Stories & Commentaries

A pastor’s biblical role and function include having a servant leader’s heart, caregiving, and shepherding. That leading includes coaching, equipping, teaching, and preaching. The layered expectations pastors face in role and function can, however, be fulfilling and overwhelming simultaneously.

At first glance “Pastor Joel” appears to be just an immigrant from another country. When you speak with him, however, you discover a heart devoted to God, his family, and God’s people. And you realize that he strives to “pay forward” the blessings God has bestowed on him.

Jacqueline Galloway-Blake, a devoted 40-year member of Sharon-Inkster, found herself thrust into action when she learned toxic waste from a train derailment in Ohio was now being shipped to a toxic injection well just four miles from the Sharon-Inkster church. Galloway-Blake said, “I was not going to sit by quietly as they shipped toxic waste all the way from Ohio to our backyard, where our people live.”

Students who have difficulty in school are no longer written off as “problem students” but rather, they are often diagnosed with ADHD or Dyslexia. Through evaluation, students are finally given the tools to encourage comprehension and regulation, prompting a more efficient education. This approach is desperately needed in our schools, and teachers such as Martha Muñoz have risen to the challenge. 

This past year saw the creation of a new Pathfinder honor. My own daughter, along with two of her friends, were the initial catalyst to beta-test and help develop the requirements. As we did so, it became an opportunity to look at little-known or even unknown stories of early Adventist women.

When my sons Jason and Brandon were little, we would occasionally play hide-and-seek. It didn’t matter where we were—in the house, in the yard, or on vacation somewhere—there were always enough hiding places to make it fun. I would count to 10 slowly with eyes closed, and the kids would scamper around attempting to find some item large enough to conceal them from sight.

Attendees of Ophelia Barizo’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) seminars at the recent NAD educators’ convention would never have guessed that she had been hospitalized just days prior. The smiling woman in front of them, a passionate STEM education consultant, showed no trace of illness.

On the morning of the fourth and final day of the 2023 NAD Educators' Convention, teachers who would step into classrooms that following week felt anticipation, exhilaration, and appreciation. Nicole C. Mullen set the tone through her music. Then G. Alexander Bryant, president of the NAD, rose to speak. He addressed the teachers, recognizing their oft-overlooked efforts to invest in their students and uphold the tenets of Adventist Education.

Chuck and Dona Fulmore never set out to be—or even imagined it possible to become—musical evangelists. In fact, the more likely scenario for both of them was to follow in their parents’ footsteps and become dairy farmers—Dona north of Seattle, Washington; Chuck near Modesto, California.

The gentle hum of summer life was altered at Burman University during the first weekend of July as hundreds gathered on the campus. It began weeks and months out as the organizing team had been preparing for what would soon be the arrival of 300 pastors from across Canada, with our visitors totaling 500 people, including families, presenters, and exhibitors for the SDACC Ministerial Summit.