{"id":1929,"date":"2018-09-20T16:55:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T16:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2018\/09\/20\/ted-wilson-inspired-by-belgrade-refugee-community-centre\/"},"modified":"2021-12-10T20:39:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T20:39:13","slug":"ted-wilson-inspired-by-belgrade-refugee-community-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/ted-wilson-inspired-by-belgrade-refugee-community-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"Ted Wilson inspired by Belgrade Refugee Community Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>25 September 2018 | Belgrade, Serbia [Victor Hulbert]<\/p>\n<p>When you have been inspired you need to visit.&nbsp; That was the case for Pastor Ted Wilson during his visit to the European Pastors\u2019 Council in Belgrade, Serbia, 28 August \u2013 2 September 2018.&nbsp; He specifically asked to visit the nearby ADRA Community Centre for refugees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen is just a tremendous blessing for these people,\u201d Wilson reflected in a video interview recorded during a tour of the facilities.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ted Wilson visits refugee community centre in Belgrade\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/piMhc3MG8Gg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As president of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, Wilson had already taken a personal interest in the recent World Refugee Sabbath on 16 June.&nbsp; While not physically present during live programming streamed worldwide from the ADRA Belgrade Community Centre, Wilson nevertheless spoke to camera, expressing his passion and commitment to a caring church that looks after the dispossessed.&nbsp; Now he got the chance to visit the centre itself.<\/p>\n<p>Together with Raafat Kamal, TED president, and J<span lang=\"EN-GB\">o\u00e3o<\/span> Martins, ADRA Europe director, Wilson took time out of his schedule to visit the Dru\u0161tveni Centar, meeting refugees, and experiencing first-hand the work ADRA and its partners are doing in education, skills training, women\u2019s empowerment, legal issues, social integration and sport or craft activities.<\/p>\n<p>Igor Mitrovic, Country director for ADRA Serbia, explained to Wilson that the Dru\u0161tveni centre, working together closely with the Adventist church, is intentional as a \u201ca centre of influence for the common good.\u201d&nbsp; Mitrovic expressed his delight in seeing the personal interest that two Adventist leaders took in the project, equally noting how Pastor Kamal connected with the teenage boys involved in craft activities, chatting avidly with them in Arabic.<a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1911\" style=\"display: block; margin: 5px auto;\" title=\"Ted Wilson and a guide at the centre. [photo credit: Victor Hulbert]\" src=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Wilson and guide at ADRA Serbia Refugee centre\" width=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-500x280.jpg 500w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-1100x619.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-700x394.jpg 700w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-900x506.jpg 900w, https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/images_news-2018_Wilson-and-guide-at-ADRA-Serbia-Refugee-centre-560x315.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While the centre is working primarily with those fleeing war and danger in their native lands, it also provides educational and social help for nearby local communities that are also suffering deprivation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you see people in transition, people who don\u2019t have a real home base, your heart goes out to them for there, but for the grace of God, you could be in that situation yourself,\u201d Wilson noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s business man can easily be tomorrow\u2019s refugee,\u201d Kamal reflected after the visit, noting that some of the compassion in this crisis came from memories of war in the Balkans just two decades previously.&nbsp; \u201cThese people know how uncertain life can be, but also the importance to instil hope,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have a ministry of compassion and I am so delighted to see ADRA Serbia, the Adventist Church, and other partners, playing such a significant role in the lives of these individuals.&nbsp; [<em>ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n<p>SEE ALSO:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2018\/06\/19\/world-refugee-sabbath-programming-impacts-lives-around-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Refugee Sabbath programming impacts lives around the world<\/a> (19 June 2018)<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2018\/05\/23\/lost-but-now-found\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lost but now found<\/a> (22 May 2018) The tale of one refugee.<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2017\/11\/16\/street-children-refugees-and-adventist-youth-integrate-in-community-choir-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Street children, refugees and Adventist youth integrate in community choir project<\/a> (16 November 2017)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ted<\/em>NEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Sajitha Forde-Ralph, associate editor<br \/>119 St Peter&#8217;s Street, St Albans, Herts, AL1 3EY, England<br \/>E-mail: <span id=\"cloak9a95fff11b0413077a3a10b62293d2c1\"><span id=\"cloakb4b9fe10007265219973ee49812dce2c\"><span id=\"cloakd6bd86f75bbab57fd70f893f0b869011\"><span id=\"cloak314b949ca2a8bf37b853976648baa00b\"><span id=\"cloak0740a9b1934786c0af3e71f2576840cd\"><span id=\"cloaka945c4c082dbb7e90bebfc583b6b0220\"><span id=\"cloak514bb1ff3d03c2b70035318e3b2d8fcf\"><a href=\"mailto:tednews@ted.adventist.org\">tednews@ted.adventist.org<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>Website: www.ted.adventist.org<br \/>tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. Readers are free to republish or share this article with appropriate credit including an active hyperlink to the original article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>25 September 2018 | Belgrade, Serbia [Victor Hulbert]<\/p>\n<p>When you have been inspired you need to visit.&nbsp; That was the case for Pastor Ted Wilson during his visit to the European Pastors\u2019 Council in Belgrade, Serbia, 28 August \u2013 2 September 2018.&nbsp; He specifically asked to visit the nearby ADRA Community Centre for refugees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1592,1575,7],"tags":[72,73,65,78,147,98],"class_list":["post-1929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bosnia-herzegovina-montenegro-north-macedonia-serbia","category-humanitarian-relief-work","category-news","tag-adra","tag-adventist-development-and-relief-agency","tag-raafat-kamal","tag-serbia","tag-ted-wilson","tag-world-refugee-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8327,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1929\/revisions\/8327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}