Chesapeake Conference

Editorial by Rick Remmers

Hope is an interesting word. We hope for a lot of different things. We hope it won’t rain on the day we’ve planned a picnic. We hope there are no traffic jams on our commute to work. We hope to be able to find our favorite socks. We hope our teacher doesn’t give us a pop quiz.

Then there are the more substantive concerns. We hope there is more money in our account than days in the month. We hope our nation enacts laws promoting justice and equality. We hope our employer’s business does well so our job is secure. We hope organizations we are part of will promote fairness and opportunity.

Story by Debra McKinney Banks and Celeste Ryan Blyden

A longtime mainstay in many Seventh-day Adventist homes, meat analogs are steadily gaining popularity outside our community, thanks to the growing trend of plant-based eating; Meatless Monday campaigns to eliminate animal protein one day a week; the rise of flexitarians seeking to adopt a healthier lifestyle; and a segment of the population driven to alleviate chronic health issues.

Story by V. Michelle Bernard/ Photos by Allison Shelley

When Summer Porter drove to Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH) in Takoma Park, Md., last June, she thought that maybe the dog at the daycare had bitten her almost 4-month-old baby Breelyn Elizabeth. “Death had not entered my mind,” she says. A WAH employee told Porter to wait and that somebody would come talk with her. She soon found out that Breelyn hadn’t woken up from a nap at daycare. 

Editorial by Rick Remmers

The Advent celebration is synonymous with lights. They decorate our neighborhoods, malls, trees and homes. When we look in the gospel accounts of the first advent of Jesus, we find the angels appearing to the shepherds with a brilliant light. Their presence or message could not be missed—Christ had come.

Then there was the star from the east leading wise men to the humble dwelling to see Jesus. The light of the star provided a guide for those who were willing to find the One who would light the world.