News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

We Don't Want 'Normal'

Story by Michele Joseph

Driving on a Sabbath afternoon to escape the house she’d been in all week, Ruth-Ann Thompson had a moment of inspiration. The Columbus, Ohio, resident realized she wasn’t far from the home of fellow church members. She pulled over and sent them a text.

“I’m going to be pulling up in your driveway in about two minutes,” she texted. “I’m going to pray for you and your family, and be gone.”

When she pulled into the driveway, the family turned on their porch light, acknowledging her arrival.

¿Dónde estamos? Racismo en la Iglesia

Photo taken of the June event to protest recent killings of black people by the police. Photo by Dan Weber/NAD Communication

Si bien algunos incidentes raciales recientes pueden ser fáciles de ignorar o de explicar, su impacto, combinado con los recuerdos de casos históricos de racismo, aún resuenan en la iglesia.

White Oak Medical Center Celebrates First Year

Story by Adventist HealthCare Staff

On Aug. 25, Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center celebrated its first birthday and a year of providing care to its community through more than 51,000 total patent visits.

“White Oak Medical Center’s first year has been full of joy, excitement and blessings, as well as constant change amid the unprecedented COVD-19 pandemic,” said Anthony Stahl, president of Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center. The hospital opened on Aug. 25, 2019 after moving from its former Takoma Park location where it had been for more than a century.

Graduates Honored With Caring Heart Award

Reina and Maria Cardona, graduates of Potomac Conference’s Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Md., are among the Columbia Union Conference students who received the Caring Heart Award from the Columbia Union Conference Office of Education for demonstrating a commitment to service and witnessing.

Pennsylvania Conference to Hold Special Constituency Session

chairs by Pexels/9149 images from pixabay

Pennsylvania Conference Staff

A special constituency session of the Pennsylvania Conference of Seventh-day Adventists will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11, 2020. The subject will be a new Pennsylvania Conference office headquarters building on Blue Mountain Academy Campus. The meeting will be held by videoconference and teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular delegates and delegates at large for the 2018 regular constituency session will serve as delegates to this special session. Further information will be sent directly to delegates on how to connect to the session.

Gary Gibbs, President

Visitor Now Offering Online Classified Ads

The Visitor is now offering exclusively online classified ads on our website at columbiaunionvisitor.com/bulletin-board/online-classified. Previously, classified ads were only available for purchase in the print magazine.

The details are as follows:

Timeline

Once the ad and payment are submitted, the ads will be posted within five business days. Ads will remain online for a minimum of 30 days.

Rates

Rates are the same as in the printed Visitor:
$60 for 50 words or less; .75¢ for each additional word over 50.

Columbia Union Executive Secretary Announces Retirement Plans

Story by the Visitor Staff

Rob Vandeman, an administrator and pastor who has ministered for the Seventh-day Adventist Church for almost 50 years, announced his plans to step down from his role as Columbia Union Conference’s executive secretary at the end of the year.

Vandeman, who served in his current position since 2011, plans to continue working at the Columbia Union in some capacity until the union’s constituency session in July 2021.

“Rob has always been a champion for the grace of Christ and the mission of the Adventist Church in so many ways as pastor and administrator,” says Dave Weigley, Columbia Union president.

WGTS Listeners Donate Tons of Food to Operation Fill the Pantry

A WGTS listener drops off food and chats with Community Engagement Director, Jitesh Ram.

Story by WGTS Staff

At the beginning of this year WGTS set an ambitious goal to fill every food pantry in the Washington D.C. area with “Operation Fill the Pantry.” After getting off to a strong start, the initiative was put on hold because of the pandemic. Now “Operation Fill the Pantry” is making a successful return socially distanced, of course.

Pennsylvania Couple Celebrats 75 Years of Marriage

Story by Tamyra Horst

Happy 70th anniversary to David and Suzanne Elliott!

David and Suzanne Elliott were the first couple to be married at the newly built Silver Springs (Maryland) Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church sanctuary wasn’t finished by their wedding on August 24, 1950, so David built steps to the platform for his bride and folding chairs filled the sanctuary for their guests.

Suzanne recalls the first time the two met, “I was twelve and he was thirteen when he and his father came to the plumbing shop where I answered phones on Sundays. After buying some fittings, they left and he winked at me with those beautiful powder blue eyes.”

First 75 Students to Sign Up for Virtual Race Get Free Registration

Story by Visitor Staff

To help students start the year on a healthy note, the Office of Education at the Columbia Union Conference is offering to pay for the first 75 K-12 students who register for the Virtual Visitor 5K/1 Mile race, September 20—26.

Students and others signing up for the 1 mile option will receive a bib and special medal. Those participating in the 5K option will receive a bib, special medal, T-shirt and face mask.

A portion of the registration will be donated to the participants’ local Adventist Community Services Department.