Columbia Union News

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Yesterday, pastors and Hispanic Ministries coordinators gathered at the Columbia Union Conference headquarters in Columbia, Md., to pray over and take home (in total) more than 13,600 Bibles and 100,000 Steps to Christ in English and Spanish.

“We pray a special blessing on all these Bibles,” said Dave Weigley, Columbia Union president at the event. “As [the Bibles] go forth, may they be a wonderful light so many people might know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and prepare for the great, soon coming of Christ.”

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

This year, 39 teams from across the Columbia Union Conference participated in the union-level Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE), held online for the second year in a row.

On Sabbath afternoon, the teams gathered virtually to test their knowledge of Hebrews, James, and 1 and 2 Peter, and the introductions from the correlating sections of the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Then on Sunday, team representatives again gathered virtually to celebrate their accomplishments and discover who placed first and would be moving on to the North American Division (NAD) level event. (Watch Columbia Union President Dave Weigley’s special message to them here.)

Union Facilitates Dialogue on Race Relations

Growing up on the west side of Las Vegas, Marvin Brown, president of the Allegheny West Conference, saw the impact economic disparities had on his life and many of his African-American classmates who were bussed to a school across the city. His working-class parents were so busy they couldn’t visit the school to help choose his curriculum and nurture his educational journey, resulting in less than acceptable academic results.

Story by Jenevieve Lettsome & V. Michelle Bernard / Cover photos by Brad Barnwell

Going on Sabbath walks and appreciating nature—God’s second book—are longstanding elements of Seventh-day Adventist culture. Should this appreciation impact the way members care for the environment? And can it bring them closer to God?

Adventism, [in its early years], was more outdoorsy because the culture back then was more connected with the [nature] around them,” says John Henri Rorabeck, a naturalist and educator. “[But] Ellen White and her contemporaries were [also] really pushing the boundaries and really leading.”

Story by Associationa of Adventist Women Staff

The Association of Adventist Women awarded Columbia Union Conference President Dave Weigley a Champion of Justice award at its annual Woman of the Year Banquet last fall. The festive live zoom celebration was attended virtually by more than 100 people from four continents.