Connecting Columbia Union Seventh-day Adventists

Columbia Union Visitor

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A friend recently told me that God doesn’t get involved in our lives. He said, “Imagine you have God on a shelf at home. Things are fine, but suddenly there’s a problem. You run home, grab Jesus and put Him in your pocket, close to your heart. Then you confront the problem you’re having.” I asked, “Then what?” With a smile, he clarified, “Then you put God back on the shelf!”

Photo by Simon Tao

While Roy Simpson was growing up, his dad, Peter, always cut his hair, except for a few years when “I wanted to do things my way,” says Roy, who used to think he was very different from his dad. That changed after working with him as a volunteer at the conference office where they shared many conversations. Those talks “made me realize that we have so much in common, especially our passion for ministry,” says Roy, assistant treasurer for Ohio Conference. 

Photograph by Erica Haller

At age 15, Jose Cortes Jr., the North American Division’s associate ministerial director for evangelism, wanted to be a doctor—not a pastor. Being a wise father, José H. Cortés, Sr., who serves as president of the New Jersey Conference, encouraged his son to pursue his dream. But early one morning in Madrid, Spain, Cortes Jr. heard his heavenly Father’s call to become a pastor. “I believe that [my father’s] wonderful and exemplary ministry during his early years influenced and silently encouraged my call,” says Cortes Jr.