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10 Ways to Make an Impact in Your Community

Minnie McNeil, who co-founded and advises a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing housing and supportive services in Coatesville, Pa., says every member everywhere has the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love in a variety of ways, regardless of if they live in the city or country, in an affluent or poor area. She offers 10 tips for starting a ministry and making an impact:

1. Pray for guidance.

2. Identify the vision, mission and goals of the church; available resources, including leadership; and capability and potential to sustain outreach ministry. 

3. Plan to have ongoing community involvement, not a one-time event.

4. Assess and research the strengths and needs of the community. Don’t assume.

Tangible Touches of God in Baltimore

Photo by Brian Tagalog

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Sharpening The Focus

It’s been two years since the death of Freddie Gray sparked civil unrest in Baltimore. Maurice Taylor, senior pastor of Allegheny East Conference’s (AEC) Berea Temple, and director of its Baltimore Ministerium, says since Gray’s death, he’s noticed more of a desire to address the needs of the community. “Before we were focused more on internal events,” he says. “Now we’re focused more on external.”

Tangible Touches of God in Columbus

Story by Tamaria Kulemeka

Large Doses of Love

Natisha HughesNatisha Hughes (pictured) used to spend a lot of time on the corner of Sullivant and Burgess avenues outside the Hilltop Community Worship Center in Columbus. 

“I used to prostitute in front of the church because that’s the corner the girls stand at—either this corner or a block or two away,” she says.

Hughes knows all too well the struggles and effects of living on the street. The 31-year-old mother of five says she not only prostituted, but also used “a lot of drugs,” including heroine. 

Delmarva Pastor Shares Gospel on the Radio

Story by Samantha Young

Anibal Santeliz, pastor at the Cornerstone, Parksley Spanish and Pocomoke churches on the Delmarva Peninsula, is excited about a new one-hour weekly radio program he hosts in his community.

“When I came to work on the Eastern Shore, the wife of one of my members who works at a local radio station mentioned that we should have a [religious] program,” says Santeliz. Later another employee at the radio station suggested the same thing.

Pastor de Maryland Comparte el Evangelio en la Radio

Historia de Samantha Young

Aníbal Santeliz, pastor de la iglesia de Cornerstone, Parksley Spanish y Pocomoke en la Península de Delmarva de la Conferencia de Chesapeake, está entusiasmado con su nuevo programa de radio en español de una hora a la semana.

“Cuando vine a trabajar en la costa este, la esposa de un miembro de una de mis iglesias que trabaja en una emisora ​​de radio local mencionó que deberíamos tener un programa radial [religioso]”, dice Santeliz. “Sabía que no teníamos un presupuesto para ello, así que oré y le pedí ayuda a un par de nuevos amigos”, comenta Santeliz.

WAU Enactus Team Named Regional Champion at the Enactus United States Regional Competition

Story by Donna Bigler

Washington Adventist University’s Enactus business team earned the title of Regional Champion at this year’s Enactus United States Regional Competition, held March 31 in Washington, D.C. The event is one of six regional competitions held across the United States. 

During the competition – which included teams from Rutgers University, University of New Hampshire, University of Virginia, Elmira College and West Virginia Wesleyan College – the Washington Adventist University (WAU) team was judged on three projects that it worked on this academic year.

REACH Evangelism School Moves to WAU

Story by Celeste Ryan Blyden

At its March meeting, the Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee voted to move the REACH Columbia Union Evangelism School—currently based in Philadelphia—to Washington Adventist University (WAU) in Takoma Park, Md.

The REACH School opened in 2014 when the union and university teamed up to provide young adults an opportunity to enroll in a yearlong, immersion program that combined a 15-credit classroom curriculum with hands-on ministry experience.

Committee members believe the move to an academic setting is a natural fit that will provide access to the university’s infrastructure and make it more cost-effective.  

Orchestra Director Affirms the Power of Academy Music

Story by Janel Haas Ware

Shenandoah Valley Academy’s (SVA) music ministry combines the power of music and the sacredness in the lives of young people who graduate prepared to serve God with their musical talents. One such student is now orchestra director and strings teacher, Kelly Wiedemann (’03), who shares her testimony:

Attending SVA confirmed my life calling as a music teacher. Singing in Shenandoans, the school choir, and playing violin in the string ensemble was fun! The teachers exposed us to many styles of music, and I gained sincere appreciation for traditional church hymns, contemporary praise music, African-American spirituals, classical symphonies and country hoedowns. Teaching a wide variety of music promotes creativity, cultural awareness, tolerance and respect. 

Book Release: Grace Outlet

Interview by V. Michelle Bernard

In Grace Outlet, Kris Eckenroth, lead pastor of the Pennsylvania Conference’s Grace Outlet in Reading, shares lessons learned and the story of Grace Outlet, a church plant that strives to dispense the unmerited favor of God. Read our interview with Eckenroth below:

Visitor: What made you want to start Grace Outlet?