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Takoma Academy Holds First Virtual Alumni Weekend

Story by Salena Fitzgerald

Alumni weekends are traditionally held annually, face to face and in a familiar environment. Last year was very challenging, however, forcing most people to adapt to new realities. Due to the pandemic, Potomac Conference's Takoma Academy (TA) wasn’t able to host their 2020 Alumni Weekend on campus, celebrating years ending in zero and five. For this year’s event, the Alumni Association decided to expand the celebration and honor both last year and this year’s honorary alumni, celebrating classes ending in zero, one, five and six.

August 12, 2021: Outside Forces Have Nothing on Us

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27, NIV).

The law of inertia states that an object at rest or in motion will remain so unless acted upon by an outside force. Maybe not intentionally or consciously, but when things don’t go our way, we reason it’s the outside forces’ fault, not ours!

So that’s the reason I’m stressed and miserable. No one wants their progress halted or rest interrupted by “outside forces,” but can these forces really halt and interrupt? Do they have that power and control over us? Jesus tells us not to worry.

SALT Provides Food for Underprivileged Families

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

When Claudia Wheeler, a member of Allegheny East Conference's University Heights church in Somerset, N.J., looked at the number of families in need of healthy meals in contrast with the amount of food wasted by restaurants and stores, she decided to start the SALT foundation in December 2017.

SALT restocks items weekly for neighborhood community fridges, food pantries, homeless shelters and soup kitchens. The foundation collects and distributes more than 3,500 pounds of food per week to serve about 500 families and individuals. They work with community programs, centers and churches to run food distribution events and partnerships.

Family Takes Vacation Bible School Beyond the Walls

Story by Debra Anderson

Some might say Vacation Bible School (VBS) is synonymous with summertime, and this summer was no exception. William Ovalle, pastor of the Manassas (Va.) Central Spanish, the Manassas (Va.) Battlefield Spanish and the Centreville (Va.) Spanish churches, along with his wife, Tetiana, and their sons, Vitaly and Matthias, decided to take a step of faith and expand the concept of VBS.

The family organized a VBS event for their entire district, instead of hosting an event solely for their church members. It was the first VBS for the area since the pandemic hit in March 2020. William led the program, Tetiana organized the event and Vitaly and Matthias, along with other volunteer children, participated in song service.

The Course of Kindness

Image by reneebigelow from Pixabay

Editorial by Terry Forde

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”– Aesop

Have you ever thought about where the word kind came from? It is a very old word that we’ve been using in some form or another for more than a thousand years.

The root word is kin, which means family, as in kindred, or my kinfolk, or just my kin. To be family was to be kinned, and over the centuries it was contracted to kind.

So kindness literally means “like family.” In practical terms, it means to regard all of humankind as belonging to one great family, one great kinship – and to treat one another accordingly.

August 11, 2021: He Is All-Powerful

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“Then [Jesus] said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ ... Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!’” (Mark 11:14, 21, NIV).

Here is an odd story about Jesus. Hungry, Jesus sees a fig tree with leaves because it was out of season. Finding it has no fruit, He curses the tree, and it dies. Why does Jesus do that? Doesn’t it seem unreasonable? Why does Mark tell this story?

The gospel accounts are not collections of random stories of things Jesus did. Each gospel book is a revelation of who Jesus is. So either Mark wants us to think Jesus is an unreasonable tree killer, or something deeper is happening here.

Adventist Community Remembers Fordhams in Funeral Service

Photo by David Turner

Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Photos by David Turner

Some 1,000 attendees gathered Sunday, August 8, to remember Elder Henry and Mrs. Sharon (Wright) Fordham, who, at the time of their death on July 18, were president and first lady of the Allegheny East Conference (AEC).

To commence the service, which took place at Martin’s West in Baltimore, AEC’s Pathfinder Color Guard posted their colors with drums and flags. (See the recordings on AEC’s Facebook page.)

August 10, 2021: A True Friend

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“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor” (Eccl. 4:9, NKJV).

One day, two new girls enrolled at my school. They were surrounded by a crowd of girls who wanted to meet them during recess. As I made my way over, I recognized I had met one of them in church that past Sabbath! We immediately became best friends. We were the only Seventh-day Adventist girls in the entire public school.

I loved my friend. She was funny, happy, smart and kind. After we graduated from eighth grade, we attended different high schools, but still spent every Sabbath together, studying our Sabbath School lessons and enjoying potluck with the youth.

August 9, 2021: The Power of Worry

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“But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19, KJV).

I find myself worrying about the future, like, “Will I get accepted into the college I want?” In my worries, this verse reminds me that “God supplies all my needs.” He knew our future even before we were born. He has a plan and purpose for everything.

In December 2019, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. I had been getting severe back pain since April of that year, but now things started to get real, and I was scared. The doctors ordered X-rays, and they looked dissatisfactory. Then they ordered an MRI to rule out brain tumors, since the X-rays and the curve numbers were unexplainable.

August 8, 2021: The Father Himself Loves Me

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“In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:26–27, NIV).

I like verses that surprise me. This verse certainly did that, given that I grew up primarily with a courtroom-based image of the Father, standing in judgment over me, with Jesus interceding as my Advocate.

This verse reminds me that the members of the Godhead are united in their love for me and their desire to save me. Jesus has no need to advocate before the Father on my behalf, because the Father is not my accuser. Satan, the adversary, and sin itself, are my only enemies. In the Godhead, I have nothing but friends.