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Released by: Ray Dabrowski
Phone: +31-30-955-324 (June 29-July 8) or +301-680-6300

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 1995

ADVENTIST WORLD CONGRESS OPENS

Utrecht, the Netherlands ... Despite unprecedented strife among
nations, the world president of the 8.5-million-member Seventh-day
Adventist Church has told the opening assembly of the church's 56th
World Congress here, that his church must continue a global mission
which presents the peace-making salvation of Jesus Christ to every man,
woman and child on earth. "There is only one solution to the troubles
of our world.  That solution is Jesus and the power of His love
presented in the gospel," the church's world president, Robert S.
Folkenberg, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A., told nearly 10,000
persons, including 2,600 official delegates attending the keynote
assembly of the congress in the Prince of Orange Hall of the Royal
Dutch Fairs (Jaarbeurs) here at 8 p.m., Thursday, June 29. The church
leader cited four elements he considers key to taking the gospel to the
entire world: (1) assurance in Jesus Christ for each church member that
he or she is a valued child of God; (2) streamlining church governance
for more efficiently proclaiming the gospel; (3) developing strategies
to reach every person on earth with the gospel message; and (4) greater
utilization of the youth of the church in its spiritual mission. Noting
that 3,064,612 persons have been added to his church's membership since
the last world congress five years ago -- one new member every 50
seconds -- Folkenberg said, that "Significant decisions will be made,
strategies formulated, and a future path charted" to carry the gospel
to every people and nation.  "When that happens, there are no limits to
what can be accomplished." In his opening address, President Folkenberg
took note of the fact that "thousands of us have come from countries in
Eastern Europe that only a few years ago did not enjoy the freedom to
travel to our church's world congress.  I welcome you especially," he
said. Earlier on Thursday, G. Ralph Thompson of Silver Spring,
Maryland, U.S.A., world secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist church,
opened the quinquennial congress by reading the constitutionally
mandated Official Call of delegates to the assembly. The assembly's
initial devotional speaker, Benjamin Reaves, president of Oakwood
College, Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A., told congress attendees that "the
barriers of exclusion, hostility, chauvinism and superiority are broken
when Christians treat each other as brothers and sisters, not just when
they go to church but every day. "Nothing is more impressive than a
church that is a family," said Reaves.  "Conversely, nothing more
grossly misrepresents our Lord than a church torn by division, discord,
tension, and turmoil. "The measure in which Christians fail in love to
each other is the measure to which the world does not believe in them
or their Christianity.  It is the acid test of discipleship, and it
gives an unmistakable messsage to the world," he said. Official
observers from other religious organizations were introduced to those
attending the church congress during assemblies on Thursday.  These
included representatives of the United Bible Societies, Reformed
Ecumenical Council, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,
French Protestant Federation, World Methodist Council, Anglican
Consultative Council, Salvation

-more-

Army, Christian Theological Academy, and the Lutheran World Federation.
The mayor of Utrecht and the Queen's Commissioner welcomed Adventists
to Utrecht and the Netherlands.

The quinquennial World Congress is attended by thousands of Adventist
believers representing 205 countries of the world.  The World Congress
is the largest international conference ever staged in the Netherlands.
Daily attendance will average 10,000, while 30,000 are expected on
weekends.

-end-