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.
Unearthing History: The Dino Dig Experience at Southwestern Adventist University
For many, the pull of uncovering ancient relics and the mysteries of the past is an irresistible draw. Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU) offers a unique opportunity to step back in time with its Dino Dig Experience, a dinosaur excavation research project in the Lance Formation of eastern Wyoming, United States. This program, held annually in June, brings together students, families, and international participants to uncover and study dinosaur fossil remains.
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.
Heather Thompson Day to Rejoin Andrews University Communication Program
Heather Thompson Day is returning this fall to Andrews University as an associate professor in the department of Visual Arts, Communication & Design (VACD). Thompson Day, who recently published her seventh book, It’s Not Your Turn, will teach graduate and undergraduate communication courses, including ethics and interpersonal communication.
God’s Call to Live in Healing and Harmony
The North American Division stands in support of the principles outlined in the General Conference statement, “One Humanity: A Human Relations Statement Addressing Racism, Casteism, Tribalism, and Ethnocentrism.” This document offers a biblical response to the issues specific to the NAD, contextualizes the “One Humanity” document into the North American setting, and faithfully reflects the biblical understanding of social justice and Christian responsibility.
The Church’s Needed Witness
The political and social events of the year 2020 have once again pushed unresolved issues around race relations in the United States to center stage in our national and international conversations. The video-recorded murder of George Floyd by a police officer on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, represented for millions a tipping point, one that elicited an outcry by leaders who highlighted historical inequity and called for social justice across a diverse range of political, commercial, academic, and ecclesiastical institutions.
Historically Diverse Administration Elected to Lead Pacific Union Conference
Bradford C. Newton has been elected president of the Pacific Union Conference, replacing Ricardo B. Graham, who is retiring after 14 years of service as president and more than 46 years of ministry. Elected to fill the role of executive secretary that Newton has held since 2008, Sandra E. Roberts, president of the Southeastern California Conference, is the first woman to be elected to serve in the administration of the Pacific Union Conference and within the North American Division. Delegates returned Stephen V. Mayer to the position of treasurer.