News
Adventist Community Services Prepares to Help After Tornadoes Strike Missouri, Kentucky, and Wisconsin
Yesterday afternoon, a devastating tornado struck Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri. In Kentucky, 14 are reported dead. In St. Louis, five deaths have been reported, along with widespread damage. At least 20 blocks of the city sustained damage. More than 5,000 properties are without power, and local emergency services are actively responding. As ACS begins to respond, they urge members to pray for those impacted and those providing assistance.
Union Adventist University Receives Grant for Culinary Medicine Teaching Kitchen
The Ardmore Institute of Health has awarded Union Adventist University’s Master of Public Health Program a grant to establish a culinary medicine teaching kitchen (CMTK). The $35,000 will purchase six commercial-grade mobile workstations, each including the culinary tools and appliances to support two students at a time, enabling the university to host classes of up to 12 students in the teaching kitchen. Any remaining funds will support a student garden that was established by the university’s first public health cohort last year.
Mid-America Union Conference Executive Committee Appoints New Communication Director
During its regular spring meeting, the Mid-America Union Executive Committee voted to approve a recommendation by MAUC’s administrative team outlining a leadership transition for the union’s communication department. Following the vote, then-director Brenda Dickerson became the associate director, and then-associate director/digital media manager Hugh Davis became the new director, effective May 1, 2025. This transition of titles, initially proposed by Dickerson, serves as a model for succession planning and smooth leadership transitions in appointed positions.
James P. Willis II Elected as New Vice President for Education for the Pacific Union Conference
The Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has elected James P. Willis II as its new vice president for education, effective July 1, 2025. He will succeed Dr. Berit von Pohle, who is retiring after a distinguished career spanning 46 years in Adventist education
Pacific Union College Partners with Angwin Community to Protect Against Wildfire
Beginning in January 2019, Pacific Union College plans to begin work on an approximately 3-mile shaded fuel break to protect the Angwin, California, community of 3,500 residents. With financial support from community members and alumni, the College plans to construct a shaded fuel break on a prominent ridge between Pope Valley and Angwin, running from Howell Mountain road to the Las Posadas State Forest.
Philanthropy Leaders Emphasize Christian Principles Found in the Industry
The Philanthropic Services for Institutions hosted a worship service and an afternoon reception at the North American Division headquarters’ worship service on November 14, 2018, in honor of National Philanthropy Awareness Day. The events were organized to help “recognize the great contributions of philanthropy — and those people active in the philanthropic community — to the enrichment of our world.”
Third Annual Fall Classic Highlights Adventist Academies
On Nov. 2-4, 2018, for the third consecutive year, Breath of Life Television Ministries, in collaboration with Oakwood University and the Oakwood University Church, invited academy students from across the North American Division (NAD) to celebrate Adventist education through sports and the arts.
Southwestern Adventist University Communication Professors Receive Emmy Award
Southwestern Adventist University’s department of communication has won an Emmy® award — considered the highest honor in the television industry — at a televised awards ceremony in Houston, Texas, on Nov. 10, 2018, for the film "Truth."