Adventist church leaders meet today

Some 300 Seventh-day Adventist world church leaders are scheduled to meet at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) for six days to discuss church policies.

The Seventh-day Adventists will hold its annual council, with the theme “Mission of Hope,” starting today until Oct. 15.

The participants would discuss and vote on the different issues such as the church’s structure to the appropriation of its funds, as well as progress made in the church’s mission efforts and its global AIDS ministry.

In addition to voting on policy issues, the delegates are also slated to elect several church officers. A world church program promoting the importance of regular Bible study will also be launched at annual council.

World church President Jan Paulsen said the Adventists has long committed to raising awareness of health issues and establishing educational infrastructure in the Philippines. The church operates 4,222 churches, two universities, six colleges, 22 high schools, one publishing house, two clinics and nine hospitals in the Philippines, including the Manila Adventist Hospital.

More than half a million Seventh-day Adventists live in the country.   – Evelyn Macairan