News

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.

Monte Sahlin — Longtime Church Researcher, Administrator, Author, and Editor — Passes to His Rest
Monte Sahlin, one of the foremost researchers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the North American Division (NAD) and a former pastor and church administrator, has passed away. He was 76 years old.

Oakwood University Announces the Selection of its 12th President
The Board of Trustees of Oakwood University is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Gina Spivey-Brown, Ph.D., RN, MSA, FAAN, FNAP, FADLN, as the 12th president of Oakwood University. The announcement concludes a comprehensive and prayerful search process.

Center for Youth Evangelism to Become North American Division Entity
On March 26, 2025, the North American Division (NAD) voted to receive the Center for Youth Evangelism LLC (CYE) as an official entity of the division as of May 1, 2025. This vote comes after the March 24, 2025, vote by the Andrews University board to transfer to the division the non-profit entity that has been part of the university since 1979 under the name of Youth Resource Center (it was renamed CYE in 1996).

Strongest Participation of Adventist Scholars at 2025 Annual American Society of Church History Meetings
In this Pentecost 2025 year and beyond, Adventist scholars can “witness” by accurately and dispassionately sharing with other scholars who Adventists are and what they believe. Over the past 15 years, a steady uptick of Adventist historians have regularly participated in meetings of the American Society of Church History, one of the premier academic organizations in the world for the study of religious history. This year’s meeting ran from January 3-6, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Themed “Legends,” it featured research by eight Adventist scholars, including two panel sessions focused on Ellen White and the Adventist experience.

North Carolina Governor Tours Multi-Agency Warehouse During Adventist Community Services Training
The North Carolina state disaster relief warehouse in Statesville has recently become a critical training ground, equipping Adventist Community Services (ACS) teams from around the North American Division with the skills necessary to manage disaster response operations effectively. This initiative, held throughout March, focuses on preparing volunteers to oversee multi-agency warehouses (MAW) that receive and distribute essential supplies to disaster survivors in their communities.

War Divides Their Homelands; Christ Unites Them in Cleveland
In a small Cleveland church, where worshippers from Russia and Ukraine kneel side by side, peace reigns, defying the war that divides their homelands. This unique congregation sings, prays, studies and fellowships together, with no trace of the painful divisions or hatred that mark their nations’ conflict.

North American Division Adventist Community Services Calls for Prayer Amid Tornado Recovery Efforts
A massive storm system tore through the central and southern United States the weekend of March 14, 2025, spawning roughly 66 tornadoes across seven states and claiming the lives of at least 37 individuals. Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana experienced widespread destruction, with hundreds of buildings in ruins. The North American Division Adventist Community Services (NAD ACS) is monitoring the situation in partnership with ACS directors in affected states.