News Articles

The third stop of the Young Adult LIFE Tour landed in the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at Spring Meadows Seventh-day Adventist Church in Central Florida. With more than 200 registrants and 1,000-plus in attendance, the weekend was filled with meaningful connections, inspiration, and relevant training on growing together.

What does your church parking lot look like during the week? For many, the answer is “empty,” but for two Adventist Community Services (ACS) ministries in the Houston, Texas, area, the answer is “full of cars.” The Fondren Seventh-day Adventist Church ACS moved their food distribution into the parking lot in 2020 to abide by COVID-19 recommendations and they haven’t moved back inside. Rain or shine, Fondren ACS volunteers distribute boxes of food to their community every Wednesday.

The AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute will lead first-of-its-kind research on exercise and brain health as part of a national, multisite effort funded with $11 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest source of medical research funding worldwide. Known as Follow-up Longitudinal Analysis of Moderate-intensity Exercise (FLAME), this new effort will test the long-term effects of a previously conducted randomized exercise clinical trial initiated in 2016 called “Investigating Gains in Neurocognition in an Intervention Trial of Exercise (IGNITE),” which examined the effects of exercise on cognitive and brain health in cognitively normal older adults.

On October 11, 2023, the Department of Sustainable Agriculture at Andrews University achieved Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) certification for its livestock system at the Agriculture Education Center. The education center is now among five percent of farms in Michigan to have earned this certification.

On Friday, October 27, day two of the 2023 North American Division Year-End Meeting (NAD YEM), the NAD executive committee received names for new appointments recommended by the North American Division’s standing committee with an overwhelming majority vote. Ivan Williams, Sr., current NAD ministerial director, was elected as the NAD vice president of strategic leadership; Adam Fenner, director of Adventist Learning Community (ALC), was elected to assume an additional role as NAD vice president for digital media; and Chad Grundy, Carolina Conference undertreasurer, was elected NAD undertreasurer.

The North American Division (NAD) has been working with a dedicated group of Adventist educators, professional programmers, and designers to create a cutting-edge student information system that will specifically meet the needs of Adventist educators. The system, called AE-Connect, includes an enrollment/registration module, a standards-based assessment module, scheduling and messaging capabilities, and options to connect with NAD financial management systems, such as the Student Treasury system and Adventist Accounting Software International. 

On Monday, October 29, day five of the 2023 North American Division’s Year-End Meeting (NAD YEM), delegates applauded as treasurer/CFO Judy R. Glass, the first woman elected to the role, took the stage for her inaugural report. Glass began with a heartfelt testimony. “When I started this position 91 days ago, there were times when I felt like I was thrown into the deep end of the pool. [What] helped me on this journey was the reminder that I have a Friend. And my Friend walks on water,” she said.

At the North American Division headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, the 2023 NAD Year-End Meeting started at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. This annual business meeting, which has returned to an in-person event, with livestreaming on the NAD website, Facebook and YouTube, will provide the opportunity for close to 300 executive committee members to receive reports, amend policies, strategize, and fellowship with church leaders who have dedicated themselves to sharing with others Christ and the Adventist faith. “God had called us to lead and our assignment is to serve in a very interesting time in history,” said G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president, as he began his 2023 report.

After more than 40 years, the theology department at Pacific Union College moved this summer from the basement of Graf Hall to the campus church offices. The change intends to highlight the central role of PUC’s faith, be more present with the students, and collaborate better with the pastors and chaplain. 

Each morning of the 2023 Year-End Meeting for the North American Division, delegates started their day with worship. A different speaker presented every day, and the group participated in worship through song as well. Those watching the meetings online, as well as executive committee members and guests, were able to worship together as the four speakers addressed the general theme of how we share the gospel in the world.