News | Seventh-day Adventist Church

It Starts Small: Things to Look Out for in a Predator

Story by Elizabeth Anderson

Most child predators don’t lurk in alleys looking for their victims. A predator is more likely to be a known and trusted figure in the victim’s community.

Some things to look out for in a predator:

1. Grooming may be prolonged, but not in all cases. According to the authors of “Safe Churches: Responding to Abuse in the Faith Community,” grooming could be preceded by a series of small tests that inform the abuser how to proceed.

2. An abuser’s intentions usually seem harmless.

3. Look out for flattering words and making potential victims feel appreciated.

4. Seemingly innocuous violations are usually followed by larger ones.

5. Seeking alone time to isolate potential victims “from those who can intervene.”

Safe at Church?

Story by Elizabeth Anderson

Liliana* is a Generation X Seventh-day Adventist who attends church with her three daughters. The way she worships today has been shaped by a series of violations during her tween years.

"I was molested by an elder at the church," she told the Visitor staff. "My mother trusted [that] when I was in church, I was fine, andI was safe. And that absolutely was not the case."

Praying and Preying
That sense of trust church members tend to place in others can be attractive for good reasons and nefarious ones.

“Predators love church because there’s an auto- matic feeling of trust,” says Erica Jones, Women’s Ministries assistant director for the North American Division (NAD).

ACS Ramps Up Service to Meet Record Demand

Volunteers distribute food at the food pantry at Allegheny East Conference's Church of the Oranges. Photo by Stuart Richardson

Story by Visitor Staff / Cover Image by Stuart Ricardson

As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Mid-Atlantic United States, Adventist Community Services and Disaster Response (ACS) leaders from across the Columbia Union Conference stepped in to meet increased need.

ACS Aumenta para Satisfacer la Demanda

Algunas semanas, los miembros de la iglesia El Faro de la Conferencia de Nueva Jersey en Cliffside Park alimentan a más de 1,000 personas.

Cuando la primera ola de la pandemia de COVID-19 golpeó los estados del Atlántico Medio, los líderes de Servicios Comunitarios Adventistas y Respuesta a Desastres (ACS) de toda la Unión de Columbia intervinieron para satisfacer una mayor necesidad.

La Oficina de Educación Extiende Acreditaciones y Contratos

Donovan Ross, vicepresidente de la Oficina de Educación de la Unión de Columbia, compartió con los miembros del comité ejecutivo que su equipo ha pospuesto las visitas de acreditación escolar hasta el próximo año y recibió la aprobación para extender las acreditaciones actuales por un año. Ross también señaló que, a pesar del futuro incierto, la mayoría de las conferencias han extendido los contratos de maestros para el próximo año escolar.

Préparation de L'UAU pour les Cours d'Automne

Histoire par Personnel de l'UAU

Weymouth Spence, président de la Washington Adventiste University de Takoma Park, dans le Maryland, a annoncé les recommandations du Conseil d'Administration pour adopter de manière proactive un modèle éducatif consolidé qui propose 16 programmes d'études et en suspend six avec possibilité de réintégration. « La mission de l'université est cruciale et nous voulons être durables », a déclaré Spence. Les administrateurs scolaires prévoient de reprendre les cours sur le campus en août.

WAU se Prepara Para las Clases de Otoño y el Futur

Historia por el personal de la Universidad Adventista de Washington

La Universidad Adventista de Washington (WAU) se enorgullece en ofrecer educación cristiana de alta calidad en la capital de la nación a través de la cual se logra su misión de desarrollar líderes morales competentes. Aunque los desafíos que ha presentado el COVID-19 continúan dificultando la predicción del futuro, WAU avanzará con esta misión. Se planean múltiples contingencias para muchas eventualidades. La conciencia de la angustia que causan algunas de estas medidas en la vida estudiantil tradicional está guiando a WAU a buscar orientación y a pensar de manera innovadora.

Register for the Virtual Visitor 5K

In honor of the 125th anniversary of the Visitor magazine, join the Visitor staff in continuing to make 2020 healthy. Register for the virtual Visitor 5K, to take place September 20–26.

Participants may walk/run at the time and place of their choice. Registration fees will include a bib, medal, tech shirt, mask and donation to Adventist Community Services.

Find more information and register at runsignup.com/race/md/columbia/visitor5K.

Adventist Groups in Silver Spring and Takoma Park Join Together to Assist Food Insecure Families

Story by Alicia Tucker

Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW) in collaboration with several Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, Md., and Montgomery County Government will hold a food distribution at Takoma Academy (8120 Carroll Ave.) this Friday from 3-6:00 pm.

The grab-n-go, drive-through style distribution was organized to help families who are suffering from food insecurity due to the COVID-19 crisis.

ADRA UNITES WITH ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES TO HELP FEED FAMILIES IN THE U.S.

The Harbor of Hope Food Pantry in Benton Harbor, Michigan, is one of the ACS centers that will receive help as part of the ADRA/ACS partnership. Photo by Victor Rayno

Story by Kimi-Roux James / Image Courtesy Adventist Community Services

In partnership with Adventist Community Services (ACS) of the North American Division (NAD), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the global humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has provided funding to expand the services of more than 200 Adventist food pantries across the U.S.