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.

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Opiates, naturally occurring alkaloids, are found in opium poppy plants, and relieve pain symptoms. Drugs in this family include heroin, opium, morphine and codeine, reports opium.com.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine classifies opioids, which are at least partially synthetically produced, in two categories: illicit, which is where heroin falls; and licit, which are prescription pain relievers that include oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl.

 These drugs are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain.

Story by Anna Bartlett

Members of Ohio Conference’s Elyria church run several programs to build community with those in need of healing.

“In the entire community of Elyria and Lorain... there is a very strong drug epidemic and [high risk of] overdose in these cities,” shares Marius Marton (pictured below), Elyria church pastor.

In response to this members of the Elyria church, some who are themselves recovered or in recovery from addiction, run a long-standing women's ministry and a brand-new men's ministry to build community with those in need.

Story by Tamaria L. Kulemeka

The opioid and heroin epidemic is crippling communities across the nation, leaving health officials and providers, coroners, law enforcement and churches scrambling to respond to and combat this widespread crisis.

Bonnie Franckowiak, professor and coordinator of the Master of Science Nursing Program at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., says, “The use of opioids in this country is staggering. It’s huge, and it’s growing all the time; we don’t seem to have a handle on it at all,” she says. “In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is enough to give every American adult their own pill box.”

Kettering Adventist HealthCare logo

Story by Elizabeth Long

Terry Burns has been named president of Kettering Medical Center and Executive Vice president of Kettering Adventist HealthCare effective November 1, 2017. He replaces Jarrod McNaughton, who has stepped down for personal reasons.

Burns has held executive roles in the Network since 2001, most recently as the chief financial officer of Kettering Medical Center and executive vice president of Kettering Adventist HealthCare, since November, 2015.