News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Columbia Union Executive Committee Votes to Support the Allowance of Electronic Attendance at Upcoming General Conference Session

At the first 2021–2026 Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meeting, members gathered via Zoom to vote on several matters relating to upcoming business sessions involving the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

They voted to support the following motion:

PROPOSED GC CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT

WHEREAS, the General Conference Executive Committee has voted to convene a Special General Conference Session on January 18, 2022, Silver Spring, Maryland, for the sole purpose of amending the General Conference Constitution, Article V, by adding a new Sec. 4 to allow for electronic participation reading as follows:

WGTS 91.9 Hosts First Live Concert in 15 Months

WGTS afternoon hosts, Johnny and Stacey Stone, welcome a live audience to the MercyMe concert.

Story by Jerry Woods

On a recent Sunday in May, the wait was over, and our listeners and staff were definitely ready, says Jitesh Ram, WGTS 91.9 community engagement director.

My Life-Changing Experience

Story by Matheus Gaulia

Junior Matheus Gaulia shares what God has been doing in his life on the campus of Blue Mountain Academy (BMA):

BMA has drastically changed my life. When I arrived on campus as a freshman, I had my future planned out with ambitious goals and dreams. Three years later, God is changing those plans and showing me what He wants for my life.

My Journey at Lake Nelson Adventist Academy

Story by Joshua Raymond

LNAA is a relatively small school located in Piscataway. The sophomore class only has 15 students, including myself, but, as a result, we are a truly connected community. Many of us have known and grown up with each other through the years at LNAA. We have seen our friends’ struggles and triumphs and have loved, laughed, played, cried, hated, and felt the same pain with each other; we have always flourished and gotten through life together.

June 7, 2021: God Saw Me Through

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4, NKJV).

One fateful Friday in 2015, my wife, Hellen, and I were celebrating our fifth anniversary in Cancun, Mexico. We spent the morning on the beach. Shortly after lunch, my head started aching severely. Back at the hotel, I felt sick and began to vomit. I thought perhaps it was due to food poisoning.

When I woke up several hours later, I had no strength to move. My wife helped me to the bathroom, where I began to vomit again. Then I experienced something that changed my life forever: “Sweetheart, I am seeing double,” I told my wife.

Let Young People Slay Lions and Bears

Editorial by Todd Casey

Alexander Bryant, president of the North American Division, recently challenged leaders to give young people opportunities within our churches to, referring to David, “slay lions and bears” to prepare them for the future—because their "Goliath" is coming. In other words, give them responsibilities to serve the church now to prepare them for leadership in the future.

Maryland Adventist Churches Host Vaccine Clinics

Volunteers and workers at the Washington Spencerville Korean Church prepare to serve at the church's vaccine clinic. Photo by David Kim

Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Feature photo by David Kim

Several churches in Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area have been part of the effort to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

Chesapeake Conference’s Washington-Spencerville Korean church in Silver Spring, Md., recently held two two-day clinics—helping 316 people receive the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and about 350 people the second dose.

Congratulations to the 2021 Columbia Union Graduates

Shenandoah Valley Academy 2021 graduates are pictured. Photo courtesy the school.

Students, parents and educators are celebrating their recent and upcoming high school, grade school and kindergarten graduates. In May and June schools from the Columbia Union Conference are celebrating the accomplishments of their graduates.

Here is a list of academy graduation celebrations to view:

Former Allegheny East Conference Treasurer Passes Away

After serving the Allegheny East Conference for 44 years, Bennie W. Mann, Sr., passes to his rest.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Bennie W. Mann, Sr., former Allegheny East Conference treasurer, recently passed away at his home in Pine Forge, Pa. In 1967, Mann began his career with the Allegheny East Conference (AEC) as the business manager of Pine Forge Academy (PFA). He was then invited to serve as the assistant treasurer of AEC in 1973 before being voted as treasurer in 1978. He served as treasurer until his retirement in 1996, having amassed more than 44 years of church employment.

Blue Mountain Academy Alumnus Races for Eternity

Story by Esther Hernandez

Forty years ago this September, Jim Slater, then a freshman at Pennsylvania Conference’s Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) in Hamburg, broke his neck, became paralyzed, stopped breathing and almost died.

“It is an outright miracle from God that I am alive today,” Slater shares. “And because of my gratitude to God for what He did for me, I am dedicating my race this September as a way to raise funds to help other students attend BMA, to help them connect with God for all of eternity.”