News
Providing Encouragement and Assessment
NAD Administrators Affirm Work and Assess Needs During Visit to the Guam-Micronesia Mission
Beginning January 4, 2024, a North American Division administrative team visited several islands within the Guam-Micronesia Mission for two weeks. “We wanted to provide encouragement and do an assessment of needs and see how we could better support the work there,” said NAD president G. Alexander Bryant.
More than 60,000 Youth to Set Up Camp in Gillette, Wyoming, for Week-Long Event Filled with Learning, Worship, and Community Outreach
More than 60,000 young people, hailing from more than 100 countries, will set up a tent and RV city August 5-11, 2024, as they attend the Ninth International Pathfinder Camporee at the Cam-Plex Facilities in Gillette, Wyoming. Themed “Believe the Promise,” the six-day camporee, held every five years, is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, headquartered in Maryland, and the Center for Youth Evangelism, located in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Adventist HealthCare CEO Terry Forde Will Depart to Lead Health First in Florida
Terry Forde, president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare, headquartered in Montgomery County, Maryland, will step down from his role on Aug. 2, 2024, to become president and CEO of Health First, headquartered in Brevard County, Florida.
Walla Walla University Professor Shares on NBC News About Challenges of Keeping Octopuses
During the second week of April 2024, Kirt Onthank, professor of biology at Walla Walla University, was invited to share his expertise on octopuses on NBC News. Onthank contributed to a story about an Oklahoman family that recently welcomed 50 octopus hatchlings and has been garnering attention on TikTok.
It Is Written Announces New VBS Program "Flight 3:16"
It Is Written announces a new travel-themed Vacation Bible School (VBS) program, "Flight 3:16." During Flight 3:16, children will visit five countries as they prepare for the ultimate destination, Heaven. Flight 3:16 is a complete VBS kit that includes supplies for 14 children.
Sonscreen Film Festival Team Meets With Award-winning Filmmakers at 20th Annual Windrider Summit and Sundance Film Festival Experience
The Sonscreen Film Festival team met with award-winning filmmakers and engaged in deep discussions on storytelling and spirituality at the 20th annual Windrider Summit and Sundance Film Festival Experience on January 21-26, 2024. Students and professors from La Sierra University, Oakwood University, Southern Adventist University, and Walla Walla University attended the educational event, along with the Sonscreen team and the Loma Linda University Church media team.
Adventist Youth Serve Indigenous Communities in Northern Ontario
The youth and young adults of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada (SDACC) cast a vision for what it would mean to make a difference right at home. Their vision was clear: to work for the betterment of people’s lives in ways that were responsive to their actual needs. From there, a goal sprang up: to assist Indigenous people in a tangible, practical, and non-manipulative way that fostered genuine connection and friendship. Beginning on August 10, 2023, four groups of young Adventist volunteers, accompanied by ADRA Canada leaders, traveled to various Indigenous communities in northern Ontario – Lac Seul First Nation, Pikangikum First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation.
Ephesus, the “Spaghetti Church,” Impacts Lives in South Los Angeles, California
Clients come to the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church Adventist Community Services Center in South Los Angeles, California, on Mondays for free clothes and shoes from The Closet and to receive showers and plates of hot spaghetti. Through the years, the church has been affectionally known as the “spaghetti church” by regulars. The food pantry, open on the fourth Thursday of each month, welcomes guests to choose from fresh produce, canned goods, hygiene products, and more.
La Sierra University Charts Path Toward Growth
Heading into 2024, La Sierra University is charting an upward trajectory based on enrollment targets, with near-term strategic investments in personnel, increased salaries, scholarships, software upgrades, and athletics initiatives. On Jan. 29, 2024, the university’s board of trustees voted on a budget and funding for the remainder of this fiscal year, ending June 30 and continuing two years through 2025-26. The university leadership also drafted a follow-on aspirational plan through 2028-29 for a five-year proposed strategic document focused on La Sierra’s growth. On Jan. 30, the plan was presented by La Sierra University Interim President Richard Osborn during a campus town hall at the Zapara School of Business.