Who We Are, How We Serve

The Columbia Union Conference coordinates the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s work in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where 150,000 members worship in 860 congregations. We provide administrative support to eight conferences; two healthcare networks; 81 early childhood, elementary and secondary schools; a liberal arts university; a health sciences college; a 49 community services centers; 8 camps; 5 book and health food stores and a radio station.

Mission Values Priorities

We Believe

God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one,
all-knowing yet all-forgiving.

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Marius E. Marton, pastor and law enforcement chaplain, spends his Mondays at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, providing counseling and prayer with the employees.

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

Last fall pastors and chaplains from across the Ohio Conference were asked if they had ministries at hospitals, prisons or with law enforcement/first responders. Marius E. Marton, senior pastor of the Elyria district, shares his story:

Lorain County Sheriff Phil R. Stammitti swore me in as a civilian deputy to serve as chaplain in March 2017.

Photo by Richard Masoner from Flickr

Editorial by Eli Rojas

All you have to do is look at the list of disciples Jesus picked to know He had a mess on His hands. Two particular people, Matthew and Simon, had the potential to be immersed in conflict. Matthew, a Mokhes tax collector, was an enemy of the Jewish nation. Although Jesus knew everything about him, He still invited him to “Follow Me” (see Matt. 9:9). What was Jesus thinking?

Image by Taken on Pixabay

According to the Washington Post, during the first three months of 2018, there were at least 11 school shooting incidents nationwide, including the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 were killed. We asked three Columbia Union educators what they think we should do to keep our schools safe.

Dulce Gabriel, principal of New Jersey Conference’s Vine Haven Adventist School in Vineland

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The Allegheny East Conference (AEC) family mourns the recent death of Pastor Beverly Miles. Prior to his call to ministry, Miles served as an elder for several years at Miracle Temple Church (now Miracle City) in Baltimore, Md. He was a member of the AEC Executive Committee from 1996-2001.

Miles completed his Master of Divinity degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and became pastor of the Serenity church in Martinsburg, W.Va., in 2012. In January 2017, he transitioned to the Berea Temple church in Baltimore, where he served as assistant pastor.