Silver Spring, Maryland— John Arthur, former director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Trans-Europe, received the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) during an investiture ceremony last month at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom. The award honors Arthur for his nearly four decades of outstanding humanitarian service with ADRA.

Earlier this year, Arthur was listed as a recipient of the OBE award in The Queen's Birthday Honors List, which is drawn up by the national government of British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Only 240 people a year receive the award out of a population of 61 million.

"It was an unforgettable experience," enthused Arthur, speaking of the ceremony held November 23, 2006. Arthur was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and spoke with her briefly about ADRA's work in Albania, Sarajevo, and Kosovo. "The atmosphere was incredible," he continued. "It was an absolutely fantastic day."

Many of Arthur's friends, colleagues, and admirers also spoke glowingly of Arthur's years of service. Former Albanian Ambassador, His Excellency Pavli Quesku, spoke of Arthur's commitment to others even in times of conflict. "In the days of Kalashnikovs, AK47's and turmoil, [Arthur] said 'never say die' but continued working for the people of Albania as well as other countries." ADRA was the first foreign agency to arrive in Albania, led by John Arthur, when the conflict broke out.

Arthur also received tributes from Sir Norman Wisdom; Sarah, the Duchess of York; Suma Chakrabarti, permanent secretary of the Department of International Development; and Arthur's nephew, Steve Cooper, the country director for the ADRA office in Sri Lanka. "I was so encouraged by John's selfless service that I determined to follow in my uncle's footsteps," Cooper stated.

During Arthur's work for ADRA, Arthur coordinated the distribution of millions in emergency management and development aid to countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Northeast Africa. He has also been active in the promotion of ADRA in the United Kingdom, and is most well known for his work raising funds for children in Albania.

"It's a tremendous honor," continued Arthur. "I would have never expected this in a thousand years. It is a tribute to the unflagging professionalism of the ADRA team that I was connected to, and the solid support that we received from church members and the donor community."

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established in 1917 by George V.

In 1994, Arthur was also the recipient of the Order of Mother Teresa, presented by Dr. Sali Berisha, Albania's then-president. The award is the country's highest civilian award, and like the OBE, recognized Arthur's humanitarian work.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.

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Media Contact: Nadia McGill ADRA International 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Phone: 301.680.5145 E-mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org

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