Story by Tiffany Doss
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.
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.
Editorial by Rick Remmers
Adam and Eve were literally the “perfect” young adult, newlywed couple. Their Creator served as the officiant at their wedding. A beautiful new Garden of Eden home was given to them, receiving the whole earth as a gift.
Story by LaTasha Hewitt
The Prison Ministries team at Allegheny East Conference's Calvary church in Newport News, Va., partnered with its youth mentoring ministry to play chess at the Newport News Juvenile Detention Center this past fall. The activity was part of the “Play Chess, Change Lives” initiative, an interactive outreach program founded by Don Roberts of WAVY TV, an NBC affiliate in Newport News. The program is designed to engage young men and women in critical thinking. “Our hope is for the young residents to use the skills learned from the game to make better life choices,” shares Rudy Ortega, elder and outreach coordinator at Calvary.
Story by Tamyra Horst
Mandy Reibsome, baptized by Mike Sady, pastor of the Shamokin Mission (Pa.) Group, was just one of the 639 people who joined a Pennsylvania Conference church in 2018. This is the second highest number of baptisms in conference history—just eight less than in 1980 which saw nearly 650 people committing their lives to Christ. God also blessed 2018 with the highest tithe in the conference’s history.
“We have been committed to praying for the work in Pennsylvania,” states Gary Gibbs, president. “Churches are uniting together to fulfill the mission through initiatives like Faith for Family. As a result of our total member involvement, God is blessing in powerful ways.”
Story by Bryant Smith
With the cold weather this winter, Shiloh church members in Cincinnati began thinking about children’s preparedness and how they could help. Under the leadership of member Sheila Hughes, Shiloh connected with two Cincinnati public schools: South Avondale Elementary School and Rockdale Academy Elementary School, located in the Avondale community.