Who We Are, How We Serve

The Columbia Union Conference, established in 1907 to coordinate the Seventh-day Adventist Church's work in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, is part of the worldwide Protestant denomination of 23 million members in more than 212 countries. At the union level, we connect and provide administrative leadership, governance and support services to our conferences, schools, health care networks and ministries. Each year, our organizations sponsor programs and projects that address human needs, improve quality of life and introduce people to Jesus. Read our Mission, Values and Priorities.

We Believe

God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one,
all-knowing yet all-forgiving.

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The Church Has Left the Building

Hispanic camp meeting, Moorefield

Story by Walter Cardenas

Perhaps some think of “the church” as simply the building where they worship. That term has taken on new meaning as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A building is not necessary for ministry to take place. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has found new and innovative ways to worship and reach out to others through phone calls, Zoom meetings and social media.

The Spanish-speaking members in Mountain View Conference’s territory have had many different needs. Local pastors and members have purchased groceries and offered financial assistance for those who have lost jobs. Volunteers have also taken them grocery shopping and have served as translators at doctor’s appointments.

New Beginnings at Spring Valley Academy

Dani Arthur, Nick White and Ivy Arreguin—this year’s new Spring Valley Academy staff members—arrive with creativity and passion.

Story by Darren Wilkins

Spring Valley Academy (SVA) elementary students noticed a few new faces in their classrooms at the beginning of the 2020–21 school year.

Former fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, Emily Cowell, took the third- and fourth-grade position after the passing of former teacher Kimberly Orr, while Michele O’Geare moved from her first- and second-grade posi- tion to fill the ELL/reading specialist role vacated by Michelle Church.

Marantha French Hires New Associate Pastor

Story by New Jersey Conference Staff

Peggy Filossaint, the new associate pastor of New Jersey Conference's Maranatha French church in Newark, is a New Jersey native. A graduate of Garden State Academy and Bowie State University (Md.), she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting.

Filossaint worked as an accountant for 16 years before starting her own accounting business in Hagerstown, Md. Three years later, God called her into ministry.

In August 2019, she enrolled in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University (Mich.), where she is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry. In November 2019, she was ordained as an elder at The Grace Place (Ind.).