34116 research outputs found
Sort by
Navigating fiscal resilience in the Asia-Pacific: A multivariate exploration of government net lending and borrowing amidst the COVID-19 crisis
No full textCOVID-19 challenges the effectiveness of institutional risk mitigation strategies. Disaster risk management and reduction are crucial in influencing a country\u27s development across both micro and macro levels. The Asia and Pacific region, comprising 37 countries, was one of the first areas to encounter the economic repercussions of COVID-19, which initially emerged in this region. Examining the trends in General Government Net Lending/Borrowing (GGnLoB) within this region is essential for comprehending the policies countries implemented to address the financial challenges resulting from the pandemic. This study employs Multivariate ANOVA models to assess GGnLoB across 37 countries during pre-COVID, during-COVID, and post-COVID periods, with an emphasis on policy interventions and the forecasting of fiscal recovery. The results underscore the significance of prompt fiscal interventions and offer essential insights for policymakers focused on developing resilient economies that can endure future crises. The research illustrates the essential relationship between fiscal policies and economic stability within the Asia-Pacific regio
A Strategy to Address Youth Homelessness in the Minneapolis Metro Area for the Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church
No full textProblem
The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s teaching on serving a vulnerable neighbor is a crucial foundation of the identity of church members as the disciples of Jesus. Therefore, each congregation needs to be aware of the needs of the community it serves. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify vulnerable neighbors and develop targeted strategies to address their specific needs and issues. According to government reports and media coverage on the issue of youth homelessness in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area, youth homelessness is an existing issue, even though resources are invested to address it. Moreover, research shows that the issue of youth homelessness is not limited to Minnesota. Nevertheless, it is a national issue that youth homelessness exists in most metropolitan areas. Some researchers even report that youth homelessness is growing in suburban and rural areas. Therefore, as a local church, finding opportunities to serve and encounter these young people cannot be overlooked. The challenge is that youth homelessness is, in many cases, invisible to many due to its complicated causes and broad impact on young lives.
Method
The Southview Seventh-day Adventist church partnered with a local youth homeless drop-in center, and the Southview volunteers visit the center to meet with young people who are seeking resources and help from the drop-in center. This encounter is crucial because it is not easy to spot individuals who experience homelessness at a young age. The Southview volunteers were interviewed and shared their perceptions before and after meeting with young people who volunteered at the drop-in center; they also discussed the changes in their perceptions. A qualitative research methodology was employed to evaluate the data and to examine the importance of engaging directly with and encountering vulnerable individuals.
Results
The results revealed that significant changes in perception occurred when volunteers met the homeless youth. First, the majority of the volunteers (the majority of the members of the Southview Seventh-day Adventist Church) were unfamiliar with youth homelessness; thus, volunteering and meeting at the youth homeless drop-in center was an enlightening experience for many. Second, many volunteers noted that it took a considerable amount of time to build trust with these young people. Furthermore, trust building is crucial, but it is not easy to build confidence during short-term visits. Finally, once some volunteers had visited the center for an extended period, it was beneficial for them in forming meaningful connections with the homeless youth.
Conclusions
Based on the volunteers’ experiences with meeting homeless youth, the importance of building meaningful connections with each individual experiencing homelessness is substantial. Therefore, although many local churches have limited resources to develop a youth homeless shelter program, it is feasible to make an impact on homeless youth’s lives by meeting with them regularly for the long term by partnering with local organizations for homeless youth
An Urban Discipleship Model for Young Adults of the New Jersey Conference of SDA Churches
No full textProblem.
The New Jersey Conference Young Adults Department presented three challenging areas to resolve before becoming a vibrant ministry: (1) a leadership succession pathway to train and develop state and area coordinators to plan regional and Conference-level events and initiatives; (2) training, nurturing, and discipling local church young adult leaders to discover their spiritual gifts while providing opportunities to serve; and (3) uniting the different young adult cultural groups to work together as a community of believers.
Method
A new urban approach was used to aid in changing the course of the Young Adults’ ministry for the New Jersey Conference. The Predictable Outcome Strategy (POS) was adapted and implemented; it was designed to build an infrastructure for urban-style young adult ministries. The model incorporated three stages. The first was a biblical foundation based on the gifts of the Spirit that guided the initiative’s mission, vision, and recruitment. The goal was to match the gifts of the recruited young adults with the roles they were being asked to serve. The second was to train the candidates in Seven Key Essentials to be used during the application stage. The Seven Key Essentials included approaches to help each candidate during the application stage. These included using the discipleship funnel for event planning, mastering the EPIC (experiential, participatory, image-driven, and connecting) approach for communications, and learning how to use the S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experience) method to help others discover their spiritual gifts. Finally, the application phase involved training local church young adults to utilize their spiritual gifts to serve their resident church and community, as well as other projects related to their gifts.
Results
A core team assisted in recruiting and developing a team of twelve coordinators. These coordinators used a discipleship funnel event planner to plan regional and Conference-wide activities for different discipleship and spiritual growth stages. The result was increased participation from all the various cultural groups, numerical growth in attendance, and a leadership succession plan via the infrastructure built using the Predictable Outcome Strategy (POS).
Conclusion
The by-product of using the POS produced several favorable outcomes: (1) a Conference team of eighty-four coordinators serving nine ministries have trained local young adult leaders to serve their church and community via various ministries, (2) the new team has become more effective and efficient by learning the art of time management for planning meetings and events, and (3) media has been used to attract young adults to our gatherings by utilizing an urban approach
Piano Trio Recital
No full textPianist Carlos Lugo, Violinist Mailyn Iribar, and Cellist Colin Cha presents a Piano Trio Recital. Featuring works by Smetana, Shostakovich, and Piazzolla.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/seniors-2024-2025/1004/thumbnail.jp
Naomi Pelayo Senior Violin Recital
No full textNaomi Pelayo presents her Senior Recital Añoranza. Featuring works by Brahms, J.S. Bach, Silvestrov, Sarasate, Wieniawski, and José Sabre Marroquín.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/seniors-2024-2025/1002/thumbnail.jp
Andrews University Wind Symphony - Spring Concert
No full textThe Andrews University Wind Symphony presents its spring concert, Scenes of Summer, under the direction of Dr. Denisse Santos.https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/events-2024-2025/1002/thumbnail.jp