Released by: Rick Kajiura
Phone: +31-30-955-324 (June 29-July 8) or +301-680-6300
                    
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 5, 1995
          
ADVENTIST WORLD CONGRESS, DAY 7
          
Utrecht, The Netherlands ...  Because of its century-long belief, and
that of world public health officials that smoking is the single
greatest preventable cause of death in the world, the 56th World
Congress of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Wednesday, July 5,
called for "a uniform ban in every country on all tobacco advertising,
stricter laws prohibiting smoking in non-residential public places,
more aggressive and systematic public education, and substantially
higher taxes on cigarettes."
	The call for the ban was made at a noon-time press conference in an
official Church statement read by Albert S. Whiting, M.D., Silver
Spring, Maryland, U.S.A., world health and temperance director of the
8.5-million-member Church. In the statement he noted, "For more than a
century the Seventh-day Adventist Church has warned its youth and the
general public regarding the addictive and health-destroying nature of
tobacco smoking."
	"One-half billion of the world's present population will eventually
be killed by tobacco," said Roy Branson, Washington, D.C., co-chairman
of the Interreligious Coalition on Smoking and Health, who also spoke
at the press conference.  The coalition represents tens of millions of
people of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths.
	Branson said 3 million people throughout the world will die each year
in the 1990s from tobacco-related causes.  He noted that in the United
States tobacco products cause more deaths than do alcohol, cocaine,
crack, heroine, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fires and AIDS
combined.
	He said there is a direct correlation between a country's taxes and
tobacco-related deaths.  "Where a country's tobacco tax is highest the
number of deaths from tobacco use is lowest.  Where taxes are lowest
the death-from-tobacco numbers are greatest."
	Dr. Harley Stanton, Sydney, Australia, associate health and temperance
director of the Church's South Pacific Division, who also participated
in the press conference, said, "Parents who smoke in front of their
children do two things: They commit  respiratory rape' of their
children, and they model addictive behavior to them.
	"The cells of the human lung reach maturity at six years, and after
that they have no ability to replace damage," Stanton said. 
"Therefore, parents who damage their children's lungs at an early age
through smoking are giving their children a deficit in life."
	At an 11 o'clock morning session of the 10-day international Church
congress, Dr. B. Lyn Behrens, Loma Linda, California, U.S.A., president
of Loma Linda University, told some 10,000 delegates and visitors that
as Christians they should be compassionate to all, even those who are
considered the dregs of society.
	"Do we confront with care and compassion and reclamation the
perpetrator of abuse physical, emotional, sexual; those addicted to
drugs, alcohol, pornography, sexual excesses?" she asked.  "The call to
unite with Christ is a call for compassion for those whose choices and
behaviors bring us pain and brokenness.
	"It is a call for compassion toward those who have trespassed against
us, whether or not they have confessed their fault.  It is a call for
compassion even for our enemies and those who are bent on destroying
our reputations, our families, our lives.
	"It is a call for compassion even for the drunk driver who kills, for
the serial killer who kills, or for the corrupt law enforcement agent
who sells drugs to children," she said.
	In a business portion of today's congress activities, a number of
world officials of the Church were elected.  The elections included:
	Lucas T. Daniel, Ikeja, Nigeria, West Africa, formerly president of
the Church's Nigeria Union Mission, was elected president of the
1-million-member Africa-Indian Ocean Division of the Church, with
headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivorie, West Africa.  He replaces J. J.
Nortey, who has been president of the division for the past five years.
	Charles Montille, Reunion, Indian Ocean, Africa, was elected secretary
of the Africa-Indian Ocean Division.
	Violeto F. Bocala, Singapore, Republic of Singapore, was reelected
secretary of the Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists, with
headquarters in Singapore.  Steven G. Rose, Singapore, former associate
treasurer of the division, was elected treasurer.
	James M. Campbell, Tamil Nadu, India, was reelected secretary of the
Southern Asia Division of Adventists, which is headquartered in Tamil
Nadu.
	Bekele Biri, Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa, was reelected secretary of the
Eastern Africa Division of the Church, headquartered in Harare. 
Elected treasurer of the division was Jose R. Lizado, Miami, Florida,
U.S.A., who was formerly an associate treasurer of the Inter-American
Division of Adventists.
	Elected as world director of the Church's Children's Ministries
department was Virginia L. Smith, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.
	Named to associate world director positions were: David E. Johnson and
Alan W. White, Trust Services; Thoma R. Neslund, Stoy E. Proctor, and
Dr. James M. Crawford, Health and Temperance department; Karen M.
Flowers, Family Life Ministries department; Reo E. Ganson,  Enrique
Becerra, and John M. Fowler, Education department; and Joel Sarli,
Walter L. Pearson, Jr., and Dwight Nelson, Ministerial Association.
	After an afternoon business session which saw officials and delegates
making numerous speeches for and against the proposal, delegates voted
against a North American Division of Adventists request to ordain
clergy regardless of gender.  The request would have allowed a church
division to ordain women, even though other divisions might not choose
to do so.
	Rapid growth of the Church in China was reported at an evening to the
congress by Eugene Hsu, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A., president of
the East Asia Association of Adventists.  In 1993, he reported, 23,000
were baptized into the faith.
	"Although China respects the freedom of religious beliefs of
foreigners, it continues to curb and restrict their religious
activities," said Hsu.  However, he said individuals may speak about
their faith, and in that context  house churches' flourish in China.
	Hsu said radio also presents Christianity in China.  Some 127 hours
of radio programming are being beamed into China each week from Guam,
another 21 hours from Siberia, he said.  "Hundreds of letters are
received from listeners each month."
	More than 1 million Seventh-day Adventists live in the territory of
the Asia-Pacific Division of Adventists, Pyung Duk Chun, Singapore,
president of the division, told the Church congress during an evening
"Mission Pageant-Report."
	He said membership of the Adventist Church in Cambodia grew from two
to more than 2,000 in the last three years.  With 9 million new people
being born on earth every month, President Hsu said, "The only possible
answer to this great Christian challenge is to make our 1 million
members 1 million Christian witnesses."
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