News Articles

On June 27, 2023, the North American Division's (NAD) executive committee elected César and Carolann De León to lead the Family Ministries department. The De Leóns will serve as director and associate director, replacing Claudio and Pamela Consuegra, who were in the same respective roles and retired on March 31, 2023, after serving the division for nearly 12.5 years, beginning in October 2010.

The North America Division’s (NAD) 2023 educators’ convention, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, from August 7-10, is the division’s opportunity to honor and empower educators division-wide.

Amid the rising tide of gun violence in Orange County (OC), Florida, nearly 60 public citizens, neighborhood activists, police officers, pastors, and civic leaders gathered at Patmos Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Apopka, seeking ways to stem the bloodshed. The April 19 forum was convened by the OC Citizen Safety Task Force, a working group that gathers public input, reviews policy proposals, and recommends action steps to stem the growing threat of gun violence. Areas being researched include prevention, interventions, prosecution, and enforcement.

In a unanimous decision issued on Thursday, June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court discarded decades-long precedent by strengthening legal protections for workers whose religious beliefs conflict with their job obligations. The ruling in Groff v DeJoy is expected to significantly impact job opportunities for Americans of various faiths who have frequently faced challenges due to their Sabbath-keeping practices. The Court's decision will reshape how businesses offer religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On June 29, 2023, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s General Conference Executive Committee met to receive the name of Judy R. Glass, the recommendation for division treasurer, from both the North American Division’s standing nominating committee and executive committee. Glass was confirmed in a 99 percent affirmative vote, and is the first woman to serve as treasurer for the North American Division.

Liberty is published by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and printed at Pacific Press Publishing Association. Liberty is one of several sharing magazines; it is geared toward members and others interested in religious freedom subscribing and sharing with their family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Liberty magazine, the fourth to be featured in our series, is available for subscription at libertymagazine.org

On April 17, 2023, M. Gilda Dholah-Roddy, associate director of the North American Division Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (NAD ACM), was commissioned as a U.S. Army Reserve chaplain in a ceremony held at the NAD headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. In the U.S. Army Reserve, Chaplain (Captain) Dholah-Roddy will offer spiritual and pastoral support to the 55th sustainment brigade based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

On Sunday, July 2, 2023, Breath of Life Ministries will launch a new YouTube series called "Fresh Start Sundays." Each Sunday, at 10 a.m. CST, viewers will receive a spiritual boost for the new week.

As a pastor, I have noticed over the years that one of the main reasons people stop going to church is the lack of friends and meaningful relationships in the church. Loneliness and church should be an oxymoron. Some say that we go to church to meet God, and it should not be used as a social club. I disagree. Acts 2:42 says: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (KJV).

In my role as CFO, I am called upon to communicate complicated and lengthy financial statement analysis to those who do not regularly interact with that information. It has been a career goal of mine to make that information simple and accurate so most anyone can quickly understand. That desire to make the complicated simple has spilled over into my everyday life.