Stories & Commentaries

It Is Written Breaks Ground for New Ministry Headquarters

July 13, 2017 | Collegedale, TN | Annalyse Hasty

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new It Is Written ministry headquarters was held on July 10, 2017. More than 300 attended the event that took place in Collegedale, Tennessee.

groundbreaking ceramony — Guests at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new It Is Written headquarters in Collegedale, Tennessee, with speaker/director John Bradshaw (center), get ready to move some earth. Photo provided by It Is Written

The groundbreaking ceremony featured It Is Written representatives, local government and business leaders, and Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership, including North American Division President Dan Jackson, NAD Vice President of Media Gordon Pifher, Georgia-Cumberland Conference President Ed Wright, and Collegedale City Mayor Katie Lamb.

Guest speakers welcomed the ministry to Collegedale with open arms. Ben Wygal, assistant to the president of Southern Adventist University said that It Is Written “brings a legacy of providing hope and life to millions of people around the world and now that’s centered right here in Collegedale."

During the event, It Is Written Speaker/Director John Bradshaw shared the ministry's history of innovative media ministry and explained how the new ministry headquarters would enable more people to be reached with the gospel.

Originally headquartered in California, the 61-year-old media ministry moved to Tennessee in 2014 and has been leasing office and warehouse space in Chattanooga. In 2016, It Is Written selected the nearly nine-acre lot in Collegedale, Tennessee, as its permanent location because of the proximity to Southern Adventist University, a strong partner of the ministry.

In preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony, Bradshaw felled the first tree on the property and 16 shovels turned the soil. A large portion of the land will be cleared in the coming months and construction is expected to begin this fall.

Construction of the new ministry headquarters is targeted for a 2018 completion, with excavation beginning in August 2017. The two-story building will be 40,905 square feet and include office, studio, and warehouse space. The new ministry headquarters will also house a fitness center, resource shop, and mission museum. River Street Architecture of Chattanooga has completed architectural plans and P&C Construction of Chattanooga will serve as the general contractor on the project.

Click here to see building plans, purchase a commemorative brick, and view updates.

The Power of a Simple Tract: Transforming Lives with Messages of Hope and Wholeness

Have you ever hit rock bottom and found hope from an unexpected source? For a 16-year-old girl from California, that hope came in the form of a pocket-sized Signs of the Times given to her by a stranger on an Amtrak train. Hers is one of countless stories of a tract sparking transformation. Take advantage of the holidays, and a limited sale, to spread the love of God organically with these life-changing materials.

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.

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.

Promoting Healthy Minds at Southern Adventist University

Experts across America have gathered statistics that point to a mental health crisis for college students. Anxiety concerns have risen from 56 percent in 2013 to 65 percent in 2023, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. The center also found that the number of students seeking help has steadily increased from 2009 until the pandemic. In response to the crisis, Southern Adventist University is working to ensure that students have access to various high-quality mental health resources.