wfn.org | Rwanda: Adventist Church Can't 'Walk Away' From University

[Christian B. Schäffler (APD Schweiz)]

May 15, 2005
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief APD
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Schweiz

Rwanda: Adventist Church Can't 'Walk Away' 
>From University, Paulsen Says

Kigali, Rwanda, 14.05.2005/ANN/APD    The Adventist University of 
Central Africa (AUCA) will soon be housed in a new 50-acre campus 
in Masoro, a Kigali neighborhood. Pastor Jan Paulsen, world 
president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, participated in a 
foundation-laying ceremony there May 12. 

The new campus will replace one formerly operated by the Adventist 
church that is now occupied by Rwandan armed forces. The government 
has purchased the old campus from the church. Classes are being held 
in a downtown Kigali facility too small for the 840-student 
enrollment; that building will be retained as an extension campus. 

"There were those that said we should walk away from operating a 
university here in Rwanda again, because of the political 
uncertainty of the country, but we should not and cannot," 
Paulsen said at the event. "And the loss of our property still 
causes me deep sadness, but the mission of the church urges us 
forward." 

Jozsef Szilvasi, AUCA rector, welcomed Pastor Paulsen and other 
distinguished guests, saying, "The University enjoys an excellent 
reputation in the eyes of both the government and the community, 
so much so that the existing city campus will be kept for 
continuing education purposes." 

In his address, Paulsen said that "although other universities 
have academic value, an Adventist university has an added value, 
that of the spiritual. We believe in the holistic development 
of the individual in our pursuit of excellence." 

The Adventist world church president then quoted physicist 
Albert Einstein's comment that "'it is the supreme task of 
the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression, joyous in 
finding knowledge, in exciting discoveries and in finding God,'" 
adding, "we want to make our education a supreme testimony to His 
greatness. My appeal to the teachers is, use your influence 
wisely and to the very best of your ability." 

An estimated 1 million Adventist Christians, including 400,000 
baptized adult members	worship weekly in about 3,000 local 
congregations in Rwanda. [John T.J. Banks and Christian B. 
Schaeffler for ANN/APD]