News
Story by Debra Anderson
Church revitalization is the process of leading a dying church back to a healthy state. Many churches are not only dealing with empty seats but also experiencing congregants losing interest in church life and growth. Recognizing this need for an infusion of new energy and vision, the Potomac Conference recently transitioned Paul Graham to serve as assistant to the vice president for Pastoral Ministries for Revitalization. Graham, who most recently served the conference as the associate Ministerial director of the North, will be assisting churches that are suffering from a lack of vision and growth to identify and rectify their deficits. It’s a process that sometimes may take months, and, in some situations, years, Graham says.
The Memorial Service for Dr. William G. Johnsson, scholar, professor, writer, advocate, and former editor of the Adventist Review, will be held on March 25, 2023, 6:00 PM PDT, at Crosswalk Church in Redlands, Calif., 10421 Corporate Dr, Redlands, CA 92374.
The service will be streamed live from https://crosswalkvillage.com/memorial.
A full obituary, and the means to share a note in memory of Johnsson, may be found at legcy.co/3TxNHLX The messages that are shared on this page will be read and cherished by Johnsson family.
Story by Ohio Conference Staff
The Ohio Conference office team bids farewell to Edward and Mariya Marton and Kasper Haughton Jr., and welcomes Joseph Ottinger.
Edward served 14 years in Ohio as a senior pastor and another seven years
as the conference’s youth director. His next assignment will be with the Kentucky- Tennessee Conference as youth director and as summer camp director for Indian Creek Camp (Tenn.).
Mariya will also serve the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference as the associate youth director. Over the decades, she ministered in Ohio as a chaplain for Kettering Health, a senior pastor, and as associate youth director for the conference.
Editorial by Stephen Lee
“I Will Go: Making Disciples” is the overarching theme that we pray will motivate every member in the New Jersey Conference. One may ask, “How am I to accomplish or even attempt such a feat?” or “What’s in it for me?”
In order to find the answers, we need to explore what Jesus meant when He gave us this command. How did He accomplish it? He not only taught through His words, but through His life of servitude. What was in it for Him? That is more difficult to answer, if not impossible to understand with our finite estimation. He allowed the ungrateful human race to ultimately reject Him by piercing His hands and feet and nailing them to the cross.
Story by Pacific Press Staff
During the Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI) International Convention in August 2021, General Conference President Ted Wilson announced an initiative to distribute up to one billion copies of Ellen White’s The Great Controversy worldwide. The book is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel and has been instrumental in the conversion of many Adventists worldwide.
The initiative encourages Seventh-day Adventists to read and share the final book in The Conflict of the Ages five-book series. The Great Controversy is a comprehensive look at the history of the world from a biblical perspective and the ultimate victory of God over Satan.
Images from Shane Hochstetler
Pathfinders from 41 teams across the Columbia Union Conference participated in the union-level Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) on Sabbath at Blue Mountain Academy in Hamburg, Pa. Twenty-seven of those teams placed first and will continue on to the April 21, 22 division level event in Tampa.
Allegheny East:
Story by WGTS Staff
WGTS 91.9 just spent the weekend hanging out with over 13,000 of their closest friends at the TobyMac “Hits Deep Tour.” TobyMac grew up in the D.C. area, and the listeners showed up in the thousands to welcome him back. The station hosted a Friday and a Saturday show. Both shows were sold-out in advance, causing the promoter to add more seats on the side of the stage to meet the demand.
“We don’t have a lot of artists from D.C., so when TobyMac comes home, we want to go big,” said WGTS morning show host and marketing director Jerry Woods. “We want people to be blessed, and TobyMac and his team share Jesus in the most engaging, not to mention the most energetic, way possible.”