11 July 2015 | San Antonio, Texas, USA [Victor Hulbert, tedNEWS] On the day that Serbia’s Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, was chased away by stone-throwing protesters at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a rich mix of 70,000 Seventh-day Adventists representing almost every culture on the planet found themselves in joint, heart-felt worship at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Dejan Stojkovic is Serbian. He now lives in the UK where he serves as Teen’s Ministries director for the South England Conference. When just a teen himself he escaped military service in the war that split Yugoslavia, fleeing across the border in a hearse on its way to a funeral. The break-up of his country was painful to him and his family. His father had worked as a pastor whose ministry crossed cultural and ethnic boundaries.
That pain became bittersweet when he met the young lady who now sits by his side. Deana comes from what, geographically and politically, is ‘the other side of the fence’. She is from Croatia, but ended up without passport or nationality – so today the passport she travels on is Bosnian. Deana is PA to the Communication and Media department at the Trans-European Division office in St Albans, England and has discovered that love has no barriers. Dejan and Deana have now been married for five years. They don’t mind what flag is flying, for them the flag to fly most high is the one for Jesus.
Up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys died at the hands of Bosnian Serb forces amid the break-up of Yugoslavia. Serbia had backed the Bosnian Serbs. On Saturday, 11 July, Mr Vučić had been attempting a gesture of peace, apology and reconciliation in joining with other world leaders at a ceremony in Bosnia-Herzegovina to pay respects at the Srebrenica graveyard where more than 100 newly found remains were to be buried with 6,000 other massacre victims. However, he became a target of abuse, the hissing crowd hurling rocks and bottles at him.
“I regret that some people haven’t recognized my sincere intention to build friendship between Serbian and Bosniak people,” he said later. “I still give my hand to the Bosniak people. I will continue with that … and always be ready to work together to overcome problems.”
It is a sad story that clearly is not yet complete. Even more sad that it is not unique but has been repeated in multitudes of ways in countries around the world. Rwanda saw its own genocide – and yet has also seen amazing stories of reconciliation and healing. In South Africa we have seen once divided communities coming together.
Even in meetings this past week where people have strongly expressed very different points of view, and may have had to agree to disagree, or graciously accepted a disappointing vote, on Sabbath they were able to sit and worship together under the same united flag. As World Church President, Pastor Ted Wilson said in his sermon, “Don’t get stuck on one side or the other of the road – keep in the middle of God’s Word.”
Evidence of this was seen both in the morning and the afternoon programme. Church members thrilled to see the way God was drawing communities together, be it health ministry in Jakarta, major evangelism in Zimbabwe, or one committed lady in an un-entered part of China who has not only baptised 500 members, but has planted ten churches.
For Dejan and Deana, holding hands in a dome filled with Adventist members from so many different cultures and background, many in national costumes, and with even the music and scripture coming in a multitude of languages, this is a little picture of the future. “The Book of Revelation paints a wonderful picture of heaven”, Dejan enthuses. “It describes ‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.’ [Rev 7:9 NIV] United in Christ, today was just a tiny glimpse heaven.
For more on Dejan’s story watch ‘In Conversation’. He has also been responsible for a series of fun-filled informative videos from around the GC aimed at a teenage audience. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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