News Articles

Breath of Life Ministries Empowers Members, Publishes its First Book for Literature Evangelism

September 17, 2019 | Huntsville, Ala. | Christopher Thompson, communication and marketing director, Breath of Life Ministries, and Carl McRoy, director of literature ministries, North American Division

Community member in Miami-area reads a copy of FREE: Revisiting God’s Plan for Oppressed People, which was distributed by local church members.

Carlton P. Byrd, speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries and senior pastor of Oakwood University Church in Huntsville, Alabama, believes that spiritual health is partially dependent on personal involvement in outreach. One way Byrd encourages members to be active participants in sharing the gospel is through literature distribution. While organizing members to distribute literature isn’t a new concept, for some churches, it is a newly revived practice that generates a lot of enthusiasm.

“Praise God for the spoken word and the sung word, but some will be won by reading the word of God and truth-filled literature. I am a proponent of literature; because when literature goes out, it can go places we can’t go,” said Byrd.

This emphasis birthed Breath of Life’s first sharing book, FREE: Revisiting God’s Plan for Oppressed People, which is co-authored by Byrd and Christopher C. Thompson, communication and marketing director for Breath of Life. The pocket-sized volume points readers to a deliverer who is concerned about the social, economic, and political circumstances that oppress people and suppress the voices of millions in America and around the world.

Released on June 19, FREE has already been distributed to hundreds of people in preparation for the ministry’s public evangelism meetings. Several churches in Miami, Florida have shared the book throughout their neighborhoods, but especially in the city’s Brownsville community.

After receiving a copy and reading several of its pages, one community member said, “Thank you for this. I love this!”

Brownsville is the home of Bethany Seventh-day Adventist Church, which served as the location of the “Breath of Life Summer Revival.” At the end of the revival, Byrd and area pastors baptized 120 people into the Adventist Church.

“It is Breath of Life’s sincere desire that this project will help empower local churches to similarly experience the joy of personal outreach in preparation for public evangelism,” said Byrd. “Jesus isn’t coming anywhere until the gospel goes everywhere.”

Community member in Miami-area reads a copy of FREE: Revisiting God’s Plan for Oppressed People, which was distributed by local church members. Photo courtesy of Breath of Life Ministries — *Community member in the Miami-area reads a copy of* FREE: Revisiting God’s Plan for Oppressed People, which was distributed by local church members. Photo courtesy of Breath of Life Ministries

Charting a New Path: 2024 Administrators’ Conference Unites Leaders to Shape the Future of the Church in North America

It’s been 10 years since conference and union presidents, executive secretaries, and treasurers gathered in one room to brainstorm how best to carry out the church’s mission in North America. A long-awaited follow-up, the 2024 administrators’ conference hosted more than 200 conference and union officers at the NAD’s headquarters on Oct. 30-31.

50 Ministerial Spouses Unite for Community Service, Fellowship, and Training During the 2024 NAD Year-End Meeting

Community service, fellowship, and training sessions made up the spouses’ meetings during this year’s NAD Year-End Meetings, with roughly 50 spouses of conference leaders in attendance.

Report on 2024 Consolidated Enrollment

The Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU), comprised of the presidents and other top leaders from 13 Adventist colleges and universities in North America, has determined that the latest consolidated fall enrollment numbers for all 13 institutions totals 20,828 students. This increase of 256 students from the previous year marks the second consecutive year of total growth.

Pacific Northwest Hosts Young Adult LIFE Tour

Who are your people? What is good news to them? Where do my people need me to show up for them? These are the questions that attendees were challenged to answer at the Spring 2024 Young Adult LIFE Tour stop at Pleasant Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Happy Valley, Oregon. Young adults, church leaders, mentors, and parents gathered to learn about the unique challenges emerging adults face and how churches can help meet their needs.

In the Middle of It: A Thanksgiving Reflection

It’s easy to express gratitude when the outcome is favorable, when the struggle has passed, and when we can see the fruit of our perseverance. But what if we could learn to give thanks not just at the end of the journey but “in the middle of it”? What if we could cultivate the kind of gratitude that doesn’t wait for the resolution, but chooses to acknowledge God’s faithfulness even while the outcome is still unknown?