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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Story by WAU Communication Staff

An Honors College will be launched next year at Washington Adventist University (WAU) to further enhance its academic offerings and move the university another step closer to achieving the Vision 2020 – Growing with Excellence plan that seeks to attain excellence at all levels of the institution. This will be the first Honors College in the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education.

Story by Jerry Woods

WGTS 91.9 just hosted its largest “Night of Hope” event in station history.  On Friday, November 11th, more than 2,000 listeners flooded into McLean Bible Church (Va.) to hear music from the Passion Worship Band with Kristian Stanfill and an inspiring message from Pastor Setan Lee of Transform Asia.  Pastor Lee shared several stories about how God spared his life after he uttered a prayer to a God he didn’t even know.  He turned that message into a message of hope encouraging those in tough circumstances that if God can answer the prayer of someone who doesn’t even know His name, then you can believe He has a good plan for your life.

At the end of the night around 100 people made first-time decisions to give their lives to Christ.

Story by Betty Klinck

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and recent research suggests that going to a hospital rated highly for heart care matters. By delivering such high-quality care to the Washington, D.C. region, Adventist HealthCare Washington Adventist Hospital has received two national recognitions for its heart program.

Washington Adventist Hospital received the highest distinction for excellence in heart surgery from the Society for Thoracic Surgeons (STS), and was also recognized for efficient, effective and rapid treatment of heart attacks by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC), an Institute of the American College of Cardiology.

The STS awarded the hospital a Three-Star rating – the highest possible quality rating – for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), the most common type of open-heart surgery in the U.S. Washington Adventist Hospital is among the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide to achieve a Three-Star rating.

“The Three-Star rating in CABG is very important to us. It is a measure of excellent outcomes for our patients,” said Paul Massimiano, MD, the hospital’s medical director of Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery. “It designates a very high standard and it validates the importance of teamwork and attention to detail in our cardiac program.”

Photo by Tommy on Flickr

Perspective by James Standish

Many people are shocked by the outcome of the election. Not Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind Dilbert. Over a year ago, Adams predicted Trump would win.

The odd thing?

Adams nailed it.

How could a Clinton-supporting cartoonist see what all the pundits, poll producing prognosticators and professional politicians missed? Easy, Adams explains, he doesn’t study polls, instead he studies the art of persuasion. And, he explains, persuasion is based on emotion. Tap into the emotional truths of your audience, and you persuade them.

In Adams’ analysis, the most persuasive candidate wins. Everything else is just noise. 

Story by Elizabeth Long

Julie Vincent, DPN, has been named Chief Nursing Officer for Kettering Adventist HealthCare.

She also serves as vice president of Patient Care at Sycamore Medical Center and Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center.

Vincent received associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Southern Adventist University (Tenn.). She also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Southern Adventist University and completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Central Florida.