A few weeks ago I returned from the world leadership conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church known as Annual Council held at the General Conference headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Since this was the last meeting of this kind before the General Conference Session to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-July 3, 2010, there were numerous items on the agenda. Some included recommended changes to the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, which will go to the session next year for consideration. However, there was one item that caught and held my attention. Allow me to share my enthusiasm about this item with you.

For a church not always known for being on the forefront of social action, I was delighted to hear a report and appeal from ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) and the General Conference Women’s Ministries entitled: “enditnow — Adventists Say No to Violence Against Women.”

According to the enditnow report, here are some alarming facts:

1. One in three women around the world are victims of physical or psychological repression.

2. More than 135 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation and an additional two million girls and women are at risk each year; 6,000 every day.

3. In the United States one woman is battered every 15 seconds, usually by her husband or boyfriend.

4. One in five women around the world will be the victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.

The following description of the campaign was abstracted from the General Conference Web site (www.adventist.org):

“enditnow is a global campaign to raise awareness and advocate for the end of violence against women and girls around the world. . . . Through enditnow, Seventh-day Adventists . . . affirm the dignity and worth of each human being and decry all forms of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.”

During the initial phase of enditnow, one million signatures are expected to be collected worldwide and will be presented to the United Nations to raise additional awareness about the issue, advocate for the creation of effective new policies that protect women and girls, and make public the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s efforts to end violent practices against the female gender. enditnow seeks to extend God’s vision of love and compassion for all His children.

Domestic violence has been documented as a major issue within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Incidences of abuse follow trends documented in non-Adventist populations. This is why enditnow seeks to increase personal awareness, responsibility, and involvement to effectively help end violence against women and girls in every family and community.

While enditnow focuses on violence against women and girls, abuse of any kind should never occur against men or women. This campaign aims to highlight abuse against women because the majority of victims of gender-based violence are indisputably women.

Why now, this campaign now? Because we can’t wait!

I encourage every member of the Atlantic Union Conference to join with the Seventh-day Adventist Church at all levels, as well as all other caring organizations, to help stamp out this scourge of evil among God’s children on this planet.

My wife, Lois, and I extend best wishes and a safe and blessed holiday season.

Donald G. King is president of the Atlantic Union Conference and chairman of the Atlantic Union College Board of Trustees.