News

Story by Barby Kulakov

Last month, Weymouth Spence, president of Washington Adventist University (WAU); Mikhail Kulakov Jr., professor of religion and director of WAU’s Bible Translation Institute; Zack Plantak, chair of WAU’s Religion Department and Celeste Ryan Blyden, Visitor editor and publisher, joined leaders from the Euro-Asia Division for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new media center that will soon be erected at Zaoksky Adventist Seminary and Institute outside Moscow.

The idea for a new media center, which Spence spearheaded, took form in January at a meeting held in Zaoksky with John Konrad, WGTS 91.9 FM general manager and leaders of the Global Vessels ministry, a U.S.-based charity.

Photo by Dwight Sipler on Flickr
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
 
Aaron Weber, director of vocational education at Pennsylvania Conference’s Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) in Hamburg, has overseen the school’s organic garden for five years. Don’t want to add more chemicals to the soil? Weber recently shared these tips for creating a greener garden:
  • Grow native plants and choose plants that will attract beneficial insects, which will reduce the amount of harmful bugs in the garden
  • Keep your garden area clean. Not having a lot of junk and garden debris around will reduce the habitat for harmful bugs
  • If you want to avoid using pesticides, try Neem Oil instead

Can’t make it Heidi Shoemaker’s Clean Eating Lifestyle seminars at the Pennsylvania Conference’ Camp Meeting this summer? Try some of her recipes.

Story by Tamyra Horst

Born in Calcutta, India, Kalyani Prakasam received bachelor degrees in Education and Teaching from the University of Calcutta (India). She taught school for 10 years in India before moving to the U.S., and has been teaching children at the Lehigh Valley Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School in Whitehall, Pa., for the past 42 years. She earned a Master of Education in 1983 and received her reading specialist certification in 1985.

Story by Samantha Young

Susan Newman, a member of the Living Word church in Glen Burnie, Md., sought a new way for her congregation to help the homeless population in the community, and, as a result, founded EMBRACE Street Smart Ministry. She spent a year volunteering with a group that takes hot soup to homeless populated areas in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Then, during the summer of 2016, she took her newfound knowledge and experience and applied it in Brooklyn, an area south of Baltimore, and Glen Burnie.

Photo by Patrick Nouhailler on Flickr

Join Sligo by the Sea in Ocean City, Md., for a relaxed, inspiring Sabbath Service

July   1  Dave Weigley
8          Steve Chavez
15        Celeste Ryan Blyden
22        Nathan Krause
29        Kermit Netteburg

August   5  Don McFarlane
12        Morgan Kochenower
19        Larry Evans
26        Joseph Khabbaz

Historia de V. Michelle Bernard | Fotos por Joksan Cedillo y Brian Tagalog

Más allá de las diferencias de comunicación, diferentes generaciones operan de diversas maneras. “De una generación a otra, siempre ha sido difícil”, dice Armando Miranda, Jr. (foto de la derecha), director asociado de Jóvenes para la División Norteamericana de los Adventistas del Séptimo Día y presentador en el encuentro de jóvenes adultos “Rise Up” de la Unión de Columbia. “Debemos tener cuidado de no poner toda esa tradición, lenguaje y cultura delante del mensaje del Evangelio. Tenemos que presentar de una manera en que nuestros jóvenes puedan entender a Dios”, agregó.

Historia de Celeste Ryan Blyden

En su reunión de marzo, el Comité Ejecutivo de la Unión de Columbia votó mover la Escuela de Evangelismo de la Unión REACH-actualmente en Filadelfia- a la Universidad Adventista de Washington en Takoma Park, Md.

Los miembros del comité dijeron que creen que el traslado a un ambiente académico es un ajuste que proporcionará acceso a la infraestructura de la universidad y la hará más rentable.

“El programa REACH aborda todas nuestras prioridades, ya que involucra a jóvenes adultos en liderazgo, desarrollo espiritual, evangelismo y la misión de la iglesia”, dice Dave Weigley, presidente de la Unión de Columbia.—

 

Editorial by Timothy Ko

Being a father to two girls is rewarding and challenging. There have been many conversations with my five-year-old (pictured) in which she would answer my questions with quick, short replies versus engaging in conversation. I would ask how her day went, about Spanish or soccer class, and the response would always be similar. At one point, I wondered if our conversations would always be as short as “No,” “Fine” and “Uh-huh.”

I tried negotiating with desserts or toys, but nothing worked. I soon became frustrated that I could not bridge the communication gap with her and feared that we might never enjoy meaningful conversations.

Pastor Marquis Johns presents at the Columbia Union Young Adult Summit. | Photo by Brian Tagalog

5 Steps for Bridging Generational Gaps

Marquis Johns, senior pastor of Allegheny East Conference’s North Philadelphia church, shares these steps for bridging the gaps between the various age cohorts.

Acknowledge
Talk about generational differences.

Appreciate
Focus on the “why,” not on the “what,” and the common needs.

Adjust
Agree on how to communicate different approaches.

Advantage
Maximize the strengths of each generation.