This Month's Issue

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How Diverse is the Columbia Union?

Did you know that there are 41,317 multilingual members among the Columbia Union Conference’s 148,068 members? (See how demographic shifts are impacting our churches here.)

Of this number:

31,140 speak Spanish
2,699 speak French
1,870 speak Korean
1,247 are Indian
1,052 are Haitian
1,340 members are Ghanian
928 are Brazilian
461 Are Filipino
247 are Indonesian
135 are Chinese
57 are Ethiopian
24 are Hungarian
22 are Romanian

Interview by Alexis A. Goring

Edwina Neely, a member of Potomac Conference’s Rockville (Md.) church, recently wrote Children Are Gifts, a book for parents. It includes illustrations about younger children, as well as principles that apply to parents with children of all ages.

During her 30 years of working in education, Edwina was employed as a teacher, childcare center owner and in the Potomac Conference Elementary Education Department—all of which provided the experience she needed for her book. She credits God for helping her finish the book, published by WestBow Press.

In the interview below, read more about this book and its relevant message to parents:

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Vicki Bernard, a member of Pennsylvania Conference's Hillcrest church in Wellsboro shared this family favorite, an easy chocolate cake recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 2 cup water

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Combine the vanilla, vinegar, canola oil and water. Stir liquid into flour mixture until combined.

Bake in ungreased bundt pan for 1 hour, or an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

When cooled, frost or serve with whipped cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar.