News Articles

The 11 Adventist institutions of higher education located within the territory of the North American Division have made extensive preparation for the campus life and learning environments of their students by prioritizing safety and wellness. The colleges and universities have maintained a commitment to their missions of providing wholistic education while adapting to their respective local government mandates related to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The North American Division Office of Education (NADOE) is pleased to announce the publication of its By Design Biology: The Scientific Study of Life textbook for secondary school students. This textbook represents a continuation of the By Design Science textbooks used in Adventist elementary schools across the division.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the global humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in partnership with Adventist Community Services, (ACS), delivered more than 20 pallets of essential medical supplies and protective gear to healthcare workers at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. The 180-bed acute care hospital has been serving critically ill patients affected by COVID-19 in the Montgomery and Prince George’s counties since the pandemic began.

April Summitt, who has served as La Sierra’s College of Arts and Sciences dean since 2016 assumed the role of provost effective July 1, 2020. She was among 11 candidates for the position that Fehr held prior to her selection as president last May. Fehr was tapped to lead the university after Randal Wisbey stepped down following a 12-year tenure.

Many of us are living through challenging times of loss, stress, and heartbreak. But there are also unexpected blessings some of us encounter. Here are a few stories of "Faithful Givers," Adventists in North America who share their experiences giving in a time of need.

“Predators love church because there’s an automatic feeling of trust,” says Erica Jones, Women’s Ministries assistant director for the North American Division. Local church leaders and members can work to promote a culture that respects boundaries and places safety as a top priority. “We take seriously our duty to protect our members as they worship. Screening programs help us to reduce risk and are a first line of defense in the prevention of potential issues,” says Fred Warfield, Human Resources director for the Potomac Conference.

Adventist Community Services has approximately 100 pantries operating in New York’s five boroughs, and they currently distribute food two to three times each week. The use of these pantries had led to our ACS teams running out of food, and some centers were not able to open because of a lack of food. We began speaking with City Harvest food banks about working with us to meet the observed need. This lead to the current offer of 12 pallets of food delivered to one location each Monday.

In early June, on Chicago’s Southside where Goshen Church is located, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and several retail stores were wiped clean of merchandise, and in some instances the buildings sustained major damage. The church is in one of the poorest areas in the city, which had already seen a surge in COVID-19 infections and an elevated rate of gun violence. When reports streamed in of residents pleading for help in the midst of the dueling crises, the church leadership knew they had to do something. But what could they do? 

One way that the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) is adapting their summer outreach is to refocus their student canvassers on fundraising to sponsor literature mail-outs to small towns in their territory. The initiative is called #TinyTowns4Jesus, and the goal is to raise enough funds to send packs of GLOW tracts and copies of The Great Controversy to people living in small towns in Colorado.

Ronny Nalin has been appointed the new Geoscience Research Institute (GRI) director effective August 1, 2020. He replaces retiring director Jim Gibson.