The Seventh-day Adventist church in Britain and Europe has responded to this week’s terrorist attack in London that saw five people confirmed dead and many others injured:
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017 as events unfolded around the attack outside the Houses of Parliament, we are reminded of the volatile and insecure world in which we live. To date seven arrests have been made in raids around London and elsewhere. Sadly, deaths have occurred including a policeman, with 7 still critically injured, and a further 29 treated in hospital according to BBC reports on Thursday morning, 23 March.
Pastor Ian Sweeney, President of the British Union Conference (BUC) of Seventh-day Adventists in response said, “The British Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists condemns Wednesday’s terrorist attack in London and we mourn the tragic and senseless loss of life that resulted.
“While we should not speculate as to the motivations behind this atrocity, it appears to have been an attack toward the seat of British government and democracy and sadly innocent people including a police officer lost their lives. As a community of faith, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all those who mourn.”
The BUC is encouraging church leaders to arrange prayers this Sabbath for the families of those who lost their lives, and the many still hospitalised and traumatised by the whole event.
Pastor Raafat Kamal, president of the Trans-European Division, the church region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that includes the United Kingdom, added his sympathies and those of his colleagues in the many countries he represents. In offering condolences, he noted that while we live in dark times, we also live with hope, care and a sense of purpose. “We do not let acts like this defeat us,” he said, but rather we feel more compelled to share the love of God that can touch and transform all lives.”
