News Articles

Adventist Community Services Supply Spiritual and Emotional Support After El Paso, Texas, Mass Shooting

American Red Cross approves team of credentialed, bilingual Adventist emotional and spiritual care providers to provide "listening ear."

August 7, 2019 | Columbia, Md. | North American Division

Shortly after a gunman fired on crowds in a Walmart and its parking lot in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3, local Adventist Community Service Disaster Response (ACS DR) leader Marshall Gonzales reached out to W. Derrick Lea, North American Division (NAD) ACS DR director, to ascertain how ACS could be of help. Twenty-two people were killed and dozens injured in the Walmart shooting.

On Aug. 6, 2019, Lea met with American Red Cross and Emergency Management contacts overseeing the Family Assistance Center for the families affected by the horrific shootings in El Paso, Texas.

ACS DR is also poised to help as needed in Dayton, Ohio, following another mass shooting that transpired several hours after the El Paso shooting. In downtown Dayton, nine people were killed and 27 were injured when a gunman opened fire on a popular street early Sunday morning, Aug. 4.

After requests from the American Red Cross, a team of ACS bilingual, credentialed emotional and spiritual care providers were approved and vetted to assist and support the individuals and families experiencing trauma.

"Many of the families have lost individuals and need support, some of those receiving help were injured, and others did not even know if their family member was killed or injured at the Saturday shooting," explained Lea. "With this backdrop, some of those affected were experiencing great trauma and needed a listening ear. In addition to the Family Assistance Center, people were showing up in large numbers around the site of the shooting, where memorials were set up. Help was needed giving out water, food, and additional listening ears."

Spiritual care teams will likely be in place for seven to 10 days.

In addition, Andrew Mobley, an Adventist Community Services coordinator from the Allegheny West Conference, has reached out to the local leadership in Dayton, Ohio. And ACS DR spoke with representatives from Kettering Medical Center, which is close to Dayton. With hospital chaplains on hand to assist within the community, Mobley has a team on stand-by — if community needs deplete the chaplains.

ACS DR asks that members pray for the team as well as the families that are suffering after these sad events.

Breath of Life Ministries Celebrates 50 Years of Media, Music, and Evangelism

On Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, Breath of Life Ministries celebrated 50 years with its Legacy Night, held at Oakwood University Church (OUC) in Huntsville, Alabama — its home since 2012. The evening reflected on the ministry’s evolution and honored key contributors. It also featured performances by 10-time Grammy winners Take 6 and the current Breath of Life Quartet, as well as a message by former speaker/director Carlton P. Byrd, now president of the Southwest Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

NAD President and First Lady Share Holiday Video Message for 2024

"To all of our family: To our brothers and sisters in Canada, our brothers and sisters in Bermuda, our brothers and sisters in Guam-Micronesia, and certainly our brothers and sisters here in the United States. We would like to say to you, on behalf of our North American Division office and leadership team, we thank God for your faithfulness for another year, for how you have served your communities, how you have engaged your communities, and how you have spread the love of Jesus Christ abroad," says NAD president G. Alexander Bryant, in the 2024 holiday message he shares with wife, Desiree Bryant, who is the NAD Ministerial Spouses director.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada Announces New Contract with Christian Record Services

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada (SDACC) is pleased to announce a new three-year contract with Christian Record Services (CRS) to provide services to members who are blind and visually impaired. This partnership, effective from 2025 to 2027, will enhance the quality of life for many individuals across Canada.

Southern Adventist University Trains AI Model to Classify Dinosaur Teeth

Paleontologists help us understand the history of life on Earth by studying fossils, which they manually identify by examining the fossils’ geometry and other features. But what if they had a faster, easier, and more effective way to classify these ancient traces of life? Southern Adventist University’s Biology and Allied Health Department and School of Computing have collaborated on a project that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify dinosaur teeth automatically. The project applies the form of AI known as deep learning, which uses artificial neural networks to learn from data and solve complex problems.

Society of Adventist Communicators Recognizes Southern Adventist University with Nine Awards

Once again taking home the most awards, Southern Adventist University applauds the nine students, alumni, and faculty members who earned accolades at the creative competition held during the Society of Adventist Communicators (SAC) Convention, just outside of Chicago, Illinois, in October.