in the predominantly Muslim republic of
Dagestan. There was no formal trial. Gadzhimurat and his wife were recent
converts and active members of our small 8-member Seventh-day Adventist
group.
The widely distributed and largely unconfirmed information speculated on
religious persecution of our church in Dagestan itself, and in the city of
Rostov-on-Don (500 miles away) where a series of public evangelistic
meetings was to begin last Saturday evening.
Pastor Lee Huff, president of the Euro-Asia Division (ESD) reported that
«as of Sabbath evening, March 8, 1997 the situation surround the tragedy
in Dagestan seems to be very calm. Our people in Makhachkala, capital of
Dagestan, were in church today and everything was quiet. Our people in the
six churches in Rostov-on-Don were all in church today and there were no
problems.» Our division personnel had been assured by government officials
that they are well aware that the church is not involved in this tragic
development. The local church members feel strongly that Gadzhimurat and
Tatyana are not guilty of the alleged crime for which they have been
punished.
In Dagestan, there are approximately 100 Seventh-day Adventists worshiping
in several small church-groups throughout this independent republic in
Southern Russia. °07/97/03§
Adventists Join Relief Efforts Among Victims of Arkansas Tornadoes
Silver Spring, Maryland, March 13, 1997 °APD/ADRA§ In the aftermath of 20
tornadoes which reportedly hit over the weekend in the state of Arkansas,
disaster response teams from the North American Division of the Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and Adventist Community Services (ACS)
are operational.
According to news reports, the tornadoes cut a path 250 miles long and left
24 dead and hundreds injured. U.S. President Bill Clinton has issued a
major disaster declaration for nine counties.
A 35,000-square-foot warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA has been
established as an ADRA/ACS reception center for in-coming trucks of donated
goods. Emergency distribution centers have been teamed up with Seventh-day
Adventist churches in Benton, Malvern and Arkadelphia where families can
get bottled water, grocery items, personal supplies and clothing.
«We have taken a tractor and trailer to assist in the relief effort for the
tornadoes in Arkansas,» says Joe Watts, ADRA/ACS disaster coordinator for
the Southwest region of the United States. His group of volunteers helping
in Arkadelphia and Donaldson were able to deliver more than 100 blankets,
25 sheets, and 310 towel sets to victims. «It seems what people are really
wanting is towel sets. They want to get cleaned up.»
The national ADRA/ACS office in Silver Spring, Maryland has also released a
grant to help fund emergency operations which has been matched by the
Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of the Adventist Church and will be used to
attract other donors.
ACS is the North American affiliate of ADRA International which currently
operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. In the United States, ACS
works under national agreements with Federal Emergency Management
Administration (FEMA) and the American Red Cross. It is also a member of
the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), the
umbrella organization for disaster response organizations in the United
States. The primary mission assigned to ACS is the distribution and
management of donated goods. °07/97/04§
Romanian «Voice of Hope» Stations Return to Air, Expand Air Time
Bucharest, Romania, March 13, 1997 °APD/ANN§ After a stormy year of
uncertainty, the local «Voice of Hope» radio stations in the country are
not just back in business, but with expanded service in at least one city,
according to Adrian Bocaneanu, Chairman of the Board for the Voice of Hope
(VOH) in Romania.
In 1994 the «Voice of Hope» was granted permission to operate four FM
stations, one each in the cities of Bucharest, Brasov, Timisoara and
Constanta. However, frequency arrangements for many new private stations
around the country were contested and months of court maneuvering were the
result.
«After several sessions of tough negotiations, on February 21 the National
Council for Audio-Visuals (NCA) authorized us to expand the antenna time
for our FM station in Bucharest from two hours a day to six hours,»
Bocaneanu reports. «We have already put on announcements about the
expanded hours to begin March 1 and many phone calls from happy listeners
expressed their joy and appreciation,» he says.
The «Voice of Hope» network celebrated their 1,000 days on the air with a
special reception on March 4. State and Bucharest city officials were
invited to participate and launch the new expanded service for the capital
city. Among the 150 guests attending the reception were members of the
National Council of the Audio-Visuals, the president of the Romanian
Ecological Party, a representative of the president of Romania, state
department representatives, and representatives from several NGÓs. The
event received media coverage by the countrýs newspapers.
Bocancanu says the «Voice of Hope» will apply to increase the Bucharest
station’s power from 200 watts to 500 watts. A new transmitter will also be
necessary for the station in Brasov. The stations have been successful in
providing a unique broadcast service in the four cities and their signals
have attracted many new believers, according to local station directors.
°07/97/05§
New «Voice of Hope» Studio Opens Next Month in Kazakhstan
Tula, Russia, March 13, 1997 °ANN/APD§ Peter Kulakov, director of the
«Voice of Hope» Media Center in Tula, Russia, says a new studio to serve
the asian republics will officially be opened on April 14 in Almaty,
Kazakhstan. The studio is located in a new evangelistic center in the
heart of the city, the capital of the largest asian republic of the
Confederation of Independent States. Programs in Tajik, Kazakh and Uzbek
are slated to be produced for Adventist World Radio (AWR) in this new
facility.
According to AWR-Europe Region director Bert Smit, the studio is being
equipped with a fully digital system which will make it one of the first
«Voice of Hope» studios thus equipped in the world.
The new studio in Almaty will join nearly 50 AWR partner studios located in
different countries around the world. Programs representing other
republics and languages will soon be in production, including Georgian,
Armenian and Kurdish. The addition of these languages later this year will
bring the total languages broadcast over AWR to more than 50. °07/97/06§
ADRA-Laos Receives National Medal of Friendship
Vientiane, Laos, March 13, 1997 °ANR/APD§ The National Medal of
Friendship by the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic was presented to the
Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Laos office at an awards
ceremony on February 28, 1997, in recognition for its outstanding support
and assistance to the programs and services of the Ministry of Public
Health.
Presidential Decree No. 114 declared that the medal be awarded to ADRA-Laos
and was presented to Todd Bruce, director of ADRA-Laos, by Dr. Ponmek
Dalaloy, minister of Public Health at the ceremony held in the capital,
Vientiane. The Presidential Decree and an accompanying certificate, both
signed by His Excellency Nouhak Phounsavanh, president of the Lao Peoples’
Democratic Republic, were also presented.
ADRA has operated in Laos since 1991. During this time ADRA-Laos has worked
with the Ministry of Public Health to implement seven rural water supply
and sanitation projects, supported a national cholera prevention project
and conducted English training courses for health personnel.
The development projects in Laos were made possible by contributions and
support from ADRA organizations in Australia, Canada, Sweden, Germany, as
well as the regional and central offices and private donors. °07/97/07§
ADRA Assistance for Peru Mudslide Survivors
Lima/Peru, March 13, 1997 °APD/ADRA§ Thirty-five Adventist Development
and Relief Agency (ADRA) Peru volunteers have been steadily providing
assistance to the more than 2,000 survivors of the Peruvian Andes mudslides
that started on February 18, 1997, and which continues to take lives in at
least 13 towns. According to recent reports, more than 250 people have been
buried alive, at least 3,000 injured, and hundreds of homes, buildings and
land destroyed.
The mudslides started in mid-February after heavy rains caused successive
floods to wash out loose earth. The rains continue to fall, making disaster
relief operations difficult to administer.
To date, ADRA Peru volunteers, less than half of them trained, have been
able to serve the survivors with 4,800 articles of clothing, 10 tents and
200 blankets all donated by the ADRA office. The volunteers have also
helped the Red Cross and Peru government to distribute an additional 11,710
articles of clothing and 1,280 blankets.
«The relief process to serve affected communities has been accelerated by
training volunteers on the spot, advising local disaster response
authorities, and improving the system of warehousing and distribution,»
says Juan Aparicio, ADRA Peru coordinator of disaster response operations.
«Wére hoping that this new system can be legislated for future disaster
preparedness.» °07/97/08§
Belgium Evangelicals pushes for Government Recognition
Brussels/Belgium, March 13, 1997 °APD/EBPS§ Despite their years of
existence and numbers of members, evangelical churches in Belgium are still
unrecognized and unheard by their government, but a new effort is underway
to try and change their status.
«The time is getting short,»says Samuel Verhaeghe, General Secretary of the
Union of Baptists in Belgium. «The political climate in Belgium is
turbulent since the recent scandals with child abuse and financial abuses,»
he says. If the current government falls and is replaced, this recognition
effort would have to start over, he adds.
Baptists are among several evangelical groups that formed the Belgian
Federation of Evangelical Churches (BFEC) in 1994. It is the largest
non-Catholic organisation of Christian churches in the country, according
to Verhaeghe. The Federation has 125 French-speaking churches and 100
Flemish-speaking churches in comparison to the government-recognized United
Protestant Church of Belgium that has 70 French-speaking churches and 34
Flemish-speaking churches. The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s
Belgian-Luxembourg Conference with 26 churches is not a member of BFEC.
«The Minister of Justice a few years ago did recognise the very small
Orthodox Church in Belgium, but he refuses to recognise the largest
non-Catholic group. This is discrimination!» says the Baptist general
secretary.
This recognition is important to give evangelical voices equal
opportunities to be heard in the government and in society. °07/97/09§
Macedonia Draft of Religious Freedom Law concerns Protestant Free Churches
Skopje/Macedonia, March 13, 1997 °APD/EBPS§ The content of a proposed
religious freedom law, and the way in which it is being developed, have led
evangelical groups in Europe such as the European Baptist Federation to
voice their concerns.
A draft of the law was completed and sent to certain religious groups, but
not to any Protestant or evangelical representatives, according to a report
by Baptists in the country. When they inquired about receiving a copy of
the draft, they were told the government recognises only three religious
groups: Orthodox, Catholic and Muslim.
When evangelicals did get to see a copy of the proposed law, further
concerns arose. The law mirrors much of the wording and approach of the
Communist era. Church activities would be confined to their buildings.
Religious life would be subject to a government office of religious
affairs. No missionaries from outside the country would be allowed to work
in Macedonia. The draft even restricts the use of the word church solely to
the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
For these and other concerns, Theo Angelov, president and Karl Heinz
Walter, general secretary of the European Baptist Federation have requested
that the Republic of Macedonia consider all its citizens in drafting a
law of religious freedom.
Macedonia, formerly a part of the country of Yugoslavia, has a population
of 2.5 million persons only 400-500 of whom are identified as born-again
believers, according to Ivan Grozdanov, president of the Baptist Christians
in the Republic of Macedonia and coordinator for Evangelical and Protestant
Christians in the Republic of Macedonia. The Baptist union in the Republic
of Macedonia has applied for membership in the European Baptist Federation.
It is scheduled to become EBF’s fiftieth organizational member at the EBF
meeting in September.
The Macedonia Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 400
baptised members in 10 local congregations, with headquarters in Skopje. At
a recent international conference on church-state matters, held in Budapest
(Hungary) between March 2-5, 1997, the Macedonian official of religious
affairs has been informed on the common Baptist and Adventist concerns.
°07/97/10§
___________________________
Editor: Christian B. Schaeffler, APD
APD grants the right to use complete articles or portions of this news
material. We would appreciate the courtesy of crediting «APD» or «ANN» if
our original material is used. Thank you.
APD Adventist Press Service, P.O. Box, CH-4003 Basel/Switzerland. Telefax:
+41-61-261 61 18 E-Mail: Compuserve: 74532.3017àcompuserve.com Internet:
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