Adventist Church Advocates for Religious Protection in LGBT Rights Legislation; and other world news

Here are the latest edifying reports from ANN: In the United States of America, the Seventh-day Adventist Church continues to advocate for religious freedom and protection. Lately, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the LGBT anti-discrimination bill, "The Equality Act," or HR 5. The Church remains concerned that the drafted Act would further disable faith communities' religious liberty and that of their members. The North American Division and General Conference partnered to represent the Church in supporting the Fairness for All Act. In Fiji, three churches opened a wellness bar that sells natural, herbal juices. It is to fight against non-communicable diseases. The Votualevo, Namaka, and Nadi English Seventh-day Adventist churches teamed up to open Bitu Wellness Center at Nadi, a tourism capital. The bar offers more to enthusiasts, such as weekly medical screening, a fat loss program, an immune-boosting program, and more. The public response has been encouraging, and calls are being made to introduce a registered "health club." Meanwhile, the Southern Asia-Pacific Division launched its first Pathfinder honor on Biblical Languages during an online conference on February 28. The first day of class for Level 1 of the honor started on March 7. At Oakwood University, its long-awaited Mobile Market was officially inaugurated on February 2 as part of its phase 2 initiative. The effort aims to address food insecurity and combat diet-related health disparities plaguing the neighborhood. It also serves low- or fixed-income residents and senior citizens with affordable prices of healthy foods. Watch more Adventist news, mission stories, and history features here at ANN (adventist.news). Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moERmdKIfEM