News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

February 9, 2021: A Foggy Start

“From the ends of the earth ... You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you” (Isa. 41:9–10, NKJV).

Loneliness settled among my thoughts like a heavy winter fog. I had recently moved across the continent to begin graduate studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. While excited about the research opportunities ahead, I missed my family and community back home in the United States. I had no relatives or friends in this new city along the Pacific coast. I remember thinking, What have I done? I just moved across an entire continent to the end of North America! Anxiety always exaggerates trouble, doesn’t it?

February 8, 2021: ‘I Will Give You Rest’

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, NASB).

When our adult sons were young boys, I remember telling my mother, “This mother thing is not that hard.”

I still remember her answer: “The bigger the boys get, the bigger the problems get.”

My mother was right. We love our boys and are blessed to be their parents. But the truth is, at times, being a parent can be hard and stressful. As a family, we’ve had both amazing and troubled times. Over the years, my husband and I learned that prayer is crucial not only to marriage, but parenting as well.

Allegheny West Conference Welcomes Goodman Family

Story by Benia Jennings

The Allegheny West Conference welcomes Keith and Evelyn Goodman, along with their three children, Keith Jr., Charles and Kaelyn. Keith recently accepted the call to serve as senior pastor of the Ephesus church in Columbus, Ohio, and Evelyn has stepped into the role of principal at Columbus Adventist Academy (Ohio).

A native of Oklahoma, Keith earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Oakwood College (Ala.) in 1996, and later graduated from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University (Mich.).

Ohio Conference's Growing Young Cohort Enters Second Year

Story by Edward Marton

The Ohio Conference Youth Department has entered its second year of “Growing Young Adventists”—a church transformation process designed to foster intergenerational worship, fellowship and service.

Ten churches journeyed through the Growing Young process at the beginning of 2020, bringing all generations together in Christ and in service for the community. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and disrupted many of the churches’ plans. In stride, they adjusted to other ways of reaching youth and young adults through digital means. Of the original 10 churches, eight have decided to continue on the Growing Young journey, and four new churches have joined to form a new yeartwo cohort.

Kettering Adventist HealthCare Offers Innovative Robotic Technology

Story by Christina Keresoma

Kettering Adventist HealthCare is the first in the region to offer innovative Stryker Mako robotic technology for joint replacements. For people suffering from knee or hip pain, daily activities like walking can put immense stress on their bodies.

Local orthopedic surgeons are offering patients a technologically advanced joint replacement procedure tailored to each patient’s unique anatomy. To tailor each procedure, the surgeons are using Stryker’s Mako Robotic Arm-Assisted System for total knee, partial knee and total hip replacements.

Kettering College Graduate Serves on Frontlines

Winelia Flores Ortiz, a 2019 Kettering College graduate, served on the frontlines as a respiratory therapist during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now working on her doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy at Kettering College.

Story by Lauren Brooks

Corporate Prayer Results in Miraculous Healing

Story by Benia Jennings

After a sudden illness, Rosalind Beswick, pastor of Allegheny West Conference's Hillside church in Zanesville, Ohio, underwent emergency surgery. Upon learning that Beswick had taken a turn for the worse, Allegheny West Conference employees collectively offered prayers of petition for healing. The very next day, Beswick’s family announced her health had considerably improved. Beswick shares her story:

Adventist HealthCare Helps Advance COVID-19 Research Studies

Story by Adventist HealthCare Staff

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Adventist HealthCare has been caring for those afflicted by the disease as well as actively working to prevent the spread of the virus in the community. Part of that effort has been participating in research that could help determine the best treatments for COVID-19 patients.

SACCOVIDTM Study

Washington Adventist University Celebrates Baptisms

Story by WAU Staff

Washington Adventist University’s community continues to be a community of prayer and faith. During this challenging time in history, distance is ideal in preventing infection; not so ideal in fellowship and communal worship. Despite the challenges, the Holy Spirit has been working to soften hearts and lead individuals to commit to a life in Christ.

On two consecutive weekends, a student and an employee of WAU have made this commitment publicly through baptism at Potomac Conference's Sligo Seventh-day Adventist church on the campus of WAU in Takoma Park, Md. Sligo has made special COVID-19 accommodations for baptism to minimize the chance of spreading infection.

January 31, 2021: Keep on Praying

“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7, TLB).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained to His disciples that prayer is a lifestyle, not just a group of moments in life. Jesus used a continuous tense for the three verbs here: “ask,” “seek” and “knock.” These verbs translate to “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking” and “keep on knocking.” These actions show us the different prayers we need in different situations in our lives.

“Keep on asking” refers to our needs, wants and wishes that reflect the Lord’s will in our lives. It is not pushing buttons to get what we want.