Allegheny East Conference

Story by Tamaria L. Kulemeka

“[The church] is supposed to be a hospital, but we’re not all ready to address the sick,” says James Jackson, AEC’s coordinator for Adventist Recovery Ministry (ARMin), and a member of the Mount Olivet church in Camden, N.J., who spent 20 years under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. After being “restored to sanity” and getting clean, he worked as a counselor and retired as a clinical supervisor for an agency that provided mental health and substance abuse services in the city. 

Story by Tamaria L. Kulemeka

The opioid and heroin epidemic is crippling communities across the nation, leaving health officials and providers, coroners, law enforcement and churches scrambling to respond to and combat this widespread crisis.

Bonnie Franckowiak, professor and coordinator of the Master of Science Nursing Program at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., says, “The use of opioids in this country is staggering. It’s huge, and it’s growing all the time; we don’t seem to have a handle on it at all,” she says. “In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is enough to give every American adult their own pill box.”

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Minnie McNeil, longtime Allegheny East Conference (AEC) and Columbia Union Conference Adventist Community Services (ACS)/Disaster Response director, recently retired.

The Allegheny East Conference constituents recently elected a new leadership team at the conference's first quinquenniel session at Reaching Hearts International church in Laurel, Md.

Administrative officers elected include Henry J. Fordham, III, president, Pete Palmer, VP for Administration, and Lawrance Martin, VP for Finance (pictured above).

Story by Oksana Wetmore

Over the past five years, the number of women in pastoral ministry within the Columbia Union Conference has grown to 40. Meet six women pastors who reflect on their call to ministry, as well as their challenges, successes and blessings.

Heather Crews
Mentored for Ministry

Growing up in a dual pastors’ family, Heather Crews was no stranger to a pastor’s lifestyle. As a 9-year-old heading from one church service to another, she recalls being a strong-willed pastor’s kid, grabbing at every chance to delve into challenging Bible discussions with her father. “It was a joy to travel with my dad on the open road between Bible studies,” she says.