Ohio Conference

At the end of this year, Seventh-day Adventists in the Pennsylvania and Ohio conferences will see two Adventist Book Centers (ABC) close—one in Mount Vernon, Ohio—the other in Hamburg, Pa. The closures come as a result of the Idaho-based Pacific Press Publishing Association’s (PPPA) decision early this fall to end a management agreement of some 17 ABCs across the North American Division.

In addition to his family, staff members of Kettering Adventist HealthCare (KAHC) system based in Kettering, Ohio, are in mourning over the loss of one of their key founders. Vernon Luthas, MD, passed away Monday at the age of 85.
 

This week presidents of the Columbia Union’s eight conferences, two healthcare networks and university met in Columbia, Md., for executive-level board meetings. The week started with Presidents’ Council where each president shared praises and challenges from their field. On Tuesday each conference’s top-three officers met for Administrator’s Council where they handled the business of the union. They also heard a presentation on crisis communication from Celeste Ryan Blyden, Visitor publisher and editor, and author of the new book, Crisis Boot Camp, published by the North American Division. 
 

“Today we are revisiting the days of pioneers of the [Seventh-day] Adventist movement when there were women evangelists who raised up churches, who preached and baptized,” said Dave Weigley, president of the Columbia Union Conference, during an ordination service for Hazel Burns (81) and Margaret Turner (90) at Ohio Conference’s Kettering church last Sabbath.

During year end meetings last week, Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee members voted to give $40,000 to the Allegheny East and New Jersey conferences to aid them in their super storm Sandy relief efforts. The three union officers then prayed over José H. Cortés, New Jersey Conference president; and Henry J. Fordham, Allegheny East Conference president; as well as for the efforts of volunteers throughout New Jersey.

This fall, as Camp Mohaven celebrated 50 years of service to the Ohio Conference, more than 100 people from around the country returned for a weekend of fun, fellowship and reminiscing. Attendees included campers from Mohaven’s first year to counselors from this past summer.
 

Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) researchers visited several camp meetings around the Columbia Union Conference. Many of 96,000 study members of AHS-2 are church members in the Columbia Union.