“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7, NIV).
To be honest, when I was first asked to write a devotional, I desperately wanted to decline. I felt my heart beat a little faster and my breath become shorter—symptoms associated with anxiety. The fear of not being good enough was so overwhelming, and I was just about to say no until I remembered 1 Peter 5:7. I’ve heard this verse multiple times, and right at that moment, it stuck with me.
Story by Christina Keresoma
It has been a long time since the west Dayton neighborhood in Ohio has had a grocery store, making the community travel great distances to buy food for their families. Local partnerships, including Kettering Health, has allowed Gem City Market to open its doors to a community in need. Shelves will be stocked with perishable and nonperishable items. Health screenings, afterschool programs and exercise programs will be offered, along with cooking classes in a community kitchen area.
Editorial by Charles A. Tapp
For nearly a year-and-a-half, our world, and, yes, our church, has been on a journey that even the wildest of imaginations could not have imagined. The onslaught of this global pandemic has wreaked such havoc in our lives that it has almost removed the word “normal” from our vocabularies. But despite the great sense of unimaginable loss that the COVID-19 virus has brought upon us, in many ways it has allowed the church to recapture its mission of becoming “salt and light” to a world that is in desperate need of both.
Story by Janel Haas Ware
Keynote speaker Charles A. Tapp, president of the Potomac Conference and chairman of the Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) Board of Trustees, shares a message (excerpted) at the Zirkle Gymnasium Renovation Groundbreaking Ceremony, May 14, 2021:
Reflecting upon the impact Shenandoah Valley Academy has had and continues to have on the lives of students, these words of Ellen White came to mind: “Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children” (Education, p. 18).
Story by Angela Wimberly
Earlier this year, the Health Ministries Department of the Ephesus church in Columbus, Ohio, began “Sabbath Walks in the Park.” Members meet every other week in the city’s parks to get some exercise, explore nature and bond with each other in a safe environment.
“Columbus has multiple great parks,” says Health Ministries director Paul Monk (pictured with members Evelyn Fordham-Goodman and Kaelyn Goodman). “I thought this would be a good activity in light of COVID-19 with the need to be safe and compliant with local guidelines, but also for fellowship.”
Story by Tamyra Horst
Representatives from Conewago Construction, Tilden Township, Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) and the Columbia Union Conference recently joined Pennsylvania Conference members and staff for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new conference office—the Mission and Evangelism Headquarters.
Story by Anthony Baff
New Jersey Conference (NJC) officials recently inaugurated the first NJC center of influence on the premises of the Luso-Brazilian church in Newark, N.J. (pictured).
Pablo Cisneros, pastor of Luso-Brazilian, along with local church members, attended the event. Also present were New Jersey Conference administrators Jorge Aguero, president; Mario Thorp, executive secretary; and Karen Senecal, treasurer, as well as Ligia de Freitas, the city’s deputy mayor, and other community authorities.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5–6, NKJV).
This text became especially significant to our family when we planned
to move from Nigeria to the United States, where I was to study in the seminary at Andrews University (Mich.). I applied for a visa for myself, my wife and our little boy. Well-meaning people shared horror stories with us of their visa application denials, and suggested that perhaps I should apply for the visa alone and try to apply for my wife and child later. Maybe we would have better luck that way.
“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You” (Ps. 73:25, NKJV).
It was 25 years ago, and I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since; not that anyone else hasn’t had the same issue. In my mid-30s, I experienced depression for the first time in my life. Being a very positive person who is known for my laugh and optimistic demeanor, it was such a stark contrast from my usual state of mind.
The funeral for Henry and Sharon Fordham has been set for Sunday, August 8, 2021 at Martin's West, 6817 Dogwood Road, Baltimore, MD 21244
Family Hour is at 10 a.m.
The Service is at noon.
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