News Articles

On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, North American Division leaders met with student leaders from universities across the division. The goal was to determine what young people are concerned with and discuss what they might want church leadership to know. “We really want to know what you have to say,” stated Tracy Wood, director for youth and young adult ministries at the NAD, at the start of the online meeting. “The voices of students from your campuses can and do have a significant impact across North America.” In addition to five church leaders from both union and division levels, eight students were also present, representing Adventist and non-Adventist campuses across the country.

Four Southern Adventist University students won awards at the 2023-24 American Advertising (ADDY) Awards in Chattanooga this spring, beating out thousands of other applicants in the student bracket. Hosted by the American Advertising Federation, the ADDY Awards are the largest creative competition in the world, with a tiered competition starting locally.

On April 25, 2024, scores of job seekers filed into the gymnasium of the Altamonte Springs Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florida to dialogue with local businesses about job opportunities. Each job seeker had the chance to speak with several local businesses and apply for jobs. After conversing with potential employers, many applicants stopped by the prayer table before leaving, seeking God’s blessing in their job search. A few weeks later, CFEC Director Paulette Weir indicated that 226 job seekers and 17 employment agencies attended the program. Remarkably, 157 individuals gained employment after the event. Pastor Dion Henry attributed the impressive success of the program to the prayers of church members.

The North American Division’s (NAD) 18th annual Religious Liberty dinner, held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., celebrated a central human right — the freedom of religion or belief. It brought together close to 100 religious liberty advocates, government officials, academics, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders, Washington Adventist University Honors College students, and other guests, for a catered meal, a keynote address and religious liberty awards ceremony.

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, the flagship hospital of Montgomery County’s largest and longest-serving healthcare system, has received a $1 million gift from the Lee family of Potomac. This substantial contribution will support the completion of a six-story patient tower under construction at the hospital.

A new home away from home on the north side of Southern Adventist University’s campus is in the works. Southern Mountain Cottages will provide a new on-campus housing option for students and expand the living spaces available in response to enrollment’s climbing numbers.

Pacific Union College (PUC) partnered with CAL Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and Napa County Fire Department to conduct a prescribed burn across 13 acres of the college’s Angwin forest property on May 1, 2024, successfully managing overgrown vegetation, enhancing forest health, and building fire resilience. These efforts demonstrate PUC’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and community safety.

The Bachelor of Arts in theology program and the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program at Andrews University are collaborating to provide an easier pathway for students to complete both the undergraduate and graduate programs. In the 2024–2025 school year, undergraduate theology students will have the opportunity to partake in 15 shared credits of upper-division classes that will count toward both their undergraduate degree and a subsequent MDiv degree. Through increased overlap and simplicity, both degree programs hope to increase efficiency for students.

The La Sierra University Board of Trustees on May 9, 2024, unanimously approved the appointment of Christon Arthur to serve as the university’s sixth president. He arrives from Andrews University in Michigan where he has been provost since 2016. Arthur will begin his presidential duties on July 1. He takes over the leadership post from Richard Osborn who was selected last fall to serve as the university’s interim president following the resignation of Joy Fehr.

More than 2,500 Pathfinders, supporters, and volunteers packed the Island Grove Event Center in snowy Greeley, Colorado, from April 19-20, 2024, for the final stage of the NAD’s test of Bible knowledge during the Pathfinder Bible Experience. Of the 165 registered teams, 127 competed live, 11 joined virtually, and one participated in a hybrid format, with all teams focusing on the biblical books of Joshua and Judges.