On 14 June the Women’s Ministries (WM) Emphasis Day was celebrated in Baghdad, as thirteen church members fellowshipped together, enjoying the WM programme “Show Me the Saviour - Then I Shall See”.

The Nicosia Fire Station got a surprise visit from the children of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who dropped by to thank them for their service to the local community. The children, aged 6-13, decorated a card and drew pictures depicting the fire service, delivering the items on Saturday afternoon, 24 May, with a fresh batch of cookies baked by one of the parents. The message inside the card read [in Greek], “The children of the Seventh-day Adventist Church would like to honour you today for your brave service and protection of our community. Please accept this small gesture of gratitude.”

Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, invited the Seventh-day Adventists and other Christian churches to a formal dinner at his residence on 26 April to affirm their unique role in Iraq’s historical and cultural heritage. Baghdad Church Pastor, Fawzi Benjamin, who represented the Adventist Church in Iraq, was personally welcomed by the president.

After many months of political tension in Lebanon, we have today witnessed a serious escalation of the crisis. In some areas down town in West Beirut, there has been heavy clashes with shooting. The roads to Lebanon’s only international airport, in Beirut, and some of the other main roads in and around Beirut are blocked with burning tyres, soil and garbage containers. The main road through the Bekaa valley to Damascus is also currently blocked. The present conflict is basically between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims. The Shiites, being a part of the political opposition, are backed by Syria and Iran. The Sunnis, as part of the political majority, are backed by most other Arab countries and the West, including the US.

In mid-April, 23 fellowship leaders from the Gulf region attended a leadership seminar in Dubai, conducted by Pastor Raafat Kamal, Trans-European Division Field Secretary.

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - Eighteen Pathfinders, their leaders and some family members from the Sharjah Seventh-day Adventist community volunteered to clean the Al Jazeera Park in Sharjah, on 21 March, as part of their community service initiative.

A two-week intensive training programme in Evangelism sponsored jointly by the Middle East Union (MEU) and the Trans-European Division (TED), was recently conducted in the South Sudan Field (SSF) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The event, held at the SFF headquarters in Arua, featured classroom lectures, hands-on workshops in evangelistic sermon preparation and delivery, and time for questions.

Arua, Uganda - The training of Adventist pastors and Bible workers is continuous in the South Sudan Field (SSF), but it was a real joy to witness the energy and enthusiasm that was apparent among these workers when more than 45 of them gathered together for a more structured and intensive training experience, attending lectures and devotionals in Arua, 5 - 8 March, 2008.

Pastor Jony Hajaj from Jordan has made history for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Middle East by creating the very first Arabic recording for the Hope Channel on 19 March 2008. Pastor Jony’s message reflected on Ecclesiastes 11: 1, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” “Casting bread,” challenged Pastor Jony, “could be accomplished through good works, witness, our words and our financial resources. We should not limit our generosity in these things,” he urged.

The training programme entitled "Evangelism on the Move" was held in Khartoum, Sudan, from 21 January to 2 February, 2008. A total of 45 Pastors, Bible workers and lay members from various parts of Sudan attended the programme. Lecturers from the Middle East Union (MEU), Dr Maywald Jesudass, Dr Bern Yuot, Amir Ghali; and, Janos Kovacs-Biro from the Trans-European Division (TED), presented high quality lectures and gave practical training on how to preach the Good News in a culturally relevant way.