Stories & Commentaries

Liberty is published by the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and printed at Pacific Press Publishing Association. Liberty is one of several sharing magazines; it is geared toward members and others interested in religious freedom subscribing and sharing with their family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Liberty magazine, the fourth to be featured in our series, is available for subscription at libertymagazine.org

It began with a humble prayer by a young girl from the island of Mauritius: “God, send me where you need me.” Without a doubt, God heard her sincere request. Those who know M. Gilda Dholah-Roddy can attest that she has embraced her call to ministry with the grace and determination to speak the truth, echo the promises of God, and faithfully serve where called. Gilda’s fervor and love for God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church are evident in the diverse forms of ministry and leadership wherein she has served. Given her nonlinear path of service, it is no surprise that Gilda’s next bend on the road would take her back to her original prayer and acceptance of ministry.

As a pastor, I have noticed over the years that one of the main reasons people stop going to church is the lack of friends and meaningful relationships in the church. Loneliness and church should be an oxymoron. Some say that we go to church to meet God, and it should not be used as a social club. I disagree. Acts 2:42 says: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (KJV).

In my role as CFO, I am called upon to communicate complicated and lengthy financial statement analysis to those who do not regularly interact with that information. It has been a career goal of mine to make that information simple and accurate so most anyone can quickly understand. That desire to make the complicated simple has spilled over into my everyday life.

Within the Seventh-day Adventist content library, there are countless articles, sermons, videos, books, podcasts, and seminars speaking to what the young adults in our church need. Some of the observations are helpful, some miss the mark. But the majority of the discussions lack one crucial element: the voices of actual young people. This is an issue that the North American Division is seeking to correct. 

The stories we tell matter. Perhaps my favorite stories in our Adventist past pertain to how Adventism spread to new places; and in telling our Adventist stories, we should not overlook how Adventism spread across what is today the North American Division.

The Pacific Press Publishing Association, the printing and publishing house of the North American Division, produces several sharing magazines. These magazines are geared toward members being able to share them with their family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. "Signs of the Times" magazine is the third to be featured in our series.

In the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in southeastern Oklahoma, you will find well-loved and well-respected Jared Wood handling and observing alligators, following a passion he developed as a kid. “I love all animals,” Wood begins. “My mother always encouraged my fascination with animals by letting me bring them home to play with, but I always liked reptiles the best.”

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. While world leaders deliberated how to support the people of Ukraine militarily, the international governing body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (the General Conference) reached out to Adventist colleges in North America and Europe, asking if they could help displaced Ukrainian students whose educations were disrupted by the invasion. Kettering College was one of the institutions that answered the call — 50 times over.

I met Athena and Kevin Gray at my favorite smoothie shop just down the street from the Oregon Conference office. It was a summer morning when we sat down together. I had reached out to ask if Athena might be willing to share a little bit of her life through a weekly storytelling project we do called “Oregon Adventist Stories,” and although she often tries to stay out of the spotlight, Athena finally agreed. What she and Kevin shared next was a story that, unbeknownst to any of us, would carry across the country.