The Seventh-day Adventist Church will focus on expanding its presence in large cities around the world from funds raised at next year’s church world session, which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, June 29 - July 9, 2005. Each of the Adventist Church’s 13 world administrative regions will choose a city in an initiative called "Hope for Big Cities."

"We aren’t just going in there with a big campaign," says Matthew Bediako, secretary for the world church and chairman of the "Hope for Big Cities" committee. "A strategic plan is being developed for reaching each city."

"Historically the [Adventist] Church has done well in rural areas, and on islands," says Gary Krause, communication director for the church’s Global Mission initiative. "For whatever reasons we have not done well in urban areas. But there has been amazing population growth in the cities."

In 1950 there were eight mega cities—populations of more than 5 million. By 2015, it’s estimated there will be 59 mega cities, 48 of them in less-developed countries, according to Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies, who wrote on the topic in "The Futurist" magazine in 2003.

The two offerings during church service on Saturday (Sabbath) taken at each Adventist Church world session held every five years, are designated for a special purpose. The next session, in July 2005, will feature an offering dedicated to the "Hope for Big Cities" effort. Three other worldwide Sabbath worship offerings are designated for the initiative—Oct. 9, 2004; April 9, 2005; and July 9, 2005.

The Adventist Church in Western Africa has chosen N’Djamena, the capital of the Republic of Chad as a target city. Job-Nguerebaye Ngaroita, secretary for the church in Chad, says teaching people about the Adventist Church in a country of many Muslims can be hard. He says there are at least 1.5 million people in the city, but only 800 Adventists.

The Adventist church in North America has selected the diverse, secular and cosmopolitan city of Montreal, Canada for its effort, according to Emile Maxi, personal ministries director for the church in the province of Quebec.

Maxi says 2003 was noteworthy for the church in Montreal as it conducted the first large-scale evangelism campaign. An estimated 4,000 people attended the meetings.

"This won’t just be public evangelism," says Krause. "That may be part of it, but this initiative envisions strategies involving many different methods to establish viable congregations in the big cities."

In 1950, only 18 percent of people in developing countries lived in cities. In 2000 that number had risen to 47 percent, according to researchers Cetron and Davies. About three-fourths of the population in developed countries live in cities. [Editors: Ansel Oliver and Christian B. Schaeffler for ANN/APD]

List of Target Cities:

North America: Montreal, Canada

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean: Johannesburg, South Africa

Trans-Europe: London, United Kingdom

Euro-Asia: Moscow, Russia
Southern Asia-Pacific: Bangkok, Thailand

South Pacific: Sydney, Australia (Port Moresby, PNG)

East-Central Africa: Bujumbura, Burundi; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

South America: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Northern Asia-Pacific: Kaoshiong, Taiwan; Shinjuku, Japan; Suwon, Korea

Western Africa: N'djamena, Chad

Inter-America: Mexico City, Mexico

Euro-Africa: Vienna, Austria; Sofia, Bulgaria; Prague, Czech Republik; Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Rome, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; Bucharest, Romania; Madrid, Spain; Zurich, Switzerland; Istanbul, Turkey.