News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Drive-in Church Service Partners with Community

Image by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay

by Lisa McDowell

After four months of online church services, the Dale Wright Memorial church members in Germantown, Ohio, organized their first drive-in worship service in the parking lot. Service participants, wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing protocols, stood under a small tent, while church members stayed in their cars, forming a semicircle around the tent. Worshippers tuned into the service on 88.3 FM, watched on their phones via Zoom or listened from their cars. Some members even brought lawn chairs and sat in front of their cars.

Senior Authors Diary-Like Book on Queen Esther

by Heidi Wetmore

Charis McRoy, a senior at Spencerville Adventist Academy, has enjoyed writing poetry to express her emotions and experiences ever since the third grade. Through the years, she decided to author a book on the Bible story of Esther. Remembering what she had learned about Esther in Sabbath School, she wanted to journey deeper into that Bible story.

The Path of Hope

Editorial by Terry Forde

Nearly 100 years ago, in 1921, Chinese essayist Lu Xun wrote, “Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing –but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears.”

If you come across a path in a woods, or across a field, you may ask: “Where does this path lead?” or “Why is there a path here?”

Paths don’t just come out of nowhere. Sometimes they exist because people started walking there for a shortcut. Sometimes they exist because someone planned them out on a map and set about creating them. In either case, someone had to pave the way.

Takoma Academy Offers Expanded Learning Opportunities During Pandemic

Story by Salena Fitzgerald

Takoma Academy (TA) began the year in a virtual learning setting. Faculty and staff continue expanded opportunities for students to learn in a rigorous, yet accommodating structure. Teaching and learning in a remote environment, however, can pose challenges. TA recognizes these concerns and spent the summer bolstering their ability to offer effective virtual learning and additional supports for students academically, spiritually, socially and emotionally.

Le Virtuel Visitor 5K / 1 Mile Recueille 6000 $ pour les Services Communautaires Adventistes

En septembre dernier, 212 personnes ont participé à la marche/course virtuelle du Visitor 5K / 1 mile. Tenue dans le cadre de la célébration du 125e anniversaire du magazine Visitor, les recettes liées à cette activité ont totalisé 6 000 $ visant à soutenir les Services Communautaires Adventistes à travers l’union.

« Il était important pour nous de trouver une organisation qui fait la différence sur tout notre territoire et qui crée un impact sur nos communautés auxquelles nous pourrions retourner ce que nous avons reçu », déclare le président du comité de course, Candace Nurse, secrétaire/trésorière du Fonds Renouvelable de l’Union de Columbia (CURF).

At Year-end Meeting, Union Reports Ongoing COVID-19 Impact on Ministry, Education, Health Care

Story by Visitor Staff

Columbia Union Conference President Dave Weigley opened the Columbia Union Executive Committee year-end meeting today, noting that mission is continuing despite coronavirus pandemic restrictions. He also shared that the union leadership is looking forward to celebrating 2021 as the Year of the Bible, with resources and a special event planned in February.

Kettering Adventist HealthCare Shares a Report

Fred Manchur, CEO of Kettering Adventist HealthCare shared the following report in the November Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meeting.

Columbia Union Conference Elects Executive Secretary

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.

Washington Adventist University and Adventist HealthCare Renew Ongoing Partnership

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.

Academy Family ‘Prays Until Something Happens’

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.