En la Biblia, el Antiguo Testamento habla acerca del pueblo de Israel. Allí encontramos las experiencias de una nación insignificante (Deut. 7:7), pero escogida por Dios para ser un pueblo especial (Deut. 7:6). Dios ordenó encuentros especiales para su pueblo; por esto los israelitas se reunían por lo menos tres veces al año para adorar y compartir las bendiciones de Dios.
In the Bible, the Old Testament speaks about the people of Israel. In it we find the experiences of an insignificant nation (Deut. 7:7), but chosen by God to be a special people (Deut. 7:6). God prescribed special encounters for His people; this is why the Israelites gathered at least three times a year to worship and share God’s blessings. Today, the New Jersey Conference also has a special time of year when brothers, sisters and friends come to worship together as one big family.
Thirty-seven Columbia Union Conference Pathfinder teams recently participated in the North American Division’s Pathfinder Bible Experience in Florida. A sudden venue change in January proved to be a miracle in disguise, allowing a total of 193 teams to compete—an amount way beyond what organizers originally estimated.
More than 1,000 youth and leaders recently gathered at the newly remodeled gym of Tranquil Valley Retreat Center in Andover, N.J., to praise and worship at New Jersey Conference’s annual Youth Convention and Teen Retreat.
According to the Washington Post, during the first three months of 2018, there were at least 11 school shooting incidents nationwide, including the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 were killed. We asked three Columbia Union educators what they think we should do to keep our schools safe.
On Sabbath, 54 teams, comprised of at least 320 Pathfinders, gathered in Blue Mountain Academy’s gymnasium in Hamburg, Pa., to test their knowledge of the books of Esther and Daniel during the Columbia Union Conference’s sixth Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE), a competition that tests participants Bible knowledge. So far it is the largest Columbia Union PBE event in the union.
Durante años, Tony Liriano tuvo el sueño de comenzar y dirigir una nueva iglesia. Tony y su esposa, Maria, estaban entusiasmados por la oportunidad de plantar una iglesia y difundir el evangelio en Garfield, NJ.
“We have found that new churches are the best thing for existing churches seeking to experience renewal and revival,” says Frank Bondurant, the union’s vice president for Ministries Development, referring to research provided by the NAD. “When a church births another church, it brings renewal and revival to the existing church.”
For years Tony Liriano wanted to start and lead a new church. When he finally got that chance more than a year ago, he aimed to help nurture a family atmosphere where members felt welcome. He didn’t know that New Jersey Conference’s Garfield church plant, the church he would help start and lead as a lay pastor, would be instrumental in helping his son, Sammy, return to the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
Between the increasingly common natural disasters, mass shootings, sexual misconduct of those in public office, the opioid epidemic, accidents and disturbing social and political issues, it seems like every day is a struggle to survive. But the good news is that we can.
