Middle East and North Africa Union Report Highlights Accomplishments, Plans

Seventh-day Adventist leaders in the Middle East and North Africa Union Mission (MENAUM) recently reported on the church region activities and institutional updates. In a newsletter sent on December 27, MENAUM president Richard E. McEdward shared some of the highlights that encompass 20 countries from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to Sudan.

“I cannot help but give thanks to God for the ways that He has guided and blessed His work. We are only custodians and servants of the work He has given us to do,” McEdward said. He specifically mentioned the growth of God’s work across the region, including baptisms in a country with no Adventist membership until 2024. “Every location I visit in [MENAUM], people share their testimonies of God changing their lives,” McEdward said. Also, “media outreach . . . continues to shape people’s understanding of God, salvation through Jesus, and His soon return.”

McEdward also thanked the world church for its continued support. “We have had the blessing of being backed by the world church to share the three angels’ messages with a challenging part of the world,” he said.

While McEdward acknowledged that “it has not been an easy year,” he said that the members of the team he leads “praise God for His guidance and safety of our workforce even through challenging times.”

Gatherings and Events

In his December 27 newsletter, McEdward highlighted the completion of key projects and celebrated God’s many blessings in 2024. “By reflecting on these achievements, the meetings served not only as a fulfillment of the commitments made to God at the beginning of the year but also as an opportunity to share the joyful news of His abundant grace and provision,” he explained.

He mentioned the church region’s year-end meetings across the Egypt Field and the Gulf Field, a workers’ meeting in the East Mediterranean Region, and the 2024 United Arab Emirates Pathfinder Fair with eight clubs and more than 300 participants. “The event covered the different aspects of the Pathfinder Ministry: spiritual development, mental development, and physical aptitude,” McEdward reported.

Classes Are Set to Resume at Middle East University

McEdward also reported that Middle East University (MEU) in Beirut, Lebanon, will resume in-person classes on January 13, based upon the November 27 ceasefire agreement. The MEU crisis committee voted for a return of all teachers and students beginning in the spring semester.

“We praise God for His mercy in protecting us during the war and for the peace we have experienced in recent weeks,” said Amy McHenry, MEU vice-president of academic administration. “We continue to pray for lasting peace and justice to prevail across the world and for God to be glorified in all things.”

Sabbath School Bible Guides Available

Finally, McEdward reported that the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for first quarter 2025 is now available for download from Middle East Publishers in Arabic, Turkish, French, and Persian. “This study guide, written by John Peckham, will be highlighting God’s love and justice, as its title suggests. People can also obtain it as an app on their Android or iOS device,” he said.

Based on June 30, 2024, statistics, 7,026 members worship in 64 Adventist churches in the Middle East and North Africa Union Mission.