News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Campus Stays Together as Family

Story by Andrew S. Lay

In March 2020, Highland View Academy (HVA) faced a dilemma—how to keep their campus family of faculty and students connected as they faced an uncertain future with a pandemic quickly taking over school and personal life. What started as a canceled Week of Service, followed by the inability for students to return after spring break, turned into a nightmare of Zoom classes, what ifs and unpredictability about the future. Using all known tools to maintain communication seemed to be the answer: emails, Facebook and Instagram posts, phone calls and mailed care packages to HVA students and parents.

Navigate Uncharted Territory Together

Editorial by Rick Jordan

As we reflect on the extraordinary events of 2020, we understand our lives have dramatically changed. The pandemic shut down the economy, prohibited public gatherings and closed churches and schools. Leaders everywhere scrabbled to stay connected—who would have thought Zoom, face masks and social distancing would become part of everyday life?

Trenton Spanish Prays, Cares for the Hurting

Story by Yelitza De Leon

The Trenton Spanish church is a large family that cares for its surrounding community. In these recent times of uncertainty, many turned to Trenton Spanish for financial and spiritual help, and leaders gathered to create a plan of action.

At the beginning of quarantine, Trenton Spanish distributed funds to members and nonmembers who needed food, medicine and more. With the help of other contributing families in the community, members gathered and distributed truck-sized food donations to families that were in need. Leaders formed prayer chains three times a day, and many felt supported and loved.

The Great Commission Is Not in Quarantine

by Jorge Aguero

From the moment the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, we began to experience a global crisis. Some parts of the world were in lockdown and quarantined. Phrases like “stay at home,” “wear masks” and “social distance” were and still are our new normal. For a period of four months, churches were closed, and some will not reopen for the rest of the year. But the focus is on the reopening of business, malls and restaurants, with the message: “Come in. We are open.”

God Is Faithful

by Burney Culpepper

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted education throughout Pennsylvania and beyond, the Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) team needed to work on our 2020–21 budget. Not knowing what the year would bring, we based our finances on 80 students. And we prayed, knowing that God is faithful.

La Gran Comisión no Está en Cuarentena

Editorial de Jorge Agüero

El 11 de marzo de 2020, la Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró al COVID-19 como pandemia. A partir de ese momento, impuso una crisis global. Algunas partes del mundo estaban cerradas y en cuarentena. Frases como “quédate en casa”, “usa máscaras” y “distancia social”, fueron nuestra nueva normalidad.

Durante más de cuatro meses, las iglesias estuvieron cerradas, y algunas no volverán a abrir durante el resto del año. Pero la atención se centra en la reapertura de los negocios, centros comerciales y restaurantes, con el mensaje: “Adelante. Estamos abiertos”.

WGTS Listeners Are Helping to Families With Food

Story by WGTS Staff

“Having enough food in the pantry or the cupboard or the fridge is a challenge many families are facing right now, especially during a time when the coronavirus is affecting people,” says Jitesh Ram, WGTS community engagement coordinator. As a way to make sure families are receiving the food they need, WGTS and their listeners teamed up together with McLean Bible Church over the summer months to collect food.

Food Bank and COVID-19 Testing Site Helps Hundreds

As part of the Todos Comemos ministry, volunteer Yimena Espinel prepares food for the recipients

Peninsula Spanish member Domingo Flores takes advantage of the free COVID-19 test during the food bank event, administered by a local agency worker. Story by Tiffany Doss

Members Stay Connected During Pandemic

by Heidi Shoemaker

Who doesn’t love receiving a card in the mail? A text from a friend? Maybe even a call from a dear family member? Though many church facilities have reopened, not everyone has returned to in-person worship. To that end, members have found unique ways to reach out to church family and stay connected to those worshipping from home.

Ohio Conference’s Communication Department asked church members to consider reaching out to members who, for one reason or another, haven’t physically returned to church since the pandemic. It is in times like these where at-home worshippers need to know they are being thought of and prayed for. Suggestions included mailing cards to senior members, texting and checking up on college students or calling friends just to say hello.

Poem: My Christmas and the Orphans

Maria’s parents were both killed during a civil war in a refugee camp in South Sudan. She was studying at an Adventist school with no walls or roof, no desk, hardly any books. Restore a Child helped build a new school at their refugee camp.