During the annual business session the Executive Committee, the highest governing body of the Adventist Church in Euro-Africa Region (EUD), vote policies and resolutions, elect departmental personnel, hear reports, and approve the division budget. Following some special features and votes.
Recognition to Pastor Teodor Hutanu
Pastor Hutanu is the president of the Romanian Union Conferences, the largest Adventist Union in the Euro-Africa Region. As pastor, he considers it his task to bring lay members, pastors, institution leaders, etc. to God’s agenda for His people. “It is a permanent challenge to clearly understand what the Holy Spirit is saying,” said Pastor Hutanu, “and then to find ways to accurately communicate it to the church.” Pastor Hutanu’s priority is to keep the church in the fellowship of worldwide Adventist family, sharing the same mission and preparing herself and others for the Second Coming of our Lord, “for which I pray and work.”
Preaching the Gospel is acting as heaven's ambassador. It is extending salvation to those who desperately need it. “Every time there is a call for running an evangelistic campaign,” said Pastor Hutanu, “I am happy to say yes, in spite of many administrative duties.
I don’t make my own evangelistic schedule, I just respond to the calls I receive. I pray for guidance and inspiration and I must confess that God's arrangements are the best.”
Pastor Hutanu received recognition from the EUD for the more than 50 evangelistic campaigns he has led. “It came as a surprise, and I feel encouraged and appreciated. I am unworthy for any praise, and I am happy that our Lord is glorified by my humble work.” And he concluded, “I thank the EUD leaders for this recognition and for their dedication to support Gospel mission.”
Publishing House Safeliz becomes Division Institution
On November 7, 2011, the Executive Committee voted a Memorandum of understanding between the EUD and the Spanish Publishing House, Editorial Safeliz, giving it a Division Institution status. This implies that the Spanish Union has given the governing authority to the EUD.
Editorial Safeliz is currently distributing its products in more than 120 countries worldwide, serving the 13 Divisions of the church without exemption. Its products can be found in more than 30 countries in Africa, in all countries of the Americas, Europe, and in many countries of Asia and Oceania. Safeliz has specialized itself in the production of books on health and education for the family that are carried by literature evangelists with great success. Safeliz not only conducts business with the largest publishing houses of the denomination such as the Brazil Publishing House, the Review and Herald, Pacific Press, but also with the smaller ones. It can be considered the most international publishing house of the Seventh-day Adventist church, having its books available in more than 35 different languages.
Despite this heavy workload, Editorial Safeliz will continue to provide and give priority to the production and distribution needs of the Spanish Union, home country of this Publishing House.
Even after receiving the status of Division Institute, the Publishing House will maintain its own financial responsibility, working as a financially self-supporting institution.
Director of Editorial Safeliz, Mario Martinelli said: “We are working very hard to offer our services to the churches around the world. Many countries receive our support in terms of publications. Considering the work we are producing, it seems logical for us to become a Division Institution.”
Memorandum of understanding between EUD and ASI Europe
On November 7, 2011 an interesting discussion animated the Executive Committee as they worked to establish a Memorandum regarding the cooperation between the EUD and ‘ASI Europe.’
Adventist Laymen's Services and Industries (ASI), is the worldwide umbrella organization uniting different supporting ministries that operate and support the church by bringing together business people and professionals for fellowship, strengthening them for creative witnessing in their workplaces and providing a business network for Adventists.
These supporting ministries are run by lay members who, through their expertise and experience, independently support the mission of the church. “Mission belongs to the very being of the church. Proclaiming the Word of God and witnessing to the world is essential for every Christian in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. All those engaged in that mission will do it according to gospel principles in the full respect of all human beings,” states the Memorandum. The full cooperation of these supporting ministries, with the purposes and goals of the church, gives a positive support to the gospel commission.
“I'm very happy about this Memorandum because it was one of my personal goals during this first mandate,” said Angel Duo, ASI Europe president. ASI Europe is an organization with almost 900 members, living in 16 countries, with the precise objective of fulfilling the mission entrusted to the church. “Jesus talked about unity and Ellen White points to pastors and laity working together in order to finish the work,” underlined Angel Duo, “My desire and prayer is that we grow together in mutual trust for a more effective witness.” The document designates how the EUD and ASI may acknowledge the supporting ministries in the Euro-Africa Region territory. ASI Europe will seek agreement with the respective church organizational levels. They will be the umbrella for the various supporting ministries and will recommend them to the EUD executive committee for approval, according to the church policy. The Executive Committee expressed a special thank you to the personnel of ATMA, Adventist Trans-Mediterranean Association. Following the decision taken by the Annual Council of the Gene ral Conference to reorganize this geographic area, the personnel will end their mandate at the end of this year. The EUD president, Bruno Vertallier, spent words of gratitude for everything that has been done regarding the management of programs in the countries of Northern Africa - radio, television, web, literature, etc. The ATMA president, Reynolds Agathe, thanked for the support received from the administration but shared his sadness for the unexpected decision to close down the actual ATMA offices. To all ATMA personnel go our sincere wishes for special protection from our Lord to help them overcome these difficult moments.
