News Articles

The 14-year-old patient sitting in front of me insisted that her decision to become a vegan was unrelated to being bullied and called “chubby” in elementary school. Instead, she cited reasons related to animal rights and a desire to become “healthier.” Nothing about the straight-A student with severe muscle wasting, skeletal limbs, and a protruding abdomen heralding liver failure was healthy. This local teen was unlike any eating disordered patient I had ever encountered.

More than 1,200 youth and young adults in the United States’ fourth largest city rallied together to give testimonies of how their Pathfinder clubs and youth groups spread the love of Christ on Global Youth Day. The youth rally took place on the afternoon of March 16 at the World Harvest Outreach Seventh-day Adventist Church in Houston, Texas. Youth from congregations belonging to the Texas Conference and Southwest Regional Conference shared stories from their outings earlier that the day.

Jerry D. Thomas, writer of nearly 60 books for children and adults, passed away on Friday, March 15, 2019. His works include the best sellers "Messiah," "Blessings," and "A Thoughtful Hour." Thomas also wrote and created popular series such as "Detective Zack," "Great Stories for Kids," and "Shoebox Kids." He was 59.

The first-ever Rise Up Against Abuse Rally was held on the campus of Andrews University from March 7–10, 2019. Sponsored by the Offices of University Wellness and Diversity & Inclusion, this rally was the official launch of the new Rise Up Against Abuse initiative, designed to help people use awareness, education, intervention and prevention to take decisive actions against all forms of abuse.

This is the second of a six-part series that will introduce the officers and directors of the North American Division who have begun settling in to their newly elected positions. Randy Robinson was officially voted to serve as treasurer for the North American Division on November 2 during the division’s 2018 Year-End Meeting. Robinson had previously worked as treasurer for the Southern Union for nearly 11 years.

The leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is shocked and saddened by the recent violence that took the lives of 50 worshippers as they celebrated their Friday prayers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. What should have been a quiet time in worship quickly transformed into a time of despair, fear, and pain. Our prayers go out to all those impacted by this senseless act of hate.

On March 3, 2019, a series of tornadoes touched down in Alabama and Georgia, killing 23 people and injuring at least 90 (reported as of March 6). The worst devastation occurred as a large and long EF4 “wedge” tornadohit Lee County, Alabama. The tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it crossed into Georgia, causing wide destruction in several towns. “ACS DR has been in contact with the disaster response community since the tornadoes struck,” said W. Derrick Lea, Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) director.

While the Adult Sabbath School purposes have increased and morphed over the years, a purpose for Youth Sabbath School seems silent. This reality begs the question as to the worth of Youth Sabbath School today. Has Youth Sabbath School lost its value? If so, how can we make it valuable again?

Part of being a church family means valuing each other as beloved creations of God and finding new ways to express Christ’s love and caring nature in our community. While caring actions can take many forms, Safety Sabbath is an opportunity to care for your congregation by taking the time for emergency preparation exercises and investing in practical skills that can improve their personal safety and, possibly, save a life. This year, Safety Sabbath is March 23.

In 18 months, Indianapolis, Indiana, will be the site for the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, bringing more than 100,000 people from some 200 countries to the city. Starting in late June 2020, the Adventist Church will conduct its quinquennial world business session at the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium. To prepare for this massive event, the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, headquartered in Carmel, has begun a series of evangelism trainings.