Press Release of the Adventist Church in Germany

In the spirit of the Geneva Refugee Convention, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Germany supports the protection of politically persecuted persons and war refugees, and their right to have access to medical care, education, and social benefits. With the professional support and staff of the Advent-Wohlfahrtswerk e.V. (AWW) [Adventist Community Services in Germany] and ADRA Deutschland e.V. [Adventist Development und Relief Agency in Germany] local churches are the ones actively approaching those seeking asylum. According to the Mission Statement of the worldwide Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventists in Germany assume their Christian responsibility of “ministering to individuals and populations most affected by poverty, tragedy, hopelessness, and disease.” This applies to all people without exception, regardless of their ethnic origin, gender, religion or worldview, disabilities, age or sexual identity. The gospel presents a God who became a human being. This solidarity of God with the human race obliges all faithful Christians to reach out to every person in need. Therefore Seventh-day Adventists oppose any kind of hostility to foreigners. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Germany will use and strengthen the existing structures of AWW and ADRA for the benefit and sustainable support of politically persecuted persons and war refugees. The Church is willing to face the social challenge and collaborate with already existing structures of the German federal states and local authorities. All local churches of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church are invited to seek cooperation with public authorities, voluntary initiatives, and other associations on federal and community level (cities and counties), to explore and pursue possibilities for voluntary involvement within communal support systems for refugees, to reach out to the needy without any fear of contact and welcome them, to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” in cooperation with partner organizations as well as with other Christian Churches, to provide venues for language courses, social meetings, programs for children, and leisure activities, to promote the integration of refugees and migrants, to include deliberately refugees, migrants and the needy in intercessory prayer. A heartfelt thanks to all who are already supporting refugees by their voluntary involvement! Faith in the return of Christ and the hope for a new earth empower Christians to share their wealth and quality of life with people in need.