News
Pentecost 2025 “Seeking God’s Spirit” Prayer Meeting Kickstarts 10 Days of Prayer, Reaching More than 35.4K
On Wednesday evening, January 8, 2025, the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted a special prayer meeting to launch the world church’s 10 Days of Prayer with emphasis on "Seeking God's Spirit" for Pentecost 2025. “We’re delighted to have you here with us tonight. We’re excited about what God is going to do and about His promises, and tonight, we’re going to claim those promises.” NAD president G. Alexander Bryant said in his greetings.
Southern California Conference Responds to the January 2025 Wildfires
A series of fires erupted in southern California on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, amid extremely dry and windy weather conditions. As of January 9 the death toll is seven; thousands of homes have been destroyed. The largest blaze, the Pacific Palisades Fire, is now considered the most destructive in Los Angeles City history. This release contains information about what the Southern California Conference is doing to respond immediately to the crisis caused by the fires.
Walla Walla University Theology Students Intern Across North Pacific Union Conference
The North Pacific Union summer ministerial internship is a wonderful opportunity for Walla Walla University (WWU) theology and religious studies majors interested in pastoral ministry. Through this 10-week program, students earn full-time practical experience under the mentorship of skilled North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) pastors, strengthening their understanding of what pastoral careers look like.
Andrews University Receives Major Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Andrews University has received a grant of $6,326,735 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them.
It Is Written Wins 10 Telly Awards
It Is Written has won 10 Telly Awards this year for five different programs: one gold, seven silver, and two bronze. Four awards, including the gold, were given to “The Trail of Tears,” the first It Is Written program examining the forced relocation of Native Americans. Additionally, "Every Word," the It Is Written one-minute daily devotional, was recognized for the first time.
Extended, “Gamified” Sonscreen Film Festival on Gather.Town Connects Students with Growing Filmmaking Network
The annual young adult film festival sponsored by the North American Division became an extended virtual experience through a six-session-long program on Gather.town, a customizable video-conferencing space that allowed for enhanced virtual interactivity among attendees. Sonscreen Film Festival 2021 took place every Friday, from April 2 to May 7, from 4-6 p.m. EDT, on the gamified platform that has been described as a combination of Zoom and the “Among US” video game.
Southwest Region Conference Elects Oakwood Alumnus Carlton P. Byrd as President
On Sunday, May 23, 2021, the executive committee of the Southwest Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists convened at the Dallas City Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas to elect a new president. The committee met and prayerfully considered several esteemed candidates. After being led by the Holy Spirit, they ultimately voted to elect Carlton P. Byrd as president.
The Promise to Be Forgotten
Recently I listened to a podcast that contemplated the “right to be forgotten.” The episode featured the staff at a medium market newspaper who were grappling with the balance between relevant media coverage and an individual’s right to privacy. Because of the longevity of the Internet and the paper’s extensive online archives, local residents’ minor legal offenses haunted them years after they had paid their fine, served their probation, or even had their court records expunged.