The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America shares here coverage from the 2025 General Conference Session held on July 3-12, in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S, that highlights news and information that may be of particular interest to our church members and leaders in the NAD. To read the articles, click on the headlines.
Please enjoy this material, and let's remember to pray for each other as we focus on the quinquennial theme "Together in Mission: I Will Go."
Coverage with a North American Division Focus
Left to right: Judy Glass, NAD treasurer; G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president; Kyoshin Ahn, NAD secretary; Photo by Ronald Pollard
THE NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION PRESIDENT'S REPORT AT THE 2025 GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION HIGHLIGHTS DISCIPLESHIP, MEDIA, MENTORSHIP, AND SERVICE
On Saturday evening, July 5, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD) presented the first division report at the 2025 General Conference Session. NAD president G. Alexander Bryant, executive secretary Kyoshin Ahn, and treasurer Judy R. Glass introduced the video, which focused on the division’s ministry activities and accomplishments during the past three years.
G. ALEXANDER BRYANT ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA
On Monday afternoon, July 7, 2025, delegates at the 62nd General Conference (GC) Session voted in favor of the nomination of G. Alexander Bryant as president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America. Bryant, the division’s current president, began his presidency in July 2020, when the GC executive committee elected him to replace the late Daniel R. Jackson, who retired on July 1, 2020. Bryant was elected by the General Conference in session in 2022.
AT THE 2025 GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION, NAD SECRETARY AND TREASURER ELECTED TO SERVE NEW TERM
During the morning business meeting on July 8, at the 2025 General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, North American Division (NAD) executive secretary Kyoshin Ahn and treasurer Judy R. Glass were elected to serve another term when session delegates voted to approve the nominating committee recommendations for all 13 division secretaries and treasurers. Ahn and Glass are set to serve the 2025-2030 term.
ADVENTIST MEDIA MINISTRIES TAP INTO TIMELY INNOVATIONS TO DECLARE THE TIMELESS MESSAGE OF CHRIST
God has appointed His followers to proliferate the everlasting gospel and the three angels’ messages throughout the world. One way to diminish this daunting task is to utilize various technological advancements to achieve a more extensive reach. Voice of Prophecy and It Is Written have done this effectively for many decades.
TOO MANY TO COUNT: NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION OFFERS NUMEROUS RESOURCES AT BOOTHS IN EXHIBIT HALL
In addition to a selection of vegetarian treats and drinks from around the world, along with books, pens and other giveaways, attendees exploring the North American Division (NAD) exhibit space will leave with fresh ideas, valuable resources, and helpful information.
HOPE RALLY 2025 IGNITES SPIRITUAL REVIVAL IN ST. LOUIS: 58 BAPTIZED
From June 22 to July 5, 2025, the city of St. Louis experienced a spiritual revival as Hope Rally 2025 swept through the city, bringing hope, restoration, and renewed faith in God. Hosted at Northside Seventh-day Adventist Church and co-sponsored by Breath of Life Ministries and the Central States Conference, the two-week-long evangelistic series was led by Debleaire Snell, Breath of Life pastor, whose nightly preaching drew large crowds and powerful responses.
LIKE A WELL-OILED MACHINE: MEDIA MINISTRIES IN MOTION FOR CHRIST
The North American Division’s five media ministries exhibit a striking paradox: unity built through personal vision, and spiritual impact through tangible, earthly tools. The ministries have carved out their own legacy, occasionally joining forces. Each has embraced the use of modern technology to augment its mission. Individually and collectively, they have accomplished impressive feats extending Christ’s invitation to life eternal across the globe.
ADVENTIST CHURCHES SUPPORT LOCAL REFUGEE FAMILIES AT GC SESSION
Members of Potomac Conference’s Sligo church in Takoma Park, Md., often distribute food to refugees who have been relocated within their local community near Washington, D.C.
“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).
PENTECOST 2025 TAKES CENTER STAGE: A VISION FOR EVANGELISM AT THE GC SESSION
Kent Sharpe stands at the bustling North American Division booth inside the General Conference Session exhibit hall, eager to share a message that’s taking hold across thousands of churches. As project manager for Pentecost 2025, Sharpe is helping steer an ambitious initiative designed to spark spiritual revival, community engagement, and ultimately, evangelistic growth.
AT GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSION, ADVENTIST CONNECT SHOWCASES TOOLS TO HELP CHURCHES REACH COMMUNITIES
At the General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, held July 3-12, 2025, Marshall McKenzie, associate director of Adventist Connect, has been busy sharing new resources designed to help local churches connect with their neighbors digitally and in person. Adventist Connect, formerly Adventist Information Ministry, is built around three components: Frame, Engage and Thrive.
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.
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.
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.”
ACS youth volunteers demonstrate the joys of service and teamwork at the assist in a community project in St. Louis, Missouri, during the GC's impact! st. louis event. Photo: Caleb Durant/Iowa-Missouri Conference/Mid-America Union, for North American Division
IN RESPONSE TO NATURAL DISASTERS, ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES IS WORKING TO ASSIST AFFECTED COMMUNITIES
After the deadly tornadoes in May of this year, which caused widespread damage in Missouri and Kentucky, the Adventist Community Services (ACS) team continues to provide active support. In St. Louis, Missouri, there was significant property damage, and several lives were lost. In Texas, relief services are underway following deadly floods from early July. ACS Disaster Response has been working in those areas.
BREATH OF LIFE RALLY CONCLUDES, LEAVING HOPE IN ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY
The spiritual energy sweeping across the St. Louis metro area in Missouri, United States, continues in the wake of Breath of Life’s Hope Rally 2025, a two-week citywide revival that brought together churches, pastors, and community members under the theme of Almost Home.
NAD PILOTS CONTENT CREATION BOOTH AT 2025 GC SESSION
“Creator’s Corner” helps ministries create timeless content and charts a course for future media efforts. The exhibit hall buzzed with activity, but inside the plexiglass-walled booth, the noise was muffled. Tucked among the bustling displays at the 62nd General Conference Session, this compact room stood out. Outfitted with cameras, lighting, and audio gear, it was clear to any passerby: this was a content creation studio.
ADVENTIST EDUCATION SHINES ON GLOBAL STAGE AT GC SESSION 2025
The heartbeat of Adventist education pulsed through the vibrant exhibit hall at the 2025 General Conference Session in St. Louis, where a panoramic education pavilion showcased the breadth and depth of one of the world’s largest Protestant education systems. With colorful displays, engaging demonstrations, and the presence of passionate educators and students, the pavilion powerfully highlighted the global mission of Adventist education, including its renowned universities within the North American Division.
HANDS IN MOTION: DEAF MINISTRIES AT THE GC SESSION
A quiet yet impactful movement continues to unfold at General Conference (GC) sessions — one not shaped by spoken words but by hands in motion. As thousands gathered for this global event of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a spirit of inclusivity was clearly present through the work of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from the North American Division (NAD) and the dedicated advocates who supported them behind the scenes.
ON THE BRINK OF QUITTING, PATHFINDER LEADER FINDS RENEWED CALLING AFTER GC SESSION
Henry Lowery was on a Detroit basketball court in May when he got a call from the Lake Region Conference Pathfinder Coordinator, asking if his Pathfinder drum corps could perform during the General Conference Session in St. Louis on Saturday, July 12.
TOGETHER IN MISSION: NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION MINISTRIES A UNIFIED PRESENCE AT 2025 GC SESSION
In 2020, the North American Division voted “Together in Mission” as its strategic focus for the next five years: a call for every entity, ministry, and department to work together to share the gospel. Five years later, at the 2025 General Conference Session in St. Louis, Mo., visitors to the NAD’s exhibit space were met with a striking visual representation of this theme. The first stop, and perhaps clearest showcase of this unity, in the NAD’s GC Session home was a first-ever combined ministries booth.
SNAPSHOT OF THE MAN BEHIND THE OFFICIAL PORTRAITS
As lead photographer for the Adventist Review, Dave Sherwin is responsible for capturing all the official portraits of newly elected leaders, often just minutes after their lives have been upended by a vote. It is a role that demands both technical skill and a gentle respect for the weight of the moment.
HERE I AM, LORD: THE CHOIR THAT SAID YES TO SINGING AT GC SESSION
“I had rehearsal right up until three days before I gave birth,” she said without much fanfare. In March, Abigail Koo gave birth to her third child. Koo is the director and co-founder of the Emmanuel Missionary Choir, a group made up of children ages five to 19, mostly from the Living Word Fellowship Church in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Since 2022, the choir has grown from 18 to 47 members, representing youth from 16 countries including South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Romania, Peru, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, Venezuela, Mexico, Taiwan, Samoa, and the United States.
Photo by Ronald Pollard
Seventh-day Adventist World Church (General Conference) Focus
ERTON C. KÖHLER ELECTED AS GENERAL CONFERENCE PRESIDENT
Erton C. Köhler was elected to the office of the president of the General Conference (GC) on July 4, 2025, during the 62nd GC Session in St. Louis, Missouri. Köhler’s election marks the beginning of his first term as the spiritual and administrative leader of a worldwide movement that spans more than 200 countries and includes more than 23 million members.
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.
"PLANT A SEED, GROW A COMMUNITY"
Before the 62nd General Conference Session convened in St. Lous, Missouri, the Youth Ministries Department of the World Church recognized a prime opportunity to demonstrate God’s love locally. Once the July 3-12 church meeting was under way, dozens of young people worked with leaders through the impact! st. louis initiative to tangibly tell the Arch City how valuable it is in the Savior’s eyes.
BLUEPRINTS FOR MISSION: INNOVATION MEETS FAITH AT GC SESSION BOOTHS
At the GC Session, Walla Walla University wowed visitors with Phil and Paul — student-designed robots demonstrating real bioengineering research. The booth was one of several highlighting how science, faith, and service intersect through cutting-edge tissue regeneration technology.