Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Photos by LaTasha Hewitt and Minnie McNeil
Last weekend Columbia Union Conference members and students packed 10,525 personal care kits for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
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.
Editorial by José H. Cortés Sr., president of the New Jersey Conference
I remember when my family moved to the New Jersey Conference 30 years ago. My wife, Celita, two sons, Jose Jr. and Josue, and I came after ministering in the Euro-African Division. We carried four nearly empty pieces of luggage, but our hearts were lled with dreams. Now as we look back, we only have expressions of gratitude. The
Lord’s hands have been upon us! God took our dreams and multiplied them infinitely. Through our sons, He brought us daughters: Joanne and Joyce. He also blessed us with grandkids: Jose III, Nadia, Joel and Emma. God has given us much more than we deserve, and His blessings keep raining upon us.
By Debra McKinney Banks
Visit a Seventh-day Adventist church these days, and it is no longer guaranteed that the service will start at 11 a.m. No one really knows the history of when or where the 11 o’clock Sabbath worship time began. Plausible theories from pastors and historians posit that during more agrarian times, farming families needed to tend to the livestock and finish the chores before attending church. Whatever the reason, most people don’t maintain that farming lifestyle anymore. Today some pastors have discovered that holding Sabbath services at non-traditional times—either before or after 11—are becoming more of a necessity to meet the missional needs of their flocks.
Editorial by Celeste Ryan Blyden
You aren’t alone. A recent survey of executive committee members across the Columbia Union Conference identified lack of community among church members as an issue. “The greatest challenge is lack of social connectivity between the families and members within the churches,” noted one participant. “The large majority of members limit their relationship with one another to only Sabbath School, worship service and fellowship meal time—basically once a week.”
While Sabbath potluck remains high on the list of member favorites (Who would want to miss haystacks?), for many, the fellowship ends as soon as the last piece of dessert has been claimed.
Story by Columbia Union Visitor Staff
The Columbia Union Conference is creating a database of volunteers interested in traveling to Houston and other areas impacted by natural disasters to work as a crisis counselor or in the warehouse distribution centers. Experienced volunteers are preferred, however, anyone with a willing heart will be considered, says Minnie McNeil, Columbia Union ACS/ACSDR coordinator.
Food and lodging assistance is available. Click here to register (https://form.jotform.us/72483917510155).