Adventist Community Services

Staff

Angie Lorenzo

Administrative Professional II

Our mission

Adventist Community Services is the official community outreach ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the North American Division territories which comprises of North America, Guam and Micronesia, and Bermuda. ACS serves the whole person, a concept known as holistic ministry whose mission is to “serve communities in Christ’s name.”

Our vision

Expanding the scope of community services
Building collaborative partnerships
Integrating education in leadership development

Our core values

Sharing – We proclaim the good news of salvation by actively demonstrating the love of God.
Connecting – We build relationships by connecting people with their community family and to God.
Ministering – We minister to the communities we serve by focusing on their physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.
Discipleship – We empower and engage members to serve their communities by teaching, mentoring, and equipping in holistic ministry.

How we serve

Equip pastors and lay members with skills and knowledge to help their church and community through the following seven families of ministries: Disaster Response; Emotional and Spiritual Care; Community Development/Urban Ministry; Older Adult Ministry; Hope for Humanity; Young Adult Emergency Services Corp.; and Tutoring/Mentoring Programs

Resources

ACS A Quick Start Guide
ACS Ministry Handbooks: Caregivers Ministry, Crisis Care Ministry, Elder Care Ministry (available on www.adventsource.com)
Adventist Urban Congress DVD—Transforming the City
Adventist Preaching DVD Volume #25—Sharing the Good News in the 21st Century
Annual Community Partnership Programs
"Burst the Bubble: Finding Your Passion for Community Outreach," by Sung K. Kwon ($15.99 from www.adventsource.com)
CareOptions: Family Healthcare Advisory Program
Catalog of materials, videos, activities for churches to communicate ministries of compassion
Community Services & Urban Ministry (CSUM) Curriculum
E-reporting: A free web-based software that is provided for all church ministires to collect and report community outreach service data to effectively demonstrate church engagement.
Grant Applications
Ministry Action Kits (such as the "Community Prayer and Blessing" program, and the "My Gift for Jesus" program)
Special programs for small groups, women’s groups, youth, classrooms and schools, and business leaders
Videos for churches and schools
Optional, helpful materials to purchase:
Understanding Your Community, by Monte Sahlin ($39.95 from www.adventsource.org)
Churches That Make a Difference:Reaching Your Community With Good News and Good Works, by Ronald J. Sider, Philip N. Olson & Heidi Rolland Unruh (Approximately $15.00 from www.amazon.com)

Leadership Development

Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program (NLCP) - The NLCP is an intensive flipped-classroom style summative learning program that equips pastors, church administrators, and members with strategies and professional skills to successfully lead. Participants are required to complete the “Community Services & Urban Ministry Certification Program” offered online for FREE at the Adventist Learning Community platform.
- OPTIONAL: The summative learning session, after the participants complete the online program, as a face-to-face approach will be used for the following:
  - To review the main ideas of the online course that the participants have completed – unpacking content, debates, constructive disagreement, and problem-solving based learning.
  - To lay action plans to apply the content of the course to the participants’ local communities. The participants would leave with skills to apply their learning to impact change in their community.
Community Services and Urban Ministry Certification Program (CSUMCP): This community-based program equips participants to be engaged with critical service learning to create a sustainable impact in their communities. The Community Services & Urban Ministry Certification Program course contains fifteen learning modules, which include instructional videos, learning activities, PowerPoint presentations, video scripts, and quizzes. After completing the entire curriculum, each participant will earn 2.0 continuing education units.
Six ACS Ministry tracks (Disaster Response, Emotional and Spiritual Care, Community Development/Urban Ministry, Older Adult Ministry, Young Adult Emergency Services Corp, and Tutoring/Mentoring Programs).
- Emotional and Spiritual Care Provider Program – ICISF
- Older Adults Ministry Certification Program
- Disaster Response Certification Program

Contact Us

(443) 391 7253

North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Adventist Community Services
9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
Columbia, MD 21046-1565, USA

www.communityservices.org

Most Popular Stories

After Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton Wreak Havoc, Adventist Community Services Work to Help Communities in Southeast U.S. Recover

About three weeks after Hurricane Helene — and a week after Hurricane Milton — swept across the Southeastern U.S., efforts to help residents in the path of the two storms continue. Adventist Community Services (ACS) is one of the organizations that has mobilized to help, beginning preparations before the mighty storms made landfall. After the storms hit, ACS Disaster Response (DR) across the impacted area assessed where they could best serve the communities.

ACS Bermuda: Celebrating 50 Years of Ministry

Fifty years ago, a small but dedicated group of individuals in the Bermuda Conference set out with a profound mission — to serve and uplift their community. What began as a modest initiative has blossomed into a cornerstone of support, providing vital resources and services to countless individuals and families. Today, Adventist Community Services (ACS) Bermuda stands as a beacon of hope, offering everything from food, shelter, and health care to educational programs, counseling, and job training. This golden anniversary is not just a milestone; it’s a celebration of half a century of transformation, resilience, and service.

Adventist Community Services Coordinates Hygiene Kit, Grow Box Projects at International Pathfinder Camporee

Helping others was a non-negotiable dimension of the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee, and Adventist Community Services (ACS) buttressed many of the philanthropic projects already in motion in Gillette, Wyoming. Two particular ACS projects were somewhat attached at the hip, though they might not have seemed related: hygiene kits and grow boxes.

In Florida, Altamonte Springs Church Job Fair Brings Employment Opportunities

On April 25, 2024, scores of job seekers filed into the gymnasium of the Altamonte Springs Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florida to dialogue with local businesses about job opportunities. Each job seeker had the chance to speak with several local businesses and apply for jobs. After conversing with potential employers, many applicants stopped by the prayer table before leaving, seeking God’s blessing in their job search. A few weeks later, CFEC Director Paulette Weir indicated that 226 job seekers and 17 employment agencies attended the program. Remarkably, 157 individuals gained employment after the event. Pastor Dion Henry attributed the impressive success of the program to the prayers of church members.

Ephesus, the “Spaghetti Church,” Impacts Lives in South Los Angeles, California

Clients come to the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church Adventist Community Services Center in South Los Angeles, California, on Mondays for free clothes and shoes from The Closet and to receive showers and plates of hot spaghetti. Through the years, the church has been affectionally known as the “spaghetti church” by regulars. The food pantry, open on the fourth Thursday of each month, welcomes guests to choose from fresh produce, canned goods, hygiene products, and more.