News Articles

“God, if You want me to go down there, I have no problem with it. If You want me to leave everything I know, ... and move to Texas, away from everyone—to take on a job that I’ve never done, that I’m not quite sure about—I’ll do it.” This was Robert “Bob” Allen’s prayer eight years ago as he and his wife contemplated leaving their lives and jobs in New York for camp ministry in Texas.

It’s always encouraging to hear the words “thank you.” We love feeling appreciated and also hearing it expressed. There’s a good reason for our affection towards appreciation, it’s built into our DNA — we received the trait from our heavenly Father. Expressing our thanks has no expiration date. I discovered this after expressing my gratitude to my former neighbor for her unselfish act of Christian kindness towards me a long time ago.

The Adventist Community Service Center of Fort Madison, Iowa, seeks to expand its storage after experiencing an increase in both patrons and item donations. According to the center’s director Janie Warner, the center was so full of donations that it was difficult to walk around inside, which led personnel to set up tables outside for those in need.

In August 2021, Matías Soto, former teacher and experienced tech startup officer, was appointed as director of the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Andrews University. In this role, Soto will be responsible for overseeing innovation efforts at the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, as well as supervising the certificate program.

The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (NAD) recently sponsored its annual enditnow Summit on Abuse. It featured professionals presenting on support for children and their families, legal obligations for church members and staff, the threat of pornography, and the dynamics of power and control. The summit was streamed live on YouTube and Facebook on Nov. 14, 2021, in English, and on Nov. 15 in Spanish.

The new Bietz Center for Student Life at Southern Adventist University has won four awards from the Association of University Interior Designers (AUID), a national organization. Most notably, wall art in the Bietz Center’s Jack Blanco Chapel won “best in show.”

The November 7, 2021, first-ever Sonscreen Film Festival alumni event opened with a screening at which presenters showed trailers for their films. The schedule then opened up, giving the almost two dozen guests participating time to share information for future projects, learn what their peers were working on, and connect with former classmates and new friends.

Google led Iris Miranda to the Peoria Seventh-day Adventist Church’s weekly “Sabbath Stream” livestream. Iris and her husband, Herminio Irizarry, weren’t able to find a local church home during the pandemic, so they began joining the Peoria church each week: “I am seriously hesitating going back to my church here in Virginia,” Iris wrote, “because I don’t want to stop watching Peoria’s services.”

The North American Division Ministerial Association hosted an inaugural church revitalization bootcamp Nov. 4-7, 2021, in Washington state to begin unpacking best practices for churches to evaluate their current status, pray through a new vision, and find renewed growth. It’s time, church leaders say, to take a refreshed look at the local church’s ministry, mission, and purpose.   

When a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwest Haiti on August 14, 2021, the international community rushed to send aid. But for three Union College alumni, simply sending supplies wasn’t enough. International Rescue and Relief graduates Janae Schumacher, Justin Dena, and Lauren Lombard volunteered with Educáre, a Haitian-run organization, to bring medical help to those most affected by the disaster.