Territory: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Holy See, Iran, Italy, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, and Western Sahara.
Statistics: Churches–3,929; membership–509,032; population–584,314,000. (1999 statistics from the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook)
The Euro-Africa Division, comprised of 35 different countries and stretching across 25 different language groups, is a division of immense diversity, as illustrated in the official Division report to the General Conference World Session on Monday, July 3. The 520,000 members of this division face the challenge of presenting the church’s message to groups of people ranging from secular modernists to Muslims.
“As committed Christians and leaders, we bear a message of hope for our contemporaries and members of our churches. The pastor is a key element in communicating this hope,” said Ulrich Frikart, President of the Euro-Africa Division, during the report. “The Division considers upgrading the role of the pastor as one of its priorities.”
As part of the report, Timoteus Nagy, winner of the “Ministry Contest” held for children of pastors in the Euro-Africa Division, was introduced live to the attending delegates. “I bring my friends’ and pastors’ and pastors’ kids’ greetings from Romania,” said Timoteus. This greeting was followed by a video which showcased the different nations in the Euro-Africa Division. To the delight of the attendees, delegates from the Division rose from their seats at the close of the video and handed out flags from the various countries of the Division to other delegates and visitors throughout the SkyDome. |
