News
Providing Encouragement and Assessment
NAD Administrators Affirm Work and Assess Needs During Visit to the Guam-Micronesia Mission
Beginning January 4, 2024, a North American Division administrative team visited several islands within the Guam-Micronesia Mission for two weeks. “We wanted to provide encouragement and do an assessment of needs and see how we could better support the work there,” said NAD president G. Alexander Bryant.
Gillette Residents to Be Welcomed to “Night at the Camporee”
In just five weeks, the International Pathfinder Camporee will have moved west to Gillette, Wyoming. From August 5-11, 2024, roughly 60,000 young people from 100 countries will transform the Gillette Cam-Plex Facilities into a tent and RV city. Over numerous site visits since 2020, camporee officials have found significant interest among community members in attending the nighttime mainstage events. However, because minors attend the camporee, background checks would be necessary for these additional guests. Thus, camporee leaders decided to host a “night at the camporee” on August 4, which will offer community members a 90-minute sneak peek of the "Believe the Promise" evening program.
It is Written Wins 14 Telly Awards
It Is Written is pleased to announce that it has won 14 Telly Awards this year. The awards received highlight It is Written’s versatility and excellence in media production, with several programs earning multiple honors.
Common Ground
On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, North American Division leaders met with student leaders from universities across the division. The goal was to determine what young people are concerned with and discuss what they might want church leadership to know. “We really want to know what you have to say,” stated Tracy Wood, director for youth and young adult ministries at the NAD, at the start of the online meeting. “The voices of students from your campuses can and do have a significant impact across North America.” In addition to five church leaders from both union and division levels, eight students were also present, representing Adventist and non-Adventist campuses across the country.
Iniciativa Pentecostés 2025 votada por el Comité Ejecutivo de la División Norteamericana
El Pentecostés impactó dramáticamente a la iglesia primitiva. De hecho, muchos cristianos consideran Pentecostés como la fecha de nacimiento de la iglesia cristiana (ver Hechos 2). Ese día, la iglesia se multiplicó en número de 120 a 3.000 creyentes. Pentecostés marca el cumplimiento de la promesa de Jesucristo de enviar el Espíritu Santo para empoderar y guiar a sus discípulos.
Adventist Youth Serve Indigenous Communities in Northern Ontario
The youth and young adults of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada (SDACC) cast a vision for what it would mean to make a difference right at home. Their vision was clear: to work for the betterment of people’s lives in ways that were responsive to their actual needs. From there, a goal sprang up: to assist Indigenous people in a tangible, practical, and non-manipulative way that fostered genuine connection and friendship. Beginning on August 10, 2023, four groups of young Adventist volunteers, accompanied by ADRA Canada leaders, traveled to various Indigenous communities in northern Ontario – Lac Seul First Nation, Pikangikum First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation.
Ephesus, the “Spaghetti Church,” Impacts Lives in South Los Angeles, California
Clients come to the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church Adventist Community Services Center in South Los Angeles, California, on Mondays for free clothes and shoes from The Closet and to receive showers and plates of hot spaghetti. Through the years, the church has been affectionally known as the “spaghetti church” by regulars. The food pantry, open on the fourth Thursday of each month, welcomes guests to choose from fresh produce, canned goods, hygiene products, and more.
Sonscreen Film Festival Team Meets With Award-winning Filmmakers at 20th Annual Windrider Summit and Sundance Film Festival Experience
The Sonscreen Film Festival team met with award-winning filmmakers and engaged in deep discussions on storytelling and spirituality at the 20th annual Windrider Summit and Sundance Film Festival Experience on January 21-26, 2024. Students and professors from La Sierra University, Oakwood University, Southern Adventist University, and Walla Walla University attended the educational event, along with the Sonscreen team and the Loma Linda University Church media team.
La Sierra University Charts Path Toward Growth
Heading into 2024, La Sierra University is charting an upward trajectory based on enrollment targets, with near-term strategic investments in personnel, increased salaries, scholarships, software upgrades, and athletics initiatives. On Jan. 29, 2024, the university’s board of trustees voted on a budget and funding for the remainder of this fiscal year, ending June 30 and continuing two years through 2025-26. The university leadership also drafted a follow-on aspirational plan through 2028-29 for a five-year proposed strategic document focused on La Sierra’s growth. On Jan. 30, the plan was presented by La Sierra University Interim President Richard Osborn during a campus town hall at the Zapara School of Business.