Potomac Conference is Moving Christ's Mission Forward

As an administrative team, we [The Potomac Conference leadership] are privileged to be part of the body of Christ that prioritizes moving His mission forward and leading people to Him. We are overwhelmed by the commitment of the members, pastors and teachers who spend countless hours helping carry out the mission and vision of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. And, we are thankful for the evidence of God’s continued blessings on our churches, schools and ministries.

Editorial by William "Bill" Miller, Potomac Conference president

William "Bill" Miller

To date we have more than 30,000 members, 182 congregations, 19 schools and numerous other kingdom-building ministries. Our membership represents more than 120 countries and a myriad of languages, nations and cultures. As diverse as we are, however, we come together to fulfill the mission “to grow healthy, disciple-making churches and schools.”

Blessings, Challenges, Priorities
During the past five years, we’ve organized more than 14 churches and companies and seen increases in tithe, membership and school enrollment. In 2014 adjusted tithe increased by .52 percent; 1,226 joined our fellowship through baptism and profession of faith; overall school enrollment increased by 26 students; and we were able to update several facilities.

While we rejoice over these positive strides, we face some challenges as well. Several schools have experienced increased operational costs; several churches have not been able to meet financial obligations; and healthcare and retirement costs continue to rise. We are aggressively addressing these issues, but the stresses impact us all, and we all need to continue to pray and work through them together. As Ellen White says, “The path of sincerity and integrity is not a path free from obstruction, but in every difficulty we are to see a call to prayer” (Desire of Ages, p. 667).

Buoyed by God’s transforming grace and compelled by His power, we will continue to move Christ’s mission forward through several evangelism initiatives: We continue to identify and plant churches in unentered communities. Our Pastoral Ministries team is working to train congregations and strengthen our focus on Fishing for Jesus, an initiative that will culminate in 2017 with a special “year of evangelism.” Next month approximately 40 Potomac congregations will participate in the Columbia Union Conference’s tri-conference evangelism initiative “Living With Hope,”
in which we pray many souls will become new disciples of Christ.

Thank you for your prayers, partnership and participation in moving Christ’s mission forward in Potomac. We pray that you, too, will consider how to become personally involved in the effort by leading one friend to Jesus. It only costs time and talent to bring someone to Jesus, but the blessings are eternal.

A fellow disciple on the journey,

William "Bill" Miller

Potomac Conference president