News
Beyond the Pews: 2025 eHuddle Calls Church to Greater Impact
For years, White Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church in Los Angeles, California, was viewed as the church that did not care. In January 2025, everything changed. On Tuesday, January 7, during their week of prayer, Arteaga and his leaders experienced three blackouts from heavy winds. The next morning, they awoke to “images that the city we love, our mission field, our home, was on fire,” Arteaga shared at the 2025 eHuddle — an evangelism and leadership think tank hosted by the North American Division (NAD) Ministerial Association from Feb. 24 to 26 at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
La Sierra University-rooted Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church Celebrates New Redlands Home
It began as a small gathering under the trees on La Sierra University’s campus in June 2003. Nine Seventh-day Adventist Ghanaian students and community members formed a Sabbath worship service, bound together by a shared faith, culture, and desire to connect. The small group began holding Sabbath School classes at various locations — first on campus and eventually at a nearby strip mall. Their numbers gradually grew until they had approximately 80 members in 2024, at which point the congregation decided it was time to acquire their own church building.
Southern Adventist University School of Business Students Excel, Rank as Top Performers
In a simulation of managing a startup company in the MGMT 364 International Business course, one of Southern’s teams placed first out of the five locally competing teams, and in the 99th percentile of more than 1,000,000 simulation teams worldwide in 2024. In another business strategy challenge, three of Southern’s teams ranked as Global Top 50 Performers out of 685 teams from 58 colleges and universities worldwide for the performance of their GLO-BUS business strategy simulations during the week of June 17-23, 2024.
2025 Safeguarding Peace Training Empowers Attendees to Build Safer Churches
From February 9 to 11, 2025, a small but dedicated group of local church, conference, and union leaders, and lay members, met at the North American Division headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, for the NAD’s enditnow® Safeguarding Peace training on abuse prevention and response. Through presentations, pair and group discussions, and hands-on exercises, attendees were empowered to help make our churches safer spaces.
Common Ground
On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, North American Division leaders met with student leaders from universities across the division. The goal was to determine what young people are concerned with and discuss what they might want church leadership to know. “We really want to know what you have to say,” stated Tracy Wood, director for youth and young adult ministries at the NAD, at the start of the online meeting. “The voices of students from your campuses can and do have a significant impact across North America.” In addition to five church leaders from both union and division levels, eight students were also present, representing Adventist and non-Adventist campuses across the country.
Southern Adventist University Students Win Big at the 2023-24 Chattanooga American Advertising Awards
Four Southern Adventist University students won awards at the 2023-24 American Advertising (ADDY) Awards in Chattanooga this spring, beating out thousands of other applicants in the student bracket. Hosted by the American Advertising Federation, the ADDY Awards are the largest creative competition in the world, with a tiered competition starting locally.
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.
Nearly 100 Attendees Celebrate Freedom of Conscience at NAD Religious Liberty Dinner
The North American Division’s (NAD) 18th annual Religious Liberty dinner, held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., celebrated a central human right — the freedom of religion or belief. It brought together close to 100 religious liberty advocates, government officials, academics, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders, Washington Adventist University Honors College students, and other guests, for a catered meal, a keynote address and religious liberty awards ceremony.