News
Pennsylvania Conference Staff
A special constituency session of the Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11, 2020. The subject will be a new Pennsylvania Conference office headquarters building on Blue Mountain Academy Campus. The meeting will be held by videoconference and teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular delegates and delegates at large for the 2018 regular constituency session will serve as delegates to this special session. Further information will be sent directly to delegates on how to connect to the session.
Gary Gibbs, President
The Visitor is now offering exclusively online classified ads on our website at columbiaunionvisitor.com/bulletin-board/online-classified. Previously, classified ads were only available for purchase in the print magazine.
The details are as follows:
Timeline
Once the ad and payment are submitted, the ads will be posted within five business days. Ads will remain online for a minimum of 30 days.
Rates
Rates are the same as in the printed Visitor:
$60 for 50 words or less; .75¢ for each additional word over 50.
Story by the Visitor Staff
Rob Vandeman, an administrator and pastor who has ministered for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for almost 50 years, announced his plans to step down from his role as Columbia Union Conference’s executive secretary at the end of the year.
Vandeman, who served in his current position since 2011, plans to continue working at the Columbia Union in some capacity until the union’s constituency session in July 2021.
“Rob has always been a champion for the grace of Christ and the mission of the Adventist Church in so many ways as pastor and administrator,” says Dave Weigley, Columbia Union president.
Story by WGTS Staff
At the beginning of this year WGTS set an ambitious goal to fill every food pantry in the Washington D.C. area with “Operation Fill the Pantry.” After getting off to a strong start, the initiative was put on hold because of the pandemic. Now “Operation Fill the Pantry” is making a successful return socially distanced, of course.
Story by Tamyra Horst
Happy 70th anniversary to David and Suzanne Elliott!
David and Suzanne Elliott were the first couple to be married at the newly built Silver Springs (Maryland) Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church sanctuary wasn’t finished by their wedding on August 24, 1950, so David built steps to the platform for his bride and folding chairs filled the sanctuary for their guests.
Suzanne recalls the first time the two met, “I was twelve and he was thirteen when he and his father came to the plumbing shop where I answered phones on Sundays. After buying some fittings, they left and he winked at me with those beautiful powder blue eyes.”
Story by Visitor Staff
To help students start the year on a healthy note, the Office of Education at the Columbia Union Conference is offering to pay for the first 75 K-12 students who register for the Virtual Visitor 5K/1 Mile race, September 20—26.
Students and others signing up for the 1 mile option will receive a bib and special medal. Those participating in the 5K option will receive a bib, special medal, T-shirt and face mask.
A portion of the registration will be donated to the participants’ local Adventist Community Services Department.
Story by Valerie Morikone
Mountain View Conference member Charles Kilgore’s story involves many broken pieces, yet, throughout, God’s hand was on his life and brought about his return to the Seventh-day Adventist church of his childhood.
Growing up in Charleston, W.Va., I attended Charleston Junior Academy, an Adventist elementary school. At the age of 11, I was baptized by Pastor Kenneth Taylor of the Charleston church, following a series of meetings held by Joe Crews. School friends, loving teachers, church fellowship and the Pathfinder club positively impacted my life, yet there was no Christian influence at home.
Story by Eric Sloan
With the COVID-19 virus increasing people’s desire to understand health in a new and unpredicted way, LivingWell, Potomac’s health and bookstore, continues to be a light to the community in Silver Spring, Md., by bringing messages of physical and spiritual health.
Story by NAD Communication
On August 20, 2020, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s General Conference Executive Committee met virtually to receive the name of Kyoshin Ahn, the recommendation for division secretary, from both the North American Division’s standing nominating committee and executive committee. Ahn was confirmed in a vote of 118 to 2.