Press Releases

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America empathizes with those directly impacted by the evil that has sprung up in our land. Our hearts go out to the victims of the most recent acts of senseless violence that serve to divide our society. ... We long for the pain to stop and the heartache to fade away. We recognize we live in a sinful world that doesn’t reflect the original vision of God when He created a perfect world where all were equal and free. As a church, we remind all that we should love equally and resolve to serve no matter race, gender, or cultural background.

As of June 18, 2019, Verified Volunteers, in their efforts to remain consistent with their organization’s branding, is now operating under the name Sterling Volunteers. The name chosen for all the North American Division background screening and training needs is Adventist Screening Verification. The web-based platform features a training and screening system for both employees and volunteers across all conferences in the division.

More than 55,000 young people representing more than 100 countries will set up a tent city August 12-17 as they attend the Eighth International Pathfinder Camporee at the Experimental Aircraft Associations (EAA) AirVenture Campgrounds in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Themed “Chosen,” the five-day camporee, held every five years, is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, headquartered in Maryland, and the Center for Youth Evangelism, located in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

The North American Division recently released its first comprehensive guide to search engine optimization for ministries. The Search Engine Optimization Guidebook is designed to help Seventh-day Adventist entities evangelize online through effective content creation, website ranking best practices, and reputation management.

April 2019 was Mike Tucker's fifteenth anniversary with Faith For Today. The current speaker/director of this media ministry writes, "July 2019 marks 45 years of ministry for me. What a blessing it has been for me to do work I love for a God I adore. Not long ago I asked the Faith For Today Executive Committee to start the process of transitioning the ministry for new leadership."

At 4 p.m. PDT/7 p.m. EDT on May 22, 2019, university students from across North America will attend the fourth “Is This Thing On?” (ITTO) live-streamed conversation during the annual Adventist Christian Fellowship Institute. Those gathered will have the opportunity to engage with Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders from the North American Division (NAD) during a 90-minute livestreamed conversation.

On Friday, May 17, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act (H.R. 5). The bill, if it were to become law, would extend protection to gay, lesbian and transgender individuals across a broad spectrum of U.S. civil rights laws. This would include employment, housing, public accommodation, and social services. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is concerned that this legislation would further erode the religious liberty of faith communities and their members. This bill makes no allowance for communities or individuals of faith who hold traditional views of marriage and gender. 

Archaeology is integral to understanding past cultures and informing present society, but excavations attract thieves and the work itself leaves behind its own scarred history. The new Lawrence T. Geraty Community Archaeology Endowment aims to help change things.

The NARLA Religious Liberty Summit, to be held on May 17-20, in metro-D.C. area, will be an exceptional opportunity. Religious liberty advocacy training, domestic and international issues briefings, and legislative and judicial updates will be offered, and this year the event is also host to the U.S. Department of Justice’s timely workshop “Protecting Places of Worship Through Education and Dialogue.”

On Sunday, March 3, 2019, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada (SDACC) Board of Directors elected Paul Musafili as its new treasurer and Rose Jacinto to serve as undertreasurer. Musafili will take over the position held by Ulysses Guarin, and Jacinto will fill the position vacated by Musafili.