wfn.org | Adventists Responds To Changes With Prayers

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For Peace 

November 19, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD

Adventist Church Leader Responds To Changes With 
Prayers For Peace And Prosperity    

Belgrade, Yugoslavia.     A letter of congratulations 
and support was sent to the newly-elected president of 
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Dr Vojislav 
Kostunica, following the dramatic people's revolution 
of last weekend, by the president of the Seventh-day 
Adventist in the South-East European region, Dr Radia 
Antic.

"We wish to congratulate you on your appointment as 
president of Yugoslavia and wish you God's blessings in 
your new role, and blessings to all the citizens in 
our country," writes Antic in his letter dated 
October 10. "We want to assure you that the members of 
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, according to the Bible, 
will continue to pray for you and your government to be 
successful in bringing peace and prosperity in our country 
for all peoples."

Last week the world witnessed a change of the president 
of Yugoslavia which brings with it major changes to the 
country and the lives of its people.  "It had seemed that 
before any significant changes took place in Yugoslavia, 
war preceded it," says Miodrag Zivanovic, Communication 
director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Yugoslavia. 

For the last nine years this was the pattern - such as in 
Croatia, Bosnia and lately in Kosovo.  Many people have 
been killed and hundreds of thousands have become refugees 
from such conflicts.  People are exhausted and tired of 
fighting. They want peace and freedom. Would this terrible 
cycle repeat again?  Not this time. Instead, a miracle took 
place last week," continues Zivanovic. "This massive shift 
has happened almost completely peacefully.  We praise God 
for this and pray that this peace will continue."

Church leaders of other denominations also reacted on 
the change of the president.  Kostunica is a professed 
Orthodox Christian who has quoted the Bible in calling for 
peace. "He will be the country's first faithful Christian 
president since the Second World War," says Orthodox Bishop 
Sava of umadia.  Catholic Archbishop Franc Perko said 
Kostunica will "establish relationships with other faiths" 
and that "this new government does not persecute minority 
faiths."

Commenting on the presidential change, Antic tells ANR how 
the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Yugoslavia, with its 
10,000 members, sees these changes.

"As disciples of Jesus Christ we respect any authority, any 
government and we accept Dr Kostunica and his new government 
as well," says Antic. "We believe that it is going to be for 
the better.  We are happy to see that our new president is a 
believer, with faith in God, and using the Bible as a base 
for the values of democracy, freedom of choice and a right 
to choose one's beliefs and philosophy of life."

"We pray that peace will take place in our country. The 
country's economy is in a poor state - after almost ten years 
of sanctions and isolation from the rest of the world. Our 
church, through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, 
faced some real challenges in helping to provide necessities 
such as food and clothing for the members and our neighbours 
during these difficult years."

In conclusion, Antic requests ANR readership to pray 
for the people of Yugoslavia: "We ask the members of the 
Adventist Church around the world and people of good will 
to pray for us - as you did during our troubled times - 
that peace will prevail.  But also, we ask you to pray that the 
people of Yugoslavia will experience a life-changing 
revolution - a revolution that pours through a person's 
life of accepting the love of Jesus Christ who is our 
Saviour."