Stories & Commentaries

One day in February 2024 an unusual assortment of North American Division leaders walked into the president’s office. Those represented included the Ministerial Association, vice presidents, the president’s office, Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), Professional Services, and communication. After prayer and an exchange of pleasantries, the leaders looked to president G. Alexander Bryant. “What do you all remember about Pentecost?” he asked. Typical answers surfaced referencing the Acts 2 account. “What if we were to do something like that at the NAD? What if we could get all our churches involved? What if we focused on prayer, outreach, and proclaiming the gospel message?”

More than ever our world is increasingly divided by ideologies, cultures, and perspectives that are prevalent across—and even within—denominations. And in a world that is increasingly interconnected, unity is needed to address the globally shared challenges that sometimes seem insurmountable. ... Unity among believers is essential within the realm of Christianity.

For most of the twentieth century the work in North America was led by one of the vice presidents of the General Conference. Then in 1985, with growing missional needs, the North American Division was reformulated once again as one of the 13 divisions of the world church. Charles Edward Bradford (1925-2021) would serve as the first president of this newly reformulated North American Division, beginning in 1985. This is his story — and our story.

As the calendar has turned the page from December to January, the light has effectively turned green for Pentecost 2025, a comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck revival and evangelism initiative of the North American Division. Winston Taylor, pastor of the Cedar Grove Seventh-day Adventist Church, with a core team of about 15 members, has already established significant connections with the community through multiple outreach efforts. A first fruit of this goal is scheduled for March 9–29 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Around 5:30 a.m. on January 8, 2025, the alert sounded on John Cress’s phone. He and his wife would have to evacuate their home in the Glen Oaks neighborhood of Glendale as the Eaton Fire charred a path toward them. The sky was black with smoke and tinged with red and orange.

Many people turn to social media to cope with feelings of loneliness, but there is ongoing debate on the health impacts. Some find that the digital space helps to connect with family and friends, while others experience greater feelings of loneliness the more time they spend in the digital world. How can both be true?

"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.

Dawson Stephens hasn’t always felt the passion for ministry that he has today. It took strong action from God to change the trajectory of the life of this senior theology major in the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University, and he uses his testimony to inspire other believers who are struggling with faith.

Have you ever hit rock bottom and found hope from an unexpected source? For a 16-year-old girl from California, that hope came in the form of a pocket-sized Signs of the Times given to her by a stranger on an Amtrak train. Hers is one of countless stories of a tract sparking transformation. Take advantage of the holidays, and a limited sale, to spread the love of God organically with these life-changing materials.

It’s easy to express gratitude when the outcome is favorable, when the struggle has passed, and when we can see the fruit of our perseverance. But what if we could learn to give thanks not just at the end of the journey but “in the middle of it”? What if we could cultivate the kind of gratitude that doesn’t wait for the resolution, but chooses to acknowledge God’s faithfulness even while the outcome is still unknown?