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Debra Brill, Former North American Division Vice President for Ministries, Passes to Her Rest

Story by Kimberly Luste Maran/NAD / Photo by Dan Weber

Debra Clements Brill, former vice president for ministries for the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, passed to her rest on August 27, 2023, at her home in Jamaica, Virginia, after an extended illness. She was 71.

Brill retired on October 1, 2019, after serving the division as a vice president for 21 years. “It’s been my great joy to work with gifted leaders who love God and His church!” said Brill upon her retirement.

Fill Your Sash With New Honors

The drones honor (and all the other new honors) are available through AdventSource.

In the last 10 years, 104 new honors have been approved for use in Pathfinders, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s co-ed scouting group.

This year, the North American Division (NAD) approved the following new honors, available through AdventSource:

The Sky Is Not the Limit for One Senior

The Sky Is Not the Limit for One Senior, Blue Mountain Academy, Abner Lozano, Eric Engen, Training Mission Aviation

Story by Esther Hernandez

“I’ve always aspired to become a pilot,” says Abner Lozano.

As a sophomore, Lozano learned his dream could come true at Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) through the aviation program offered on campus by Training Mission Aviation. He enrolled in ground school his junior year and began flying soon after that.

Philadelphia Churches Meet Post-Pandemic Food Needs

Community residents line up for food at the Mizpah church during The Coalition Against Hunger’s first VIP pantry tour and Hope for Philly Network gathering.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

When community residents learned they would no longer receive the extra food assistance they received during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mizpah and New Life churches in Philadelphia stepped in to fill the gap.

Spoiler Alert!

Anomaly/Unsplash

Editorial by Jerry Lutz

I have a friend who has a strange habit of reading the last chapter of books first. He says it’s because he wants to know if the book will be worth the investment of his time and energy to read the whole thing. He also deliberately reads book reviews that contain spoilers for the same reason. “Why would I spend all that time reading a book that has a disappointing ending?” he reasons. “And besides, if I know it ends well, I then will read it from cover to cover to discover why it ends well.” I guess there are some people who just don’t like surprises. Apparently, my friend is one of them. To each his own.

Blue Mountain Academy Family Inspires New Student

João Marques, alongside Blue Mountain Academy Pastor Adam Bially, celebrate his baptism together.

Story by Tamyra Horst

João Gabriel Ramos Marques’ mother prayed for her son. She knew his friends were a bad influence on him and saw the poor choices he was making. She believed that God would change her son and the direction of his life.

“My mother never gave up on me, despite my rebellious actions,” shares Marques. “She sent me to Faculdade Adventista da Amazonia, an Adventist school in Brazil, in hopes that I could find truth and Jesus.”

Children’s Ministries Convention Ministers to Families

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

Story by Stephen Lee

Sixty Children’s Ministries local church directors and staff from 22 churches attended the Children’s Ministries Convention earlier this year. Pamela Daly and Ana Maria Benzaquen from the North American Division Children’s Ministries Department presented the Ministering to Families track in English and Spanish.

The certification track ended on Saturday night with a graduation where many received a certificate and pin. On Sunday, the attendees participated in the Vacation Bible eXperience (VBX) live expo where they were equipped to conduct a week of VBX at their local churches.