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 Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Visitor; Photos by Brian Patrick Tagalog
Story by Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Visitor
Today Nathaniel Drew, pastor of Allegheny West Conference’s Bethany church in Charlottesville, Va., and the Calvary church in Gordonsville, Va., attended the memorial service for Heather Heyer, the woman killed last Saturday when a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. As an active member of the local Clergy Collective, he and other spiritual leaders joined more than 1,000 people who came to support and comfort Heyer's family, friends and the community.
William T. Cox Sr., President of the Allegheny West Conference; William Miller, President of the Potomac Conference; and Dave Weigley, President of the Columbia Union Conference, release the following joint statement regarding the unrest in Charlottesville, Va.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Heather Heyer and Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates of the Virginia State Police, who lost their lives on Saturday, August 12, during the violent uprising in Charlottesville, Va. We’re also praying for healing for all who were injured and impacted.
The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee recently named Janesta Walker (below) as superintendent of schools, and Michael Jakobsons (right) as associate superintendent. Walker fills the vacancy left by Jacqueline Messenger, who is now associate director for secondary education for the Columbia Union Conference. Mark Walker, the current interim superintendent, is set to retire August 1.
“We welcome both of these educators to the Chesapeake Conference. Their combined training and experience, in a variety of school settings, will prove to be a genuine benefit to our schools,” says Rick Remmers, conference president.