Who We Are, How We Serve

The Columbia Union Conference coordinates the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s work in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where 150,000 members worship in 860 congregations. We provide administrative support to eight conferences; two healthcare networks; 81 early childhood, elementary and secondary schools; a liberal arts university; a health sciences college; a 49 community services centers; 8 camps; 5 book and health food stores and a radio station.

Mission Values Priorities

We Believe

God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one,
all-knowing yet all-forgiving.

Learn More

Image from Kettering College

Story by Carrie Bebris

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The international governing body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church reached out to Adventist colleges in North America and Europe, asking if they could help displaced Ukrainian students whose educations were disrupted by the invasion.

Kettering College opened its doors (and hearts) to 34 Ukrainian students whose tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other expenses were paid in full by the generosity of the Kettering Health Foundation and individual donors.

Story by Debra Anderson

Takoma Academy (TA) is known for its spectacular music program. Its select choir, Camerata, enjoys a significant music ministry. Under the directorship of Lulu Mupfumbu, Camerata has developed into a highly recognized choral program. While the group is made up of high school students, the sound that emanates from their mouths sounds more like a group of seasoned professional adults, say conference leaders.

Over the years, Camerata has enjoyed many opportunities to witness to others nationally and abroad. The choral group’s motto is: “Excellence shall be our highest form of praise.”

Story by David Orange

As the days get shorter, the air gets crisper, and the leaves turn brilliant colors, fall is once again here, and many Seventh-day Adventists remember impactful events that happened in past Octobers. 

Five hundred and six years ago, on Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a local teacher and monk, posted his 95 Theses on the doors of castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, igniting the flame that became the Protestant Reformation.

Story by Ivan Riapolov

In the wake of the devastating invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, countless young lives were thrown into turmoil, with uncertainty clouding their dreams of education. When the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists created an Education Emergency Response plan for Ukrainian students, Kettering College responded by developing a Ukrainian Student Initiative (USI) on our campus. As a result, 34 students from Ukraine are now studying at Kettering College to continue their education, safely away from the war in their country.