WORLD REPORT tion of money, the near-death situations, and simple hopelessness — turned out to be worse than the destruction and bullets at home.” Adventists working with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) are at the front lines of the migrant crisis. The Croatia and Slovenia branches of ADRA have been actively collecting in-kind donations for refugees in Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia. A train car carrying 10 tons of humanitarian aid was sent to Serbia, while 2.5 tons was delivered free of charge to the Greek island of Lesbos by Adria Airways, the national air carrier of Slovenia. Adventist Church members are assisting migrants in many European countries, including Austria, Germany, Italy, and Britain. “I encourage our members to check with their local church leaders and ADRA offices about ongoing plans and initiatives,” said Kamal, whose Britishbased Trans-European Division encompasses more than 20 European countries, including Serbia, Hungary, and Greece. “If there are not any, I encourage them to initiate and actively support ADRA and the church.” The migrant crisis has brought back many memories to Kamal, who grew up in Lebanon during its 19751990 civil war. He lost family and friends in numerous attacks on his village. At one point a rocket slammed into his house, destroying a floor. Kamal left Lebanon in 1984 to pursue business and theology studies at Newbold College of Higher Education, an Adventist institution in Britain. “Migrants are frightened and homeless, and many have witnessed unspeakable horrors,” Kamal said. “We must help them. It is our human and Christian duty.” n
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Alberto C. Gulfan, Jr.,
Remembered for His Evangelism The former division president passes away after a long struggle with cancer. By Andrew McChesney, with reporting from the Southern Asia-Pacific Division
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lberto C. Gulfan, Jr., a passionate evangelist who conducted five to six evangelistic series a year, even during his 12 years as president of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), died September 26 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 64. Gulfan, a lifelong Seventh-day Adventist, had a quiet, humble leadership style and a love for tennis that endeared him to friends and colleagues. “He was a wonderful champion of God’s truth and evangelistic proclamation,” Adventist world church president Ted N. C. Wilson said in a condolence letter to Gulfan’s wife, Helen BocalaGulfan, and three adult children. Gulfan served the church in a 42-year career that culminated with his election in June 2003 as president of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, which covers the Philippines, Indonesia, and 12 other countries. He stepped aside because of his illness at the church’s General Conference session in July 2015. “He was an evangelist at heart. Evangelism was in his blood and was his constant refrain,” said G. T. Ng, executive secretary of the Adventist world church, who began working with Gulfan as a professor at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in the 1990s. Gulfan worked at the time as
Adventist World - nad | November 2015
president of the church’s Central Philippine Union Conference, whose territory included the school. Myron Iseminger, undersecretary of the Adventist world church, said he will long remember participating in a large evangelistic campaign held in multiple locations on the Philippine island of Mindanao that concluded with a mass Sabbath baptism of more than 2,000 people led by Gulfan. “I believe anyone you talk to would agree that Pastor Gulfan’s legacy was his passion for evangelism,” said Iseminger, who worked directly with Gulfan as an associate treasurer of the SSD for three years. Gulfan held many roles in the church. He was a literature evangelist, church pastor, district pastor, hospital chaplain and health educator, union health and temperance director, mission president, union ministerial secretary, union executive secretary, and union president before being elected division president. “I appreciated and liked his ‘quiet’ leadership,” said Gerald A. Klingbeil, an associate editor of Adventist Review and Adventist World, who worked with Gulfan as dean of AIIAS’ Theological Seminary from 2006 to 2009. “He was not a noisy leader, very humble, and often searching for consensus, but he knew where he wanted the church to be.”