LLU&MC Scope Autumn 2000 - General Conference

General Conference session

A life-size replica of the Good Samaritan sculpture that stands on the campus mall highlights the LLU&MC exhibit at the 57th General Conference session.

Estimated 35,000 guests visit LLU&MC exhibit

More than 35,000 individuals who were in attendance at the 57th General Conference session of Seventh-day Adventists, held June 29 to July 8, 2000, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, visited the Loma Linda University and Medical Center exhibit area. The theme of the session was "Almost Home."

The Loma Linda display featured a Styrofoam replica of the Good Samaritan sculpture set in front of an 11-foot-high backlit photograph of Coleman and Chan Shun Pavilions. The Loma Linda site became a popular focal point for many of the visitors and delegates to have their picture taken.

Coordinated by W. Augustus Cheatham, MSW, vice president for public affairs and marketing at Loma Linda University and Medical Center, the display was one of the most visited exhibits during the 10- day session.

Visiting with LLU&MC vice president for public affairs and marketing W. Augustus Cheatham, MSW (left), are Joseph Verner Reed (center), under-secretary-general of the United Nations, and former General Conference president Neal C. Wilson.

The primary meetings of the General Conference session were held in the Sky Dome located adjacent to the CN Tower. The exhibit hall, the size of three-and-a-half football fields, was housed 80 feet underground in the Toronto Convention Center located next to the CN Tower.

In an interview with the Loma Linda Broadcasting Network (LLBN), Mr. Cheatham explained how the replica of the Good Samaritan sculpture was transported by truck from Loma Linda to Toronto.

"We had to reassure many people that the sculptures [in Toronto] were actually replicas and not the originals," Mr. Cheatham said in the LLBN interview, "and that [the originals] were still there on the Loma Linda campus."

The 2,000-square-foot Loma Linda exhibit made use of existing exhibit material that was displayed in the Netherlands at the 56th General Conference session in 1995. The Good Samaritan sculpture was added for the 57th session.

"The primary purpose of the exhibit was to inform the world Church about what is going on at their institution," Mr. Cheatham reported in the interview. "We had a wonderful time at the General Conference session. Large numbers of people came to visit us every day, for which we were pleased."

During the 10-day session, more than 200,000 pieces of information were given to conference attendees about Loma Linda University and Medical Center, including a specially designed coloring book for the children attending the session.

In addition, a website featuring some of the guests who visited the Loma Linda exhibit was updated daily, available on the Internet for viewing throughout the world.

B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president of Loma Linda University and Medical Center, and Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, executive vice president and chief executive officer at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center, greet visitors as they enter the Loma Linda exhibit.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center president B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, headed the Loma Linda delegation to the General Conference session. Other Loma Linda delegates included Lisa M. Beardsley, PhD, MPH, executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs, Loma Linda University; Brian S. Bull, MD, vice president for clinical faculty and dean, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University; W. Augustus Cheatham, MSW, vice president for public affairs, Loma Linda University and Medical Center; James M. Crawford, DDS, executive associate dean, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University; Joan Coggin, MD, MPH, vice president for global outreach, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center; H. Roger Hadley, MD, senior vice president, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center; Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, dean, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University; Joyce W. Hopp, PhD, MPH, dean, School of Allied Health Professions, Loma Linda University; Michael H. Jackson, MPH, senior vice president for strategic and business planning, Loma Linda University Medical Center; Patricia S. Jones, PhD, professor of nursing, School of Nursing, Loma Linda University; Helen E. King, PhD, RN, dean, School of Nursing, Loma Linda University; J. Lynn Martell, DMin, vice president for advancement, Loma Linda University and Medical Center; Leslie N. Pollard, DMin, vice president for diversity, Loma Linda University Advent ist Health Sciences Center; Gerald R. Winslow, PhD, vice president for spiritual life, Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center; and Zareh Sarrafian, MBA, executive vice president and chief executive officer at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center.

A total of 2,000 delegates represented the various entities of the world church.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center Board of Trustees chair Calvin B. Rock, DMin, PhD, is interviewed by Marlon K. Paley (center) and Ganim Hanna of the Loma Linda Broadcasting Network.

The Loma Linda exhibit was one of 282 exhibits depicting the wide variety of educational, health, and evangelistic ministries within the Seventh-day Adventist Church structure.

An additional exhibit space housed 243 commercial booths, and an adjoining area was reserved for a 10,000-square-foot Adventist Book Center.

Located adjacent to the exhibit area was a stage coordinated by the Global Mission Department of the Church. A full program that included various ministries and educational institutions featured how the Lord is opening doors for the gospel message to be spread around the world.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center presented their latest video, "Partners in Mission," on three occasions at the Global Mission stage during the General Conference session.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church holds General Conference sessions every five years to elect church officials and discuss church business and policy.

Dr. Reuben and Mrs. Frances Matiko (left and center) stop by the Loma Linda exhibit to look at the replica of the Good Samaritan sculpture. The actual bronze sculpture that stands on the Loma Linda campus was made possible through the generosity of the Matikos.

Loma Linda University and Medical Center has exhibited at General Confence sessions for more than 30 years. Since the end of World War II, sessions have been held outside of the United States three times--Vienna, Austria, in 1970; Utrech, the Netherlands, in 1995; and Toronto,Canada, in 2000.

In the early days of the Adventist Church, sessions were held each year--with only 150 to 200 people attending. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 attended this year's session, with up to 70,000 on the final Sabbath.

Canada Post, the official postal system for Canada, issued a stamp featuring the Seventh-day Adventist Church commemorating the General Conference session in Toronto.

The unveiling ceremony for the stamp took place during the opening day of the session on June 29. This was the first stamp honoring the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be issued in North America.

In the summer of 2005, the 58th General Conference session will be held in St. Louis, Missouri.

LLU, General Conference join forces to survey health attitudes of Toronto attendees

Nearly 4,000 individuals took part in a survey jointly sponsored by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Health Ministries Department and the School of Public Health; it was distributed at the 57th General Conference session.

"In designing this survey, we tried to develop a baseline snapshot of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church in terms of correlating beliefs and life style behaviors, says Helen Hopp Marshak, PhD, associate professor of health promotion and education in the School of Public Health.

Approximately 2,500 people completed the English language survey; 1,200 completed the Spanish language survey; and 200, the French survey. The anonymous questionnaires were distributed to all delegates attending the session. In addition, several thousand guests came to the Loma Linda exhibit to fill out a survey.

We plan to do a similar survey every five years at the General Conference session, Dr. Marshak continues. "At the next session in St. Louis, we plan to have it available in many more languages. At the Toronto session, we found many language groups were under-represented."

The General Conference session is an opportunity to reach a cross section of Adventist lifestyles around the world, Dr. Marshak continues. "We have a good idea of what Adventist lifestyle is like in North America and in some Scandinavian countries where similar research has been done, but lifestyle behavior information among Adventists throughout the rest of the world is not readily available."

By design, the survey was not personalized, according to Dr. Marshak. "We only asked what world division the respondent was a member ofÛnot his or her home country."

Typical questions asked in the survey included "What was your age at baptism?" "How often do your local pastors or evangelists include the health message in their ministry?" "How often do your local pastors or evangelists communicate the health message to groups outside the SDA community?" "Do you feel your local church adequately addresses the health concerns of church members?" "How do you rate your current health?" "How often have you attended a religious service during the past month?" "How often do you eat fruits of any kind?" "How often do you eat vegetables of any kind?" "How often to you consume dairy products?"

Other questions concerned the amount of water the individual drinks per day, the average amount of sleep, whether or not the individual consumes alcoholic beverages, use of vitamins or dietary supplements, use of non-prescription medications, meat-eating habits, exercise activities, and the respondent's general mood.

The survey was originally designed for the delegates attending the General Conference session, but was broadened to include the attitudes and lifestyle of the regular church member. This survey may be supplemented in the future by questions on a website that Adventists from all over the world could log onto and complete at any time, Dr. Marshak adds. It is anticipated that the survey results will be posted on the General Conference Health Ministries Department website when the results are tabulated.

[Scope, Autumn 2000]