News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Adventist Schools Help Students Develop Green Habits for the Future

Blue Mountain Academy runs an organic farm

Story by Jenevieve Lettsome & V. Michelle Bernard

Schools around the Columbia Union Conference are also striving to teach students about caring for the earth, using various activities such as installing solar panels and planting gardens.

Mountain View Conference’s Highland Adventist School in Elkins, W.Va., recently received a rain barrel from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) Division of Water and Waste Management to help provide water for their greenhouse growing program.

March 2, 2021: The Antidote for Restlessness

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, KJV).

Jesus’ invitation helps me to understand my own story of restlessness. The verse speaks life to me because of the steps I took to experience rest personally, and the rest I invite others in crises to experience in my clinical ministry practice.

When my mother gave birth to me, she abandoned me to my grandmother because she was ashamed to hold a child with a withered left hand in a culture of honor and shame. I grew up not knowing my biological parents until I was about 14 years old. I recall how I was moved around to live with uncles, brothers and church members in my village. When I was around 16 or 17 years old, I met an American Baptist missionary couple who taught me to speak and write English.

Make Me a Steward

Editorial by Jenevieve “Jenna” Lettsome

In what can be seen by many as a faith-destroying time, stories of answered prayer and God’s love continue to shield me, protect my faith and remind me that God still exists and is bigger than life itself.

Like many grateful believers before me—in the Bible and beyond Scripture—I am impressed to tangibly give back and praise God, not just for my life, but the lives and world around me.

For the Beauty of the Earth

Story by Jenevieve Lettsome & V. Michelle Bernard / Cover photos by Brad Barnwell

Going on Sabbath walks and appreciating nature—God’s second book—are longstanding elements of Seventh-day Adventist culture. Should this appreciation impact the way members care for the environment? And can it bring them closer to God?

Adventism, [in its early years], was more outdoorsy because the culture back then was more connected with the [nature] around them,” says John Henri Rorabeck, a naturalist and educator. “[But] Ellen White and her contemporaries were [also] really pushing the boundaries and really leading.”

Mountain View Conference President Accepts Call to Move

Mike Hewitt, president of the Mountain View Conference, recently shared this letter, announcing he had accepted a call to the Kentucky Tennessee Conference.

Dear Mountain View Conference Family,

It is with a heavy heart but also strong conviction that I write to let you know that I have received and accepted a call to join the Kentucky Tennessee Conference leadership as Vice President of Administration.

This was not an easy decision because my family and I love the Mountain View Conference. Serving as your president has been both an honor and a rich blessing to me and my family. We wrestled with God in prayer over this decision and afterward felt strongly convicted that He was leading us to move forward.

Take the Greener Earth Challenge

Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, by making small changes that can help make a long-term impact on the health of our planet. Take our April challenge by making one of the changes (or inserting your own ideas) each week and Inspire your friends to do the same by posting your progress with #2021greenerchallenge on social media, and challenge them to post their ideas and progress too. Let’s learn from each other!

March 1, 2021: The Passenger

“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36, NASB).

I was pastoring in Denver and my wife had to work almost 2,000 miles away in New York. Lonely, I sometimes looked for new activities to enhance my ministry. Uber driving seemed fascinating. I wanted to know more about inner city culture, so I experimented. In general, we isolate from people in our community, mostly because their lives are so different than ours.

Bonus Year of the Bible Devotional: It Begins With Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” (Prov. 3:5–6, NLT).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart...”
Do I know how to trust? I’ve asked myself this question more times in the last several years than ever before. Having gone through a devastating divorce and slowly seeing how God has picked up the pieces of my heart, for the first time in my life I am learning the true meaning of trust.

Association of Adventist Women Presents Weigley a Champion of Justice Award

Dave Weigley receives his award via Zoom.

Story by Associationa of Adventist Women Staff

The Association of Adventist Women awarded Columbia Union Conference President Dave Weigley a Champion of Justice award at its annual Woman of the Year Banquet last fall. The festive live zoom celebration was attended virtually by more than 100 people from four continents.

Devocionales adicionales aún disponibles

Los retrasos nacionales en la entrega del correo resultaron en una entrega tardía de muchos de los Calendarios de la Unión de Columbia 2021 y de los libros devocionales del Año de la Biblia Palabras de vida. Aún se encuentran disponibles copias adicionales de ambos. Llame a Pacific Press al (800) 447-7377. El libro devocional cuesta $5, más el envío. El calendario es gratuito, pero los miembros deben pagar los gastos de envío.

También estamos facilitando la participación digital en el énfasis del Año de la Biblia de la unión. Descargue la aplicación Columbia Union Conference para seguir el plan de lectura de la Biblia, leer devocionales diarios, ver devocionales inspiradores en video y leer las últimas noticias de la unión.