Washington Adventist University and three-time NBA All-Star and Takoma Park native Steve Francis have launched the Steven Francis Scholarship Fund, a new initiative opening doors to higher education for young people from the community that raised him and honoring the memory of the woman who raised him first. The fund was unveiled at the university's 13th Annual Visionaries Gala.

Long before "Stevie Franchise" became a household name, Francis was a kid growing up behind what was then Columbia Union College, lacing up his sneakers for church league games at Metro Seventh-day Adventist Church. It's the detail he returns to most when asked where his love of the game truly began, not an AAU circuit or a big-name gym, but a church league court, played for the joy of it.

Story by Tracy Morgan

For many families, choosing a high school doesn’t become a priority until spring. But by then, applications are underway, classes are filling and the decision can feel rushed.

That’s why Highland View Academy (HVA) is making a change.

Editorial by Carlos Portanova

How many times have we heard, “Share with others what Christ has done in your life?” Yet, many believers hesitate because they feel their testimony is not remarkable enough. We compare our experiences with the dramatic stories of Daniel, David, Esther or Ruth, and conclude that our own story is too ordinary to make a difference.

The power of a testimony, however, is not found in how extraordinary it seems—it is found in the God who is at work within it. The same God who transformed lives in Bible times is still changing hearts today through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Think positive things about yourself.”

“List and name your emotions.”

These phrases are just a few of the takeaways students learned about caring for their emotional health—one of the topics covered by Shari Loveday, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, educator and therapist, at the Columbia Union Conference Office of Education’s 2026 Spiritual Academy Leadership Training (SALT) last weekend.

High school students from 12 participating schools in the Columbia Union gathered at Potomac Conference’s Camp Blue Ridge in Montebello, Va., for the event.

Some 175 student leaders and their chaperones listened to Loveday, who encouraged them to “Take Care of Your M.E.S.S. (Mental, Emotional, Social and Spiritual Health)” throughout the weekend.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt