Editorial by Eli Rojas
All you have to do is look at the list of disciples Jesus picked to know He had a mess on His hands. Two particular people, Matthew and Simon, had the potential to be immersed in conflict. Matthew, a Mokhes tax collector, was an enemy of the Jewish nation. Although Jesus knew everything about him, He still invited him to “Follow Me” (see Matt. 9:9). What was Jesus thinking?
According to the Washington Post, during the first three months of 2018, there were at least 11 school shooting incidents nationwide, including the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 were killed. We asked three Columbia Union educators what they think we should do to keep our schools safe.
Dulce Gabriel, principal of New Jersey Conference’s Vine Haven Adventist School in Vineland
Story by LaTasha Hewitt
The Allegheny East Conference (AEC) family mourns the recent death of Pastor Beverly Miles. Prior to his call to ministry, Miles served as an elder for several years at Miracle Temple Church (now Miracle City) in Baltimore, Md. He was a member of the AEC Executive Committee from 1996-2001.
Miles completed his Master of Divinity degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and became pastor of the Serenity church in Martinsburg, W.Va., in 2012. In January 2017, he transitioned to the Berea Temple church in Baltimore, where he served as assistant pastor.
Ethan Madding, a senior at Spencerville Adventist Academy in Spencerville, Md., recently showed his film, Fool’s Prayer, at the 2018 Sonscreen Film Festival at the North American Division Headquarters in Columbia, Md.
The film is an adaption of Marvin Moore’s book, Witnesses Through Trial, a story about two German Schutzstaffel (SS) officers who deal with a prisoner who won’t work on the Sabbath.
Story by Heidi Wetmore
The foundational principle, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35, NIV), presents a stark contrast to the self-centered messages in today’s society. Finding joy and passion in giving to others is a radical attitude, especially for a teenager living in 2018. But Matthew Abrams, a junior from Chesapeake Conference's Spencerville Adventist Academy (Md.), is leading the charge to bring the spirit of giving back into the light:
Read and share these stories from the April 2018 Visitor:
Story by Liz Anderson / Images by Ty Wright and Joshua Roberts/AP Images
"We Can't Live Like This"
Leroy and Lois Peters’ roller coaster experience with mental illness started when their son, Leroy, “snapped” following a humiliating incident while stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Lois remembers the moment she and her husband learned that something was terribly wrong.
Editorial by Celeste Ryan Blyden
My mother was born and bred in Brooklyn, N.Y., during the Great Depression. She often went to bed hungry and rejoiced when she was given a penny to buy an orange for supper. At 14 she was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church and began a faith journey with Jesus that sustained her throughout life. She always had a sanguine smile on her face and praise to God on her lips. So, you’d never know that she buried two children, got divorced after 50 years of marriage and struggled to make ends meet.
Story by Betty Klinck
Adventist HealthCare’s two Advanced Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine centers have received national recognition for the quality care they provide to patients.
The centers at Adventist HealthCare Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md., and Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Md., have been recognized as Centers of Distinction by Healogics, Inc. They are two of only 427 centers across the country to achieve this honor.