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.
Rooted in the Word: Scripture Comes Alive at the 2025 NAD Pathfinder Bible Experience
From April 25 to 26, more than 3,000 Pathfinders, supporters, and volunteers packed the arena in historic Battle Creek, Michigan, for a weekend of worship, Bible knowledge testing, and celebration. And on Sabbath, April 26, 185 teams — the second highest number ever — gathered in person from across North America and beyond. Four teams joined virtually.
Lessons for the Living
I have a confession to make. I have a habit, some might call it a morbid one, but wherever I go, whatever city I’m visiting, I will find myself in the oldest cemetery in town, walking among the dead. I can go to a cemetery, and stay for two hours, three hours, and I walk up and down reading the tombstones. I like to ponder: Who was this person? What was their life?
Help Provided in St. Louis After Tornado Strike
On May 16, 2025, a powerful EF-3 tornado tore through St. Louis, Missouri, and continued into Madison County, Illinois, reaching wind speeds of up to 152 mph and spanning 22.8 miles. NAD Adventist Community Services (ACS) is partnering with the Mid-America Union Conference, local churches, civic leaders, and other Adventist entities to provide ongoing disaster relief.
Spreading an Evangelism Net
As Adventists today embrace Pentecost 2025 it is important to remember some cutting-edge innovations for Adventist outreach and evangelism that took place during the 1990s. Some three decades later it may be difficult to fully appreciate just how new (and at times even startling) these efforts were. Such discussions began in 1993 when the North American Division (NAD) leadership participated in a series of satellite broadcasts with the newly formed Adventist Communication Network.
Andrews University Hosts Remote SciFEST
For the past seven years, SciFEST has been held on the Andrews University campus. This year, however, the faculty adjusted to meet the new requirements of COVID-19 physical distancing. All SciFEST activities were conducted remotely through LearningHub and Zoom from September 21 to October 4.
At NAD Year-End Meeting, Breakout Session “Biblical Justice and Biblical Ethics in a World of Social Unrest” Promotes Discussion, Action
Carolyn Forrest, associate secretary of the North American Division, and director of NAD Human Relations, Interdivision/International Service Employee Resources, and Archives and Statistics, along with Orlan Johnson, director of NAD Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, led out the session under the title of “Biblical Justice and Biblical Ethics in a World of Social Unrest.”
Emphasis on Breakout Sessions Create Safe Spaces to Discuss Mental Health, Social Unrest; Participate in Division Strategic Planning
A unique component of the 2020 Year-End Meeting of the North American Division was virtual breakout sessions that were curated to prompt specific, productive engagement among the division’s executive committee members via Zoom. From assisting in the strategic planning of the 2020-2025 quinquennium, to grappling with the church’s role in a time of social unrest, considerable time was spent activating leaders to consider hard questions, reimagine mission, and reflect on mental health of themselves and their constituents.
NAD Year-End Meeting Mental Health Breakout Session Purposed to Raise Awareness
On November 3, Bonita Shields, North American Division vice president for ministries, started the final breakout of the 2020 NAD Year-End Meeting. Shields explained that this mental health segment would include a survey, a video, and small group breakout sessions. She then introduced Angeline Brauer, DrPH, MHS, RDN, NAD Health Ministries director, who coordinated the poll that executive committee delegates answered through a Zoom pop-up.