Connecting Columbia Union Seventh-day Adventists

November 2011

Pennsylvania Conference’s Adventist WholeHealth Network (AWHN) leaders served an integral role in the yearlong planning and preparation for the recent Central Pennsylvania Parish Nursing Conference held in Landisville. More than 150 interfaith parish nurses and sponsors from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey attended. “Parish Nursing and Health Ministries: Looking to the Future” was the conference’s theme. It featured keynote speaker Verna B. Carson, PhD, and four breakout workshops. The Pennsylvania Conference and AWHN were two of the event sponsors, and the conference’s book and health food store and AWHN set up booths.

A veritable list of who’s who gathered on November 15 to celebrate and recognize Erwin Mack, a member of Potomac Conference’s Sligo church in Takoma Park, Md. Some guests attended 80-year-old Mack’s retirement party held at Washington Adventist University also in Takoma Park. This marked the second time that Mack retired from the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, a business association, which he founded and chaired for more than 20 years. Through that organization Mack lobbied for increased police surveillance, combined advertising, utility improvements, and street and pedestrian safety enhancements.

As the Parsons church, a very small congregation located 20 miles from Elkins, W.Va., puzzled over how best to witness to the local community, Mountain View Conference’s officers encouraged schools across the conference to develop evangelism projects in their local areas. Students and staff at the Highland Adventist School (HAS) in Elkins responded to the challenge. During the 2010-11 school year, they worked with Don Jacko, pastor of the Parsons and Elkins churches, and Parsons members to plan a 10-month evangelism cycle with health ministry as the emphasis.

If you walked or drove by the parking lot of the Takoma Park Spanish church in Takoma Park, Md., yesterday you would have heard a live Christian praise team; seen kids and kids-at-heart getting their faces painted, taking photos with the Guide magazine dog and singing interactive songs; while their parents selected free clothing and food and got free immigration and health counseling. As people chatted happily with the young people who staffed the giveaway stations and with each other the atmosphere was certainly festive. Located at the corner of University Boulevard and Caroll Avenue, the church is just blocks away from Langley Park, one of the largest Spanish-speaking communities in the Washington, D.C.-area.

Hailing from southwest China, where she pastors a 400-church district, Rebekah Liu shared her testimony today with members of the Columbia Union Conference’s Executive Committee in Columbia, Md. Titling her presentation “He Dwells Among Us,” Liu dispelled the myth of the atheistic Chinese by comparing writings from ancient Chinese text with the Bible. She noted that both sets of texts include Messianic prophecies. She also charted China’s once deeply spiritual history to its decline with the advent of Communism.

For decades people throughout the Washington, D.C., area who turned their radio dials to Washington Adventist University’s WGTS 91.9 FM on Sabbath mornings, have immediately recognized voice of Gerry Fuller, DDS. Over the course of 45 years, this WGTS radio host has interviewed famous authors, performers, medical experts and countless other public figures. He also hosted musical programs and advocated on behalf of Washington’s “Family Safe, Kid-Friendly” radio station.

Several communication professionals from the Columbia Union Conference took home awards from the recent Society of Adventist Communicators convention held in Lombard, Ill. Potomac Conference’s Communication Department won “Best in Class” for the Corporate Communication Website category. The team includes Dan Jensen, Communication director; Adrienne Suarez, graphic designer and Paolo Esposito, communication intern.