This news release is being distributed to the Internet community as a service of the Communication Department of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Please address correspondence concerning Internet access of this information to Dan Hamstra at the following address: hamstra@andrews.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adventist News Network News Release--6/28/95. This is the first News Release distributed from the Royal Dutch Fairs (Jaarbeurs) in Utrecht-Holland. The story tells about all of the preparations made to organize such a huge event.. Released by: Ray Dabrowski FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 1995 SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS PREPARE FOR 56th WORLD SESSION IN UTRECHT Utrecht-Holland... Delegates representing 8.5-million-member Seventh-day Adventist Christians are transforming The Royal Dutch Fairs (Jaarbeurs) into a "mini-United Nations" as preparations are nearing completion for the Church's 56th World Congress, a 10-day business meeting and exposition opening June 29 and continuing through July 8. The World Congress is the largest international conference ever staged in the Netherlands. Expected daily attendance will average 10,000, and 30,000 are expected on weekends. Karl Bahr, congress manager, said, "There have been 12 kilometers of white modular exhibit walls constructed to take care of all the exhibit halls and 150 exhibit booths. Dormitories for 4,000 people sleeping on-site, and scores of committee meeting and office rooms have been prepared." Some 280 tons of equipment have been shipped to Utrecht from around the world, and nine tons of air cargo have been flown in for the Congress. Equipment has arrived in Zurich, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and at Schipol Airport for the meeting. Crews started unloading on June 20th and will continue through July 2. The main business meetings and (Saturday) Sabbath services for 27,000 people will be held in Prince of Orange Hall, with overflow seating for 7,000 in an adjacent hall with video screen. The 2,659 delegates from 205 countries and thousands of other attendees will be able to hear the presentations live in English or Dutch, and in 18 other languages through audio translation services. More than 1,200 signs have been made to direct visitors. The Adventist World Congress will be broadcast worldwide in 21 languages via satellite from Adventist World Radio's (AWR) seven production studios in Jaarbeurs. "We have brought in 40 to 50 radio producers worldwide to cover this event," said Allen Steele, manager of the AWR center at Jaarbeurs. "Thirty-five broadcast hours of programming will be beamed out on two satellite channels to our AWR radio stations worldwide. Local Utrecht listeners can tune in on FM87.6 for congress news daily from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., June 29-July 8." An Adventist Media Center has set up video production studios and will produce daily programs, as well as send programming daily to the Americas. Congress news will also be electronically available on the "SDAs On-line" forum on the CompuServe information service. The Congress is educational too. An Adventist Book Center (ABC) has unloaded 65 tons of inspirational books, videos, CDs and music. Paul Hammond, ABC manager from England, said there will be special book signings by authors. The huge book store opens Thursday, June 29, at 11 a.m. and will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. More than 18,000 Dutch children will be enjoying Werelddorp (Global Village), a life-sized re-creation of 10 habitats from the Developing World, set up outside the Jaarbeurs Halls, created by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). The pack-a-box exhibit will allow visitors a chance to pack a box of relief supplies for children in places like Bosnia and Chechnya. The purpose of the unique exhibit is to create global awareness and sensitivity to needs of much of the world community.