Who We Are, How We Serve

The Columbia Union Conference coordinates the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s work in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where 150,000 members worship in 860 congregations. We provide administrative support to eight conferences; two healthcare networks; 81 early childhood, elementary and secondary schools; a liberal arts university; a health sciences college; a 49 community services centers; 8 camps; 5 book and health food stores and a radio station.

Mission Values 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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Spring Valley Academy Grieves Loss of Teacher, Alumna

Story by Darren Wilkins

It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of our beloved grades 3 and 4 teacher and alumna Mrs. Kimberly Geach Orr (’06) on November 19, due to flu complications. Orr taught at Spring Valley Academy (SVA) for the past seven-and-a-half years, and the school has already felt the void left by her unexpected departure.

The memory of her radiant smile, easy laugh and dedicated teaching will live on for a long time in all of us. Orr leaves behind her husband, Cameron, and 2-year-old daughter, Scarlett. She will be sadly missed by her family, students and friends, but we rejoice because we have that “Blessed Hope” to meet her again one day!

Daniel Tryon promoted to President of Southview Medical Center

Story by Elizabeth Long

Daniel Tryon has been promoted to president of Southview Medical Center, part of the Grandview Medical Center System. He succeeds Richard Manchur, who was recently named president of Grandview Medical Center.

Tryon has worked for Kettering Adventist HealthCare since 2011, most recently as executive director of Kettering Health Network’s new Middletown medical complex. Prior to that he was director of Business Development and Cardiovascular Services for the Grandview Medical Center System.

Change that Lasts

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Charity Stone (pictured with family), whose husband, Tom, is a pastor at the Pennsylvania Conference Kenhorst Boulevard church in Reading and the Pottstown church, and her young family attended iThrive this summer, hoping to get “healthier at setting boundaries in order to protect the overall health of our family,” she says. “As a pastoral family, we love to serve, but sometimes it is necessary to say no to tasks or people in our sphere of ministry so that we can stock up on fresh produce, take a walk when the kids need physical activity in nature or just plain connect as a couple and family.”

She says the retreat offered a way for the family to “to prioritize our spiritual, emotional and physical health. It was really fun to connect with others at the retreat, and we learned so much,” she adds.