Editorial by Peter Casillas
Coming together to accomplish mission creates more strength, more vibrancy, more celebration. The “Cultivate Initiative” is an unfolding movement, encouraging us to live each day as a disciple of Christ; going beyond “this is how the church does it” to “this is what I’ve been doing in my personal life to bring people to Jesus.” The church moves with its disciples.
Editorial by José H. Cortés
No one—other than Jesus—has ever lived on this earth with a mission to save the entire world. No one has ever had an agenda as important as Christ. His mission was clear: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10, NIV).
When we support a cause, we usually have to “sacrifice” something, whether it be our time, money or resources. That wasn’t the case with Jesus. His sacrifice was not based on materialistic things, but on His blood.
Read the April Visitor for stories about how, two years after the death of Freddie Gray, churches in Baltimore are ministering in hurting neighborhoods; how churches in Columbus are tangible touches of love to prisoner and prositutes; how Psalm 22 is a psalm for the cross, and more!
Read and share these stories from the April Visitor:
Story by WAU Staff
Several months ago, Don Russell’s doctor asked him to listen to his heartbeat and then his own.
“His heart was just the perfect ‘thump thump’ sound,” said Don, an 85-year old resident of Laurel, Md., and a member of Chesapeake Conference's Spencerville church in Silver Spring, Md. “When I listened to mine, it was sort of this squishy sound like blood trying to force its way through the valve.”
Time to Act
Historia de Tamyra Horst
Gary Gibbs, actualmente director de Desarrollo de Ministerios en la Conferencia de Chesapeake, ha aceptado la invitación para servir como presidente de la Conferencia de Pensilvania después de la partida del ex presidente, Ray Hartwell.
“Gary es un excelente líder tanto para pastores como para laicos con pasión por las almas”, afirma Dave Weigley, presidente de la Unión Columbia y presidente del comité de selección que eligió a Gibbs. Comenzará su nueva posición el 1ero de mayo.
“Estoy feliz de unirme a los pastores, educadores y miembros de la Conferencia de Pensilvania en el adelanto del evangelio y para prepararnos para el pronto regreso de Jesús”, comparte Gibbs.—
Editorial by Tiffany Brown
Why do we go to church on Saturday, and why is the Sabbath important?”
These were the kinds of questions Joksan Cedillo-Gomez wondered about and asked. However, he never got a satisfying answer. “Because it’s in the Bible. Twice!” he was told.
Later, as youth director of his church, he found himself repeating the same brief answers to his peers and other youth who came to him with questions.
After enrolling in the REACH Columbia Union Urban Evangelism School last summer, he learned that the Sabbath invites us to experience a connection—in our relationship with God and each other. It’s a time where we can worship, fellowship and grow; a time of jubilee—where we are all equal, regardless of our socioeconomic status.
A Transformative Experience
Blog by Rob Vandeman
It could have had application to a person who was going through very difficult days. But it is not a psalm written out of illness or perplexing situation, it is a description of an execution. Renowned commentator Derek Kidner writes, “No incident recorded of David can begin to account for this. . . The language of the psalm defies a naturalistic explanation; the best account is in the terms used by Peter concerning another psalm of David: ‘Being therefore a prophet, . . . he foresaw and spoke of . . . the Christ’ (Acts 2:30f.).
Interview by V. Michelle Bernard
José Cortés, New Jersey Conference president, was a young pastor when he was thrown into jail in Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Cortés shares this story in one of the North American Division’s sharing books, Never Lose Hope. Read more about the book and our interview with Cortés below.