Stories & Commentaries

About Stories & Commentaries

From time to time, the North American Division shares commentaries on issues and/or events important to Adventists in this division. We also publish stories, which sometimes include interviews and features, to inspire our leaders and members.

Church congregation

Rooted in Faith

Heidi Baumgartner, Washington Conference communication director, reflects on having a history of five generations in the same church family, and how God has been faithful for 121 years. "This was the location where my dairy-farmer great-grandparents came to faith at an H.M.S. Richards crusade and raised their family of five children. My brother and his family now have their membership in the family church. Life isn’t always easy, but through the years, we’ve seen how God is faithful. This legacy is worth passing on."

Dr. Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse directs at Carnegie Hall

The Legacy Lives On: Washington Adventist University's New England Youth Ensemble Turns 50

In the autumn of 1969, Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse — already an accomplished and internationally-known violin and piano soloist and composer — invited four little kids to play music in her living room. Little did they know, this was the beginning of the New England Youth Ensemble (NEYE), a group of young musicians that gave its first performance at the local Kiwanis club in Worcester, Massachusetts.

part of the Feel Whole Challenge is to pray for someone

Nearly 10 Million People Invited to Feel Whole

It’s been said that it takes 21 days to form or break a habit. Throughout the course of this year, participants in AdventHealth's Feel Whole Challenge have put this concept to the test, answering the call to action to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health. In nine media markets throughout the Midwestern, Southwestern, and Southeastern United States, 9.7 million consumers have heard this same message.

Tony Anobile

Love in Any Language

Tony Anobile works with 15 different language groups — and counting. But he wasn’t always in multilingual ministry. In fact, the majority of his time serving the church, almost 34 years, has been in youth ministry.This interview is the fourth of a six-part series that will introduce the officers and directors of the North American Division who have begun settling in to their newly elected positions.

Elijah Cummings: Thoughts from Washington Adventist University's President on the congressman and civil rights leader's life and legacy

As the nation mourns the recent loss of Elijah Cummings, and celebrates the life and legacy of the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland's 7th Congressional District and honored civil rights leader, Washington Adventist University's president, Weymouth Spence, shares his thoughts on — and takeaways from — Cummings' leadership and legacy in an interview with Richard Castillo, vice president for Integrated Marketing and Communication for WAU.

stock photo two women praying in church

The Broken Church

In every pew sits a broken heart. Even those who look good and smell good. Even those who answer all the questions correctly and can sing the morning hymn without even looking at the hymnal. The enemy is clever and tenacious. And all of us come to worship fresh from the battlefield.

2019 pastor appreciation month stock photo

Debunking Six Myths about Your Pastor…

Throughout the years I’ve heard several myths about pastors. With October (and Pastoral Appreciation Month) getting ready to start, I thought I’d do a little pastoral myth busting.

Sept 11 2001 remembrance of twin towers, night photo

Telling a New Generation About 9/11

On every September 11 since 2001, I remember two events: that it is my grandmother’s birthday; and watching the news reports of planes crash into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and a field in Pennsylvania. And while the utter disbelief, crippling fear, and raw emotions from that day 18 years ago have faded, memories of busy signals on cell phones, silent skies, footage of falling buildings and people, photographs of ash-covered pedestrians, and victim and first-responder interviews remain in sharp focus. For my children, however, born after this infamous date in American history, there is no recollection, no memory.

Magabooks

Partners in Preparing the Harvest

Literature mission work in the NAD is changing lives. Read about some of the outreach being accomplished across the division.

2019 Chosen International Camporee opening night fireworks

"Chosen" in Oshkosh: An Essay in Photos

The NAD Office of Communication team share just a few photo highlights from the 2019 Chosen International Pathfinder Camporee before the quiet again came to the fields of the EAA. These are small glimpses into the massive, bustling event, where Jesus took center stage, along with His “chosen” youth.