Bern, November 13, 2012. [CD-EUDNews]. Important votes and recommendations were taken at the Seventh-day Adventist Church - Inter-European Region Executive Committee last November 4-6.
New Name – Inter-European DivisionFollowing the vote of the General Conference to change the name of this region from Euro-Africa to Inter-European, the members of the Executive Committee also voted the official translation into the different languages represented as follows: Portuguese: Divisão Inter-Europeia; Italian: Divisione Intereuropea; Spanish: División Inter-Europea; French: Division intereuropéenne; German: Intereuropäische Division; Romanian: Diviziunea Inter-Europa; Czech: Inter-evropská divize; Slovak: Inter-európska divízia; Bulgarian: Интер-Европейска Дивизия (Inter-Evropeiska Divizia).
Mission to the big Cities - Geneva 2013The year 2013 will be a special year regarding evangelism in the world. In different countries where the Adventists are present, a big city has been chosen to organize a main evangelistic campaign concentrating all the efforts of the country. In North America, New York will receive the attention of the whole Adventist world because it will be the first big city to start the campaign. In our European region, Geneva, Switzerland, will be this big city. A program has already started to prepare the city for the event, and it will be developing as time goes on. This program will provide a long list of special features highlighting the biblical message of salvation as well as charity services benefiting the community.
Study Commission on Theology of Ordination
The Theology of ordination, including the question of gender, continues to animate debates all around the world. A special commission has been working on this theme since 2010, and the first report will be in 2014 at the General Conference Year-end Executive Committee. Only in July 2015, at the General Conference Constituency Session in San Antonio, a vote will be taken accordingly.
The president Bruno Vertallier invited the members of the committee to consider that “The world Church cannot legitimize practices that clearly contradict the intent of General Conference Session actions. This applies to ordination decisions as well as to other matters in which a local organization may feel constrained not just to voice its disagreement with the world Church but to proceed in a totally conflicting direction with the expressed will of the worldwide Church. Accordingly, the world Church does not recognize actions authorizing or implementing ministerial ordination without regard to gender.
This statement deals with Church structure and procedures. It does not address the question of ministerial ordination practices per se. The central issue is one of Church policy—how the Church defines its organization, governance and operations” as the Adventist church policy affirms.