Story by Visitor Staff
Today the Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee elected Rick Remmers to serve as the union’s executive secretary. He plans to start his new role in January to fill the vacancy left by Rob Vandeman, who announced retirement as of January 1, 2021.
Remmers, a fourth-generation Seventh-day Adventist pastor with more than 30 years of experience, has been president of the Chesapeake Conference since 2011. He previously served as the conference’s executive secretary.
by Washington Adventist University Staff
Washington Adventist University and Adventist HealthCare have renewed their long-held partnership toward enhancing education, training, and, ultimately, care for the community.
The world of healthcare is tumultuous on its best days. Adventist HealthCare is a strong presence in the DMV community and beyond. As the pandemic has spread across the region, Adventist HealthCare has been a significant resource for the surrounding states and municipalities, offering support to a populace in need of quality healthcare. Washington Adventist University has become a resource for Adventist HealthCare by providing qualitycandidates for nursing and other healthcare field jobs.
by Tracey Jackson
For the 2020–21 school year, Pine Forge Academy’s (PFA) theme is “Pray Until Something Happens” (PUSH), for it is by prayer that God has led and continues to lead.
Prior to the campus closing in March due to the pandemic, God had already begun to answer prayers. Leadership was inspired to develop a plausible plan on how to safely reopen for the fall semester.
Editorial by Rick Remmers
We have finally arrived at the closing days of 2020. For so many unanticipated reasons, it has proven to be a watershed year. We know nearly everything in our lives has run into some measure of turbulence, and we don’t know when things will settle down or how different they will be in the years to come.
Historia de Peggy Filossaint, pastora asociada de Marantha French
Al igual que muchas iglesias en todo el mundo, el coronavirus desafió a la Iglesia de Maranatha French en Newark a confiar en Dios, el liderazgo y la solidez de los miembros de su iglesia. Al presenciar las condiciones críticas y muertes de sus seres queridos debido al COVID-19, los asesinatos en todo el mundo y la muerte natural decidieron rodear los hogares en duelo con canciones, oraciones, pancartas de esperanza y aliento, tarjetas y flores.
Par V. Michelle Bernard et Jenevieve Lettsome
De nombreuses églises de l’Union de Fédérations de Columbia sont toujours fermées pour le culte en personne en raison de la pandémie de coronavirus, y compris toutes les églises des Fédérations d'Allegheny East et West. Les églises de la Fédération de New Jersey ont connu 38 décès dus au COVID-19. Quatre-vingts pour cent de ces églises sont désormais ouvertes à 25% de leur capacité, a rapporté le président Dave Weigley à la réunion du Comité Exécutif de l’Union de Columbia du 17 septembre 2020.
D'après le rapport original de cet article, 59% des églises de la Fédération de Chesapeake,
Story by Tamyra Horst
Richard Becker enjoyed seeing people connect and gather with family, friends and God. This passion fueled his desire to help young people learn and grow at Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) in Hamburg.
Story by Valerie Morikone
Graduating from Pacific Union College (Calif.) in 1974, Daniel Morikone worked as a registered nurse in California, Kentucky and Michigan prior to becoming a literature evangelist (LE) for the Michigan Conference.
During that time, he received a call to be the assistant manager of an Adventist Home Health in Kentucky in 1982. This brought about the purchase of six acres across the Kentucky border in the state of West Virginia, where he and his wife, Valerie, built a house and raised their son, Greg, and daughter, Janelle.
Members of the Williamson (W.Va.) church, it wasn’t until 1997 that Morikone returned to the LE work with the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, having a territory of 17 counties. On September 1, 2000, he was asked to pastor the Williamson and Logan churches.
Story by LaTasha Hewitt
Three churches in New Jersey: First church in Teaneck; Metropolitan church in Plainfield; and Mt. Calvary church in Salem, recently served as hosting sites for COVID-19 and antibody testing. This was done in partnership with the initiative by Phil Murphy, New Jersey governor.
“We recognize the need for people of color to be tested, but there is a lot of fear in those communities. Churches are typically viewed as safe places, so we put the call out for churches, and they responded,” says Derrick Greene, senior advisor to the governor for diversity, faith, urban and regional growth.
Testing sites were set up in the parking lots of the churches where social distancing and masks were required. Testing was free and open to the public as long as they provided a photo ID and insurance card. Workers at First church administered COVID-19 and antibody testing to 75 people. “The testing was a great success,” says Robert Smith, pastor. “Our community was able to view us as an asset, and we saw it as a great witnessing opportunity.”
Story by Benia Jennings
Close family members, friends and colleagues recently gathered as the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) family hosted a farewell celebration honoring William T. Cox Sr. A small number of guests attended the in-person gathering, while others joined via Zoom. Well-wishers expressed their appreciation to Cox, his wife, LaTanya, and their family for 22 years of service to the conference.
“I served Pastor Cox as his first elder for about 10 years,” said Shirley Benton, AWC Women’s Ministries director. “He’s been more than a pastor or president; he’s been my friend.”.