The Elyria church concluded its Pentecost 2025 evangelistic series earlier this year, adding 161 new individuals to its membership—surpassing the congregation’s previous membership and worship attendance before the campaign.
Before the series began, Elyria had a membership of 100. Andrew Sutton, treasurer of the Ohio Conference, emphasized that in God’s eyes every soul is precious and that even a small number of baptisms makes an evangelistic effort worthwhile.
Editorial by Jerry Lutz
With all the evangelistic meetings and prophecy seminars that have been going on in our conference this year, such as our twin outreach initiatives, Pentecost 2025 and Reach Baltimore 2025, there are likely some unfamiliar faces and new members in your church. For this, we praise God and welcome them with open arms into the fellowship of believers. How wonderful it is to see how the Lord is blessing Chesapeake churches with hundreds of baptisms and many more who are preparing to join God’s great advent movement.
While we rejoice with the saved and celebrate every new soul who enters the kingdom, we who are more mature in our walk with Jesus and better grounded in the faith must be mindful of the special care and needs of our newborn brothers and sisters in Christ.
Story by Ken Flemmer
Last Friday, the "Food 4 Families" campaign, hosted by NBC4 Washington and Telemundo 44 Washington, granted Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW) in Silver Spring, Md., 50 Thanksgiving turkeys, including sides. Allegheny East Conference's Metropolitan church in Hyattsville, Md., also received 50 baskets. These donations were facilitated by the Capital Area Food Bank. Additional support was provided by Montgomery County government and the City of Takoma Park.
Washington Adventist University (WAU) is proud to announce that its accelerated online Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program has been named one of Forbes Advisor’s Top 10 Best Online Accelerated M.B.A. Programs of 2025. The recognition places WAU among the nation’s leading institutions offering flexible, high-impact, and career-focused graduate business education.
Adventist HealthCare has been named to Newsweek’s 2025 list of Most Trustworthy Companies in America. The rankings were determined by examining three main public pillars of trust – customer trust, potential investor trust, and potential employee trust – as well as evaluating online remarks.
Of the thousands of companies that met the initial analysis threshold across all industries, only 700 companies were named most trustworthy nationwide, including only 16 Maryland-based companies.
In the Healthcare and Life Sciences category, which included a broad range of health systems, pharmaceutical companies, online wellness firms and other health services, Adventist HealthCare ranked 17th out of the 33 organizations named.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Today, the Evangelism directors from the various conferences within the Columbia Union are convening at the Chesapeake Conference headquarters in Columbia, Md., to engage with Columbia Union leadership and fellow colleagues.
José D. Espósito, the union’s assistant to the president for Evangelism, organized the gathering for participants to exchange updates on their respective territories, gain insights into the activities within the North American Division and foster collaboration.
Story by Janel Haas Ware
This year, the new school year at Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) began as expected: registration, orientation, dorm move-in, first classes, greeting new and old friends and teachers—and, most importantly, sacred time was set aside for worship and prayer to dedicate everything that happens on campus to God. Students, faculty and staff committed to a year with Jesus as the center of campus life.
Story by Ashley Boggess
At Lake Nelson Adventist Academy (LNAA), teaching is more than a profession—it is a ministry. Each classroom is a sanctuary where God’s calling and purpose meet daily instruction. The teachers are mentors and spiritual guides who have embraced their role as a lifelong mission.
Story by Michele Joseph, photos by Elisabeth Zeller
The doctor is in.
In November, doctors, nurses and representatives from the biggest health care organizations in the northern Virginia joined forces for the Vienna Health Fair hosted by Potomac Conference's Vienna church and Vienna Adventist Academy in Virginia.
Sabbath school classrooms became clinics and the gymnasium transformed into a diagnostic center and medical information hub. Visitors and members received eye exams, blood pressure checks, flu vaccinations and physician consultations and dental screenings all for free.
Story by Lauren Esveld
This year’s spiritual retreat for Spencerville Adventist Academy took place at the restful Mount Aetna Camp and Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md. Having a spiritual retreat at the beginning of the school year served as a refreshing pause that fostered unity among the students and led to reflection and spiritual growth.
The weekend centered on the powerful theme found in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (NIV).