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What a Difference A Year Makes

Editorial by Tiffany Brown

Why do we go to church on Saturday, and why is the Sabbath important?” 

These were the kinds of questions Joksan Cedillo-Gomez wondered about and asked. However, he never got a satisfying answer. “Because it’s in the Bible. Twice!” he was told. 

Later, as youth director of his church, he found himself repeating the same brief answers to his peers and other youth who came to him with questions. 

After enrolling in the REACH Columbia Union Urban Evangelism School last summer, he learned that the Sabbath invites us to experience a connection—in our relationship with God and each other. It’s a time where we can worship, fellowship and grow; a time of jubilee—where we are all equal, regardless of our socioeconomic status.

A Transformative Experience

Psalm 22: The Psalm for the Cross

Phot by Neil Williamson on Flickr

Blog by Rob Vandeman

It could have had application to a person who was going through very difficult days. But it is not a psalm written out of illness or perplexing situation, it is a description of an execution. Renowned commentator Derek Kidner writes, “No incident recorded of David can begin to account for this. . . The language of the psalm defies a naturalistic explanation; the best account is in the terms used by Peter concerning another psalm of David: ‘Being therefore a prophet, . . . he foresaw and spoke of . . . the Christ’ (Acts 2:30f.).

Book Release: Never Lose Hope

Interview by V. Michelle Bernard

José Cortés, New Jersey Conference president, was a young pastor when he was thrown into jail in Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Cortés shares this story in one of the North American Division’s sharing books, Never Lose Hope. Read more about the book and our interview with Cortés below.

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.