The Adventist Church in the region incorporating Australia, New Zealand, and south pacific islands, has moved decisively to reduce the amount of church administrative structure.
1,800 lay Adventists gave more than US$4.2 million in a single offering on August 5 to support local and international projects.
Seventh-day Adventists will be present as observers at the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations, billed the largest gathering of heads of state in the history of humanity.
An ad hoc General Conference committee has concluded that three Seventh-day Adventist-associated lay groups "operate in a manner that is consistent with offshoot movements."
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Myanmar (Burma) continues to grow despite obstacles including rules about holding public meetings and publishing new materials, according to a veteran pastor.
The risk of smoking-related lung cancer is much higher than previously thought, a new study on smoking shows.