News

Chestertown (Md.) church members organize plans and pray over their community territory.

Story by Andre Hastick

Earlier this year, more than 260 lay-leaders and pastors from 25 churches in the Chesapeake Conference attended the MissionWorks workshop, led by the North American Division Evangelism Institute (NADEI) and the Chesapeake Evangelism Department. The keynote speaker for the weekend, Russell Burrill, former director of NADEI, shared inspiring messages that reminded members and pastors of the essentiality of following a biblical model for church and outreach.

Story by Tina Sheesley

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center is one of the first hospitals in Maryland to perform spine surgery using the Mazor X™ Robotic Guidance Platform. The tool brings surgeons new capabilities when treating patients with debilitating spine conditions.

The platform gives surgeons planning tools, analytics and guidance during surgery, allowing greater precision when treating scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, hunchback and many other spine conditions.  Neurosurgeon Dr. Amin Amini performed Shady Grove’s first operation using the platform in February. Shady Grove is one of the only hospitals in the Washington, D.C., region with the system.

Editorial by Carl Rodriguez

For more than 25 years, I have personally recruited about 1,000 volunteers. In the process, I have observed five recurring things volunteers are looking for when accepting the call.

First of all, volunteers want to get a sense that the leader of the team comprehends the ministry mission and vision. Though volunteers may not grasp the finite details of all of the team goals, they want to feel that their leader has a strong grasp on the direction and purpose of the team.

Peter Simpson (second from left) and a few of the radio team members celebrate their first anniversary.

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

"Congratulations to our radio station on this first anniversary! It has brought so many blessings through every broadcasted program. We hope and pray that this station will continue for many more years, sharing the message of salvation,” says Miguel Rodriguez, member of the First Hispanic church of Columbus, located in Westerville, in a comment on Facebook Live earlier this year.

Kettering College

Story by Lauren Brooks

The transition to college can be a challenge. For Stephanie Djuzeu Wandji, the initial adjustment was particularly difficult. The Cameroon native had recently immigrated to the United States and for her, attending Kettering College meant being separated from her husband and young son who stayed behind in Virginia.

“I was so lost at the beginning—everything around me was new,” says Djuzeu Wandji, a recent alumna of Kettering College. “I had so many questions, but I didn’t feel comfortable saying them out loud until I met Bev Ervin in the Academic Support Center.”

The Camp Mohaven office has been relocated to a more practical and productive location, making it more convenient for visitors.

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

Most memories of Mohaven include swimming, archery, high ropes, horses, mountain biking, and that’s only summer camp! What many may not realize is that Camp Mohaven in Danville, Ohio, operates year-round and is host to a variety of programs. Men’s and women’s retreats, camp meetings (Hispanic and English), local church retreats, Pathfinder and Adventurer events, youth and young adult events and lay pastor assistant and elder trainings, just to name a few.

Al and Bonnie Navarro

Story by Tamyra Horst

The Navarros retired earlier this year—Al from the Hope Channel and Bonnie from the Pacific Union Conference—and joined the Pennsylvania Conference Planned Giving team. However, they are beginning their retirement a little bit differently than the norm of vacationing and spending time with grandchildren.