Read an excerpt of Davenia Lea's Naked and Unashamed.
Who We Are, How We Serve
The Columbia Union Conference, established in 1907 to coordinate the Seventh-day Adventist Church's work in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, is part of the worldwide Protestant denomination of 23 million members in more than 212 countries. At the union level, we connect and provide administrative leadership, governance and support services to our conferences, schools, health care networks and ministries. Each year, our organizations sponsor programs and projects that address human needs, improve quality of life and introduce people to Jesus. Read our Mission, Values and 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.
Story by Peggi Trusty
Christian fi
ction can be the bridge that brings people to the Bible,” says Sheryl Brown-Norman (pictured left), author of Restored, a Christian novel published in October 2015. “The concepts are true, the principles are true and the characters bring the story to life.”
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Depression, like most mental illnesses, lies on a spectrum,” says Kirk Chung, M.D., medical director of Kettering Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Medicine Center in Dayton, Ohio. “Everyone feels down from time to time. Depression, as an illness, is defined by the intensity of its symptoms and duration.”
He adds, major depression is diagnosed by a person suffering with at least five of the following symptoms for a two-week period or longer:
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Marissa Leslie, M.D., medical director of Adventist HealthCare’s Behavioral Health division in Gaithersburg, Md., says depression should be viewed more like a very severe flu, a serious illness not dependent on faith.
We don’t tell people with the flu to just pray. We tell them to sleep and drink plenty of water. And we ask how we can help.”
In addition to the powerful tool of prayer, here are a few tangible things she suggests to help loved ones dealing with depression:
Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Cover images by Ty Wright/AP Images