News Articles

The Prayer Ministries department of the North American Division organized a virtual, two-day event that facilitated continual prayer and highlighted testimonies from church leaders and members. The 2021 World Prayer Convention took place April 9-10 on Facebook Live.

It has been a year since we were deeply impacted by the dreadful coronavirus pandemic. Each of us can recall what it felt like as we watched, in almost stunned disbelief, the country shut down—offices closed down, churches closed, restaurants closed, professional sports canceled, children sent home indefinitely from school, citizens required to stay home, grocery stores running out of basic items, hand sanitizer in short supply, and toilet paper being fought over in the aisles. We've experienced an economic downturn, and social injustice and inequality. ... What sense have you made of it as a Seventh-day Adventist? Is God concerned about this world? What is He saying to us?

Randy Robinson, North American Division treasurer, shared his experience getting a COVID-19 vaccine at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, in a video showing the event. "I feel so strongly that we should be responsible in getting our vaccines. I think we protect ourselves, we protect those around us — our loved ones and those in our community," said Robinson.

The La Soufrière volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent began a series of explosive eruptions on April 9, 2021, sending clouds of hot ash some 20,000 feet into the air, blanketing much of the island in ash and causing water and electricity outages. With couple more explosions since, approximately 20,000 people have been forced from their homes on St. Vincent. ADRA is working with local churches and government agencies in St. Vincent to provide help, reports ACS Disaster Response director W. Derrick Lea.

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancelation of the in-person North American Division Pathfinder Bible Experience (NAD PBE) event 13 months ago, organizers quickly mobilized to hold the event online. In anticipation of the potential need to have another virtual event in 2021, planning started after the April 18, 2020 experience. This April, the PBE event was indeed held virtually.

On Friday, April 9, 2021, La Soufrière, the highest mountain peak on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, erupted, forcing more than 20,000 people to evacuate. Ash and smoke completely filled the sky, blanketing neighborhoods and streets across the island on Saturday, and to other islands such as nearby Barbados. Officials expect another larger eruption to occur. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is working with local authorities in the Caribbean to coordinate relief efforts. 

Alex Ulrich began college as a kinesiology major. She intended to practice physical therapy with her degree, but when a physical therapist visited her class to help the students understand more about what is involved in the position, Ulrich found herself disappointed. ... While doing research on different colleges and their programs, Ulrich came across the Union College Occupational Therapy Assistant program.

In the midst of a pandemic, the effects of which can leave people feeling isolated and alone, Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Church has continued to minister to its church members and neighbors through its community garden.

Adventist Retirement is pleased to welcome two new employees, Jennifer Chung, as assistant treasurer, and Andrew Choi, as associate administrator/CFO. Chung joins the department to fill the role of outgoing assistant treasurer Lisa Shannon, who has accepted a position with the Adventist Healthcare Retirement Plan. on May 1, Andrew Choi will join Adventist Retirement as associate administrator/chief financial officer (CFO). He fills the vacancy created when Romero became administrator in May 2020.

On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, members of the General Conference Executive Committee (GC EXCOM) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to hold a special General Conference (GC) Session on January 18, 2022. The special one-day, one-item GC Session at the world church headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, is being called for the sole purpose of amending the GC Constitution to allow delegates to participate by digital means in a future GC Session in the event that unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances arise.