Seventh-day Adventist

This month Ileana Espinosa joins the Columbia Union Conference’s Office of Education as associate director for elementary education. Espinosa hails from the Central California Conference where she served 14 years as associate superintendent. Prior to joining that conference, she taught high school English and Spanish for seven years at Madison Academy (Tenn.). She also taught on the elementary school level. She starts work at the union July 18 and fills the vacancy left when LaVona Gillham retired earlier this year.

The Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee today elected Robert T. Vandeman executive secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the eight-state, mid-Atlantic region.

The Hyattsville (Md.) church recently took part in the 32nd Annual Historic Hyattsville House Tour, an event hosted by the Hyattsville Preservation Association, Inc. (HPA) to showcase the city’s most beautiful and historic buildings. 

Scissors snipped and sewing machines whirred as the senior class, grades 4-12, of the Home Sweet Home School Co-op, based at the Williamsport (Md.) church, created dresses this past spring to support a program called Little Dresses for Africa. 

“Haz de mi un discipulo,
Haz de mi un discipulo,
Haz de mi un discipulo,
Quiero hacer tu voluntad.”

Takoma Park, MD — The Trustees of Washington Adventist University (WAU) today voted a Memorandum of Understanding with Atlantic Union College (AUC). This MOU calls for the two institutions to work toward an agreement to establish a branch campus of Washington Adventist University at Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. WAU would lease the facilities of AUC, and become the sole provider of higher education at the New England location. All provisions are dependent upon approval from the required accrediting and regulatory agencies.

Larry Beneke, a member of Ohio Conference’s Kettering church, has announced his retirement as chair of Kettering College’s Department of Radiologic Sciences and Imaging, a position he has held since 1996. His retirement becomes final in April as he finishes his 25th year at the school, and more than 36 years with Kettering Adventist HealthCare, the college’s governing organization.

Members of the Allegheny East Conference’s Emmanuel-Brinklow church in Ashton, Md., recently stood witness as a former member of the Klu Klux Klan embraced a man who he beat some 50 years ago. Back then that man was a Freedom Rider participating in the Civil Rights Movement. Today that man who was beaten is better known as U.S. Congressman John Lewis. Rep. Lewis was one of four people that the Emmanuel-Brinklow church recently honored during the church’s sixth annual Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity. The honorees included Frazier and Virginia Mathis, Emmanuel-Brinklow members and founders of Global Vessels—a missionary organization; Ella Jenkins, a Grammy-award-winning children’s musician; and Congressman Lewis.

Ophelia M. Barizo, chairperson of the Science department at Highland View Academy (HVA) in Hagerstown, Md., was recently named the high school level winner of the Making a Difference Award.