Editorial by Jorge Aguero

In the Bible, the Old Testament speaks about the people of Israel. In it we find the experiences of an insignificant nation (Deut. 7:7), but chosen by God to be a special people (Deut. 7:6).

God prescribed special encounters for His people; this is why the Israelites gathered at least three times a year to worship and share God’s blessings. There were solemn feasts or holy convocations (see Leviticus 23).

Today, the New Jersey Conference also has a special time of year when brothers, sisters and friends come to worship together as one big family. It is a time when the conference’s more than 120 Adventist congregations gather to share their faith and blessings God has poured out on them.

Story by Ricardo Bacchus

Members from the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) Executive Committee recently elected Jermaine Jackson as the new chief financial officer (CFO), effective June 1. Prior to joining AWC, Jackson worked for Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM), starting in 2009 as senior accountant and promoted to controller shortly thereafter. In 2014 he was elected vice president of CFO for ARM and the Gencon Insurance Company of Vermont (GIVC). In that role, Jackson oversaw the financial operations of ARM and GICV and its subsidiaries in Brazil and Gibraltar.

Story by Vicki Briley

Story by Katie Solovey

Adventist HealthCare’s two main hospitals have each received two awards from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for life-saving, high-quality stroke care. These awards come during National Stroke Month, which raises awareness about the signs and symptoms of stroke.

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Kettering College (Ohio) recently celebrated its 50th commencement and conferred degrees and certificates to 227 students. Twenty of the graduates (pictured) were from the school’s first graduating Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program, which began in the fall of 2015 and is the school’s first doctoral program.