News

Adventist Camps Mark 100 Years with First General Conference Session Exhibit in the North American Division Booth
For the first time, Adventist camp ministry is being featured with a dedicated exhibit at the General Conference (GC) Session, highlighting 100 years of summer camps shaping young lives. Tracy Wood, Youth Ministries director for the North American Division, said this year marks a century since Adventist camps began in 1925 in Australia, with the second recorded camp held a year later in Michigan. “It started with boys by a lake learning about nature and earning honor badges long before Pathfinders even existed,” Wood said. “Now it’s a global ministry.”

During General Conference Session Adventist Community Services and impact! st. louis Team Help Support Recovering Tornado Victims
Multiple levels of Adventist Community Services are joining forces with impact! st. louis, an initiative of the General Conference Youth Ministries department, to offer some relief to those still wrestling with the ramifications of the May 16 tornado. The Spanish church has been set up as a distribution center for food and other essential items. This and other community service efforts are running concurrent with the 62nd GC Session taking place downtown on July 3-12, 2025.

Healing Hands, Missional Hearts: Adventist Healthcare Systems Unite at GC Session 2025
At the heart of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s mission lies a deep commitment to healing — not just of the body, but of the whole person. That commitment was on display at the 2025 General Conference (GC) Session in St. Louis, Missouri, where the five healthcare systems in the North American Division (NAD) united to present a compelling witness to medical ministry as an extension of gospel work.

St. Louis Residents Invited to Experience the Power of Prayer During GC Session
The theme of the 62nd General Conference Session is “Jesus is Coming, I Will Go!” This is the clarion call to illuminate the entire world with the three angels’ messages and the everlasting gospel. Like any city, St. Louis, Missouri, the session’s host, needs Jesus’ light, so several organizations, ministry leaders, and young people partnered together to implement a special week of prayer. Karen Glassford, director of the GC’s Digital Strategy for Mission, has been leading this initiative. She indicated this wasn’t the first time this type of community week of prayer has been activated.

Historically Diverse Administration Elected to Lead Pacific Union Conference
Bradford C. Newton has been elected president of the Pacific Union Conference, replacing Ricardo B. Graham, who is retiring after 14 years of service as president and more than 46 years of ministry. Elected to fill the role of executive secretary that Newton has held since 2008, Sandra E. Roberts, president of the Southeastern California Conference, is the first woman to be elected to serve in the administration of the Pacific Union Conference and within the North American Division. Delegates returned Stephen V. Mayer to the position of treasurer.

God’s Call to Live in Healing and Harmony
The North American Division stands in support of the principles outlined in the General Conference statement, “One Humanity: A Human Relations Statement Addressing Racism, Casteism, Tribalism, and Ethnocentrism.” This document offers a biblical response to the issues specific to the NAD, contextualizes the “One Humanity” document into the North American setting, and faithfully reflects the biblical understanding of social justice and Christian responsibility.

A Scam, a Service, and Many Smiles
At the beginning of May 2021, LifeBridge Seventh-day Adventist Church provided the Tacoma, Washington, community with more than $90,000 worth of free dental care over a period of two days. Clinic director and local dentist Jed de la Paz and the LifeBridge team recruited more than 75 volunteers who gave selflessly of their time and expertise.

Senior Housing Development Inaugurated in New York, GC and NAD Presidents Part of Grand Opening Event
On July 21, 2021, Ted N.C. Wilson, General Conference president, and G. Alexander Bryant, North American Division president, led out in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Northeastern Towers Annex, a 158-unit affordable housing complex located in Queens, New York, sponsored by the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.