This Month's Issue

Editorial by Dave Weigley

Recently our world has been overtaken by the coronavirus pandemic. Fear and uncertainty abound, people are suffering and many lives have been lost. Social distancing measures have left many people working from home or seeking unemployment benefits. Health care workers and frontline responders are risking their lives to save others. Many people are wondering if this is the beginning of the end. And, at the writing of this editorial, our churches are meeting virtually, students are distance learning, and camp meetings, summer camps, graduations and special events have been postponed or canceled.

1.The Columbia Union Conference partnered with the General Conference and North American Division to help fund $900,000 to support local conference outreach ministries, such as the community center at Pennsylvania Conference’s Grace Outlet church in Reading.

2.The Office of Ministries Development organized our first unionwide evangelism conference where we challenged pastors to employ the best methods for reaching today’s culture.

Feature by Edwin Manuel Garcia

Therezinha Barbalho grew up in Brazil and wanted to be a pastor more than anything. But after graduating from the Adventist seminary, she faced difficulty finding pastoral employment beyond being a Bible worker, due to the region’s attitudes toward women in ministry.

She realized her dream career wasn’t going to happen, so she went back to school and became a lawyer.

Years later when Barbalho and her husband sought better medical care than Brazil could offer for their daughter who has autism, she sent her pastoral résumé to conferences in the United States. She was offered a job as a Bible worker at New Jersey Conference’s Luso-Brazilian church in Newark in 2004, then promptly became the associate pastor.

Historia de Edwin Manuel Garcia

Nativo de México, Marco Estrada no tenía idea de que terminaría siendo pastor. "De hecho", dijo, "mi sueño era ser un soldado".

Pero Dios tenía otros planes. Estrada, quien fue criado católico, emigró a Atlantic City, N.J., a la edad de 15 años, y trabajó como cocinero durante 14 años en un casino antes de aceptar el llamado al ministerio. Regresó a México para obtener su licenciatura en Teología en la Universidad de Montemorelos, y ha sido pastor durante los últimos siete años en la iglesia Hispana Camden de la Conferencia de Nueva Jersey, donde le gusta usar sus habilidades culinarias para preparar comidas para la congregación.

Les membres et les dirigeants ont implanté 65 églises à travers l'Union de Columbia en 2019, rapporte Frank Bondurant, vice-président pour le développement des ministères. « Nous soutenons le développement de nouvelles églises afin d'établir une présence dans les communautés qui ne sont pas desservies par nos congrégations existantes, y compris dans les grands centres urbains comme Baltimore, Reading, Pennsylvanie et Washington, D.C. », dit-il. « C'est encourageant de les voir grandir et aussi faire naître plus d'implantations d'églises. »