23 March 2009
Mission DVD goes multi-language
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Ray Coombe/Record staff
Four language versions are now available on the Adventist Mission DVD, sent free of charge to every Adventist church in Australia and New Zealand.
Commencing with this second quarter edition, the mission resource produced by the Adventist Mission of the world Adventist Church, features all the video stories in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, along with the English version. "This means that any church can use the DVD interchangeably for different language groups within the congregation," says Pastor Ray Coombe, director of Adventist Mission in the South Pacific.
Sabbath School offerings, including the 13th Sabbath Offering, all contribute to the world mission budget and sustain the global outreach of the church as well as about 700 missionary families. Only 25% of the 13th Sabbath Offering goes specifically to the projects that are featured each quarter, but these projects provide new evangelistic opportunities and essential new buildings and institutions for the thirteen world regions.
Pastor Coombe reports that Sabbath School offerings have increased by 46% over the last three years, and the total amount contributed to the world mission budget exceeds $5 million per year from the South Pacific region. "This however represents only a fraction of the percentage that was given to world mission in the past. Somehow we need to re-capture the urgency of supporting our world mission program," says Pastor Coombe.
The 13th Sabbath Offering projects for the second quarter of this year are located in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean region where two orimary schools damaged or destroyed by the civil war in Angola will be replaced. A classroom and administration block is also needed at the new Bongo University and a library is to be built at the newly established Adventist University in Zambia. These important projects in southern Africa will benefit from the offering collected on June 27.
The Adventist Mission DVD commenced in 2006 and replaces the long-serving "Mission Spotlight" video. It features a selection of short and long stories of mission work around the world. Churches interested in obtaining the DVD can contact their local Conference or Mission Sabbath School Director. Videos can also be downloaded from the Adventist mission website.