Story by Shannon Kelly / Photos by Brad Barnwell
After years of being homeless and drug-addicted, Stephanie Grant finally hit rock bottom. "I was sick and tired of being sick and tired," she says. "I had the audacity to tell God, 'If you exist, prove it. Fix me. And by the way, God,'" she laughs, "'don't send me to a church to do it.'"
Story by Shannon Kelly/ Photos by Ty Wright
Mariya Marton recalls with painful clarity the day her life turned upside down. She was pursuing a Master of Arts in Practical Theology and completing her residency at Ohio State University's hospital in Columbus, when she started feeling dizzy and sick.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Love in Pictures is Alexis A. Goring’s second Christian novel about how faith and love intertwine. Goring, a member of Potomac Conference’s Restoration Praise Center in Bowie, Md., says she hopes readers will come away realizing, among other things, that “God is good. God is in control, and true love should always win.”
Read our interview with her below:
Visitor Staff: What would you like readers to take away from reading this book?
Social media sites in the U.S. have been buzzing with news of Andrew Stoeklein's recent suicide, the lead pastor of the Inland Hills church (Calif). Responses from other pastors struggling or who have struggled with mental health problems also remind us that suicide isn’t an isolated issue and local clergy need support from their members.
Vincent Dehm, pastor of Allegheny East Conference’s Recreation church in Baltimore, has given us permission to share the following:
Tread softly this could get dark.
Story by Juliana Savoy
This summer 21pastors, many from the Columbia Union Conference, enrolled in the “Seminar in Preaching Class,” offered by the Institute of Hispanic Ministry (IHM) at Andrews University (Mich.) Evangelist Alejandro Bullón taught the class at Potomac Conference’s Washington Spanish church in Silver Spring, Md. Seventeen additional pastors attended and assisted with the course.
Historia por Juliana Savoy
Este verano 21 pastores, la mayoría del territorio de la Union de Columbia se inscribieron en la clase "Seminario de predicación" ofrecido por el Instituto de Ministerio Hispano (IHM) de la Universidad de Andrews (Mich.) El evangelista Alejandro Bullón enseñó la clase en la iglesia Washington Spanish de la Conferencia Potomac en Silver Spring, Md. Diecisiete pastores de la Unión se sumaron a la clase como oyentes.
Story by Dinah Jordan
Allegheny East Conference's Pine Forge Academy (PFA) has introduced a new online learning opportunity for the 2018–19 academic year, allowing the school to reach a greater number of students and families. They will also continue to enhance their curriculum by offering dual-credit classes and a new math initiative, created by the Math department.
Editorial by David Klinedinst
From the beginning, the early New Testament church and the early Adventist church were church planting movements. Members took the commission to “go into all the world” seriously. They understood they had a special mission to take the gospel to the dark areas of the world. Both the apostles and the early pioneers went to unentered cities, raised up churches and trained leaders, then moved on to the next unentered city. It was this method of ministry, blessed by the Holy Spirit, that enabled them to grow so rapidly and turn their world upside down (see John 17:6). This, too, is the calling of the 21st century church.
Story by Heidi Shoemaker
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Mark Brown, a member of Allegheny East Conference’s New Life church in Gaithersburg, Md., recently started his new role as president of the Columbia Union Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries (CUASI). He served as CUASI general vice president from April 2017 to August 5, 2018, when the board voted him in as president.
Brown, who joined CUASI in 2014, retired from the federal government after 38 years of service, and runs a small IT consulting firm and is president of 3 Brown Boys Granola.
Brown says involving young professionals is a top ASI goal and plans to hold young professional meet-ups and to include them in executive leadership roles.