News
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.
Southern Adventist University Partners with Community in Prayer
More than 300 Christians in the Collegedale, Tennessee, community gathered on the Southern Adventist University campus for six consecutive evenings in May to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
More than a Festival: Helping Young Creatives Find Their Voice
From laughter to tears, the 2025 Sonscreen Film Festival spotlighted bold, personal storytelling by emerging Adventist filmmakers. Discover the heart of this one-of-a-kind event through the voices of the standout young creatives who brought their visions to life on the big screen.
AdventHealth for Children gifts $1 million to Orlando Science Center to bring STEM experiences to local youth
AdventHealth for Children has gifted $1 million to Orlando Science Center, supporting the organization’s Unlock Science Campaign and creating new exhibits, experiences, and educational programs to provide high-quality STEM experiences for individuals in the Central Florida community.
Called to Thrive: Human Resources Conference Celebrates Quiet Champions Behind the Scenes
From April 28 to 30, 2025, human resources professionals from across the division gathered in Miami, Florida, for the NAD’s annual event honoring their often-unseen labor and offering a unique networking, training, and worship experience. Throughout tHRive, the division's 2025 Human Resources Conference, 329 attendees were reminded that their work is more than recruitment, onboarding, and policies. It’s critical to the gospel mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
General Sessions Uplift and Edify Teachers at North American Division Educators' Convention in Phoenix
Within the three full days of North American Division Educators’ Convention, which ran from Aug. 7-10, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona, were dozens of breakout sessions hosted by experts and educators, each with specific topics for dedicated teachers to enjoy. The five general sessions, however, gathered all 6,000 attendees in one room to listen to dedicated speakers and to worship.
“The Good Life”: ACFI 2023 Unlocks Life’s Cheat Code
“I’ve found the cheat code, the thing that makes life worth living – I have Jesus. And I’m privileged to live this life in service to others,” said Akehil Johnson, the North American Division’s Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) student association president at the 2023 Adventist Christian Fellowship Institute (ACFI). He continued, “Living in this joy is living like heaven is today.” The institute, held July 25-29, 2023, at the University of Ottawa, brought together 75 campus ministry leaders, pastors, youth and young adult ministry directors, and supporters. Themed “The Good Life; Heaven Now,” as described by Johnson, ACFI encouraged participants to embrace and share the abundant life promised in John 10:10.
Against All Odds
Attendees of Ophelia Barizo’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) seminars at the recent NAD educators’ convention would never have guessed that she had been hospitalized just days prior. The smiling woman in front of them, a passionate STEM education consultant, showed no trace of illness.
Debra Brill, Former North American Division Vice President for Ministries, Passes to Her Rest
Debra Clements Brill, former vice president for ministries for the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, passed to her rest on August 27, 2023, in Jamaica, Virginia, after an extended illness. She was 71.