NAD NewsPoints

NewsPoints August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019 | Columbia, Md. | North American Division Office of Communication

Healing Hands, Missional Hearts: Adventist Healthcare Systems Unite at GC Session 2025

At the heart of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s mission lies a deep commitment to healing — not just of the body, but of the whole person. That commitment was on display at the 2025 General Conference (GC) Session in St. Louis, Missouri, where the five healthcare systems in the North American Division (NAD) united to present a compelling witness to medical ministry as an extension of gospel work.

St. Louis Residents Invited to Experience the Power of Prayer During GC Session

The theme of the 62nd General Conference Session is “Jesus is Coming, I Will Go!” This is the clarion call to illuminate the entire world with the three angels’ messages and the everlasting gospel. Like any city, St. Louis, Missouri, the session’s host, needs Jesus’ light, so several organizations, ministry leaders, and young people partnered together to implement a special week of prayer. Karen Glassford, director of the GC’s Digital Strategy for Mission, has been leading this initiative. She indicated this wasn’t the first time this type of community week of prayer has been activated.

Adventist Camps Mark 100 Years with First General Conference Session Exhibit in the North American Division Booth

For the first time, Adventist camp ministry is being featured with a dedicated exhibit at the General Conference (GC) Session, highlighting 100 years of summer camps shaping young lives. Tracy Wood, Youth Ministries director for the North American Division, said this year marks a century since Adventist camps began in 1925 in Australia, with the second recorded camp held a year later in Michigan. “It started with boys by a lake learning about nature and earning honor badges long before Pathfinders even existed,” Wood said. “Now it’s a global ministry.”

During General Conference Session Adventist Community Services and impact! st. louis Team Help Support Recovering Tornado Victims

Multiple levels of Adventist Community Services are joining forces with impact! st. louis, an initiative of the General Conference Youth Ministries department, to offer some relief to those still wrestling with the ramifications of the May 16 tornado. The Spanish church has been set up as a distribution center for food and other essential items. This and other community service efforts are running concurrent with the 62nd GC Session taking place downtown on July 3-12, 2025.

“Pitching” It Forward

On Thursday, July 10, 2025, as the General Conference Session was winding down, G. Alexander Bryant wound up his pitching arm as he chose a different dinner venue — and experience — than the rest of the week. At 6:45 p.m. CT he threw out the first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals game. It was a rare and deeply meaningful opportunity for the president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD).