Columbia Union Visitor for 2013
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Contents GET MORE BIBLE SCHOLARS FEATURED Ohio Conference’s WesTlake WiTnesses were among The six PaThfinder Teams from across The Columbia Union who recenTly parTicipaTed in The annual Bible Experience and scored firsT place, making Them eligible To advance To The NorTh American Division round in Lincoln, Neb. This sTory and phoTos from ThaT evenT only appeared on our websiTe. Find iT aT columbiaunion.org/ paThfinders. R O GOOD JOB! L Y A AfTer his moTher found Ellen WhiTe’s T T books online, 11-year-old Psucho Cox, N A Y from Allegheny EasT Conference’s R B LiberTy church in BalTimore, commiTTed Y B To memorize and reciTe a passage O T from Messages to Young People each O H P 4 | Newsline 6 | Noticias 8 | Underscore monTh aT AYS. “IT’s a book abouT God helping us To make good in life and 10 | Feature calling us To be greaT people in The world,” he says. “EveryThing she said can be applied To my life.” Find her many books online aT whiTeesTaTe.org Facelift or download The Ellen WhiTe App. Elizabeth Anderson and Beth Michaels WELCOME HOME To keep up wiTh news To address dwindling attendance at many camp meeting abouT The Columbia Union locations, conference leaders have put on their thinking caps, family, make our websiTe your homepage. To do so, open your surveyed members and implemented savvy new formatting. browser and go To columbiaunion.org. What changes are keeping camp meeting relevant and Find The liTTle house symbol aT The Top members coming back? of your Web browser and righT click. Choose The opTion “add or change homepage.” 15 | Newsletters FACEBOOK US! Have a church evenT To promoTe? A news sTory and phoTo To posT? A commenT To share? ConnecT wiTh us aT 52 | Bulletin Board facebook.com/columbiaunionvisiTor. SIGN UP FOR EMAIL NEWS WanT To keep up wiTh news from across The Columbia Union in beTween issues of The Visitor? Subscribe To our weekly email Visitor News Bulletin aT columbiaunion.org/emailnews. 2 | VISI TOR May 2013 Editorial DANIELA PUSIC Celeste Ryan Blyden I Editor & Publisher Beth Michaels I Managing Editor Taashi Rowe I News Editor I Want What He Has Kelly Butler Coe I Art Director & Designer Sandra Jones I Classified Advertising & Circulation Manager eventh-day Adventists often lament the PUBLISHING BOARD I Dave Weigley (chair), Celeste Ryan Blyden (secretary), Raj Attiken, Seth Bardu, Larry Boggess, fact that we don’t see young people more José H. Cortés, William T. Cox, Henry Fordham, Ray Hartwell, Bill Miller, Rick Remmers, Rob Vandeman Sin love with God and involved in church. MISSION STATEMENT I The Visitor provides news and We’ve all heard quotes about this “army of young information, resources for effective ministry, and insight on issues with a spiritual focus to help people celebrate God's people” that is supposed to appear, and we won - transforming grace in preparation for His return. der where they are. I, too, sometimes wonder COLUMBIA UNION CONFERENCE I 5427 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045 I (410) 997-3414 I (888) 4-VISITOR where the dedicated young people are, but I columbiaunion.org I [email protected] spend an equal amount of time wondering SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES I To subscribe, change addresses or discontinue Visitor mailings, contact [email protected] where our trainers and mentors are. If our older counterparts wonder or call (888) 4-VISITOR. Free to members. All others, $21 annually. why we aren’t more involved or passionate, they might find the answer COLUMBIA UNION CONFERENCE in asking themselves the same question. Dave Weigley President Rob Vandeman Executive Secretary I was 14 when I heard author and speaker Ty Gibson. His sermon, Seth Bardu Treasurer Frank Bondurant Vice President/Ministry Development about the love of God, was one I’d heard many times. But, the way he Hamlet Canosa Vice President/Education Walter Carson Vice President/ General Counsel/PARL said it was different. You could tell he knew Jesus as a friend and Celeste Ryan Blyden Asst. to the President/Communication Rubén Ramos Asst. to the President/Multilingual Min. believed what he was preaching. I remember thinking, I want to know Harold Greene Director/ Information Technology Curtis Boore Director/ Plant Services what makes him talk about God that way. I want what he has. Peggy Lee Secretary-Treasurer/ Revolving Fund Carol Wright Undertreasurer A year later, I attended a youth conference where Frank Fournier, CONFERENCES now president of Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries, asked a ALLEGHENY EAST: Henry Fordham, President; Robert Booker, question I will never forget: “If I randomly called you up one by one Visitor Correspondent; P.O. Box 266, Pine Forge, PA 19548. Tel. (610) 326-4610 I visitaec.com to talk about what God has been doing in your lives this past week, ALLEGHENY WEST: William T. Cox, President; Bryant Taylor, I wonder how many of you would have something to say?” I was Visitor Correspondent; 1339 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43205. Tel. (614) 252-5271 I awconf.org horrified that I was raised in the church and still did not have any - CHESAPEAKE: Rick Remmers, President; Samantha Young, Visitor Correspondent; 6600 Martin Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. thing to say. Tel. (410) 995-1910 I ccosda.org Shortly after that sermon, some members were going door to door MOUNTAIN VIEW: Larry Boggess, President; Monica Zill, Visitor Correspondent; 1400 Liberty St., Parkersburg, WV 26101. conducting surveys and offering Bible studies. Though it went against Tel. (304) 422-4581 I mtviewconf.org my personality, I felt compelled to go. At the first house, the woman NEW JERSEY: José H. Cortés, President; Paulo Macena, Visitor Correspondent; 2303 Brunswick Ave., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. told me it was nice to see a young person doing this and encouraged Tel. (609) 392-7131 I njcsda.org OHIO: Raj Attiken, President; Heidi Shoemaker, Visitor me to continue. Throughout the day, I saw that as young as I was, Correspondent; P.O. Box 1230, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. God could still use me. I was also grateful to be with an older, more Tel. (740) 397-4665 I ohioadventist.org PENNSYLVANIA: Ray Hartwell, President; Tamyra Horst, experienced person who helped me know what to do and say. Visitor Correspondent; 720 Museum Rd., Reading, PA 19611. Tel. (610) 374-8331 I paconference.org POTOMAC: Bill Miller, President; Dan Jensen, Visitor LEADING BY EXAMPLE Correspondent; 606 Greenville Avenue, Staunton, VA 24401. Tel. (540) 886-0771 I pcsda.org One of the things I appreciate most about Jesus and His method EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS of ministry is the fact that He led by example. He didn’t say He would KETTERING COLLEGE: Charles Scriven, President; Mindy do all the work or tell the disciples to do it alone. He invited them to Claggett, Visitor Correspondent; 3737 Southern Blvd., Kettering, OH 45429. Tel. (937) 395-8601 I kc.edu follow Him and showed them how to minister. It is my desire to fol - WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY: Weymouth Spence, President; Grace Virtue, Visitor Correspondent; 7600 Flower Ave., low Jesus’ example of personal ministry and mentoring. I also long Takoma Park, MD 20912. Tel. (301) 891-4000 I wau.edu for the day when young and old in our church will work together to HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS fulfill the Great Commission in a way that makes people want what ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE: William G. “Bill” Robertson, President & CEO; Thomas Grant, Visitor Correspondent; 1801 Research we have too. Blvd., Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel. (301) 315-3030 adventisthealthcare.com KETTERING ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE: Fred Manchur, Daniela Pusic, a Bible worker and the Young Adult Ministries President & CEO; Christina Keresoma, Visitor Correspondent; 3965 Southern Blvd., Kettering, OH 45429. Tel. (937) 395-8167 coordinator for the Mountain View Conference, is planning the khnetwork.org Published by the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day young adult activities for camp meeting. Adventists. Printed at the Review & Herald Publishing Association. Adventis t® and Seventh-day Adventis t® are the registered trade - marks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist s®. Volume 118 I Issue 5 May 2013 VISI TOR | 3 Newsline TAASHI ROWE Chesapeake Churches Pursue Missing Members ’ve come To learn ThaT some an opporTuniTy To do someThing churches across The conference awful Things have happened here differenT.” parTicipaTed in a “ReconnecT To Iin The pasT, Things ThaT I can’T WiTh exciTemenT in his voice, Worship” SabbaTh. Spurred on by believe,” sTaTed Cesar Gonzalez, Gonzalez explained ThaT he and his esTimaTes ThaT some 50,000 former pasTor of Chesapeake Conference’s members planned a special SevenTh-day AdvenTisTs live in Cambridge and Beacon of LighT SabbaTh for Those who haven’T been Chesapeake’s TerriTory, conference churches in Maryland. “These To church in quiTe some Time. To leaders spenT monThs planning and sTories are decades old and people prepare for This service, The mem - preparing Their pasTors and currenT absoluTely don’T forgeT. This was bers of boTh churches prayed for members for The special ouTreach. each former member and wroTe “We are acTually planning aT Them leTTers inviTing Them To aTTend leasT quarTerly reconnecTing Rose Osei, Isaac Ankrah, The special program. SabbaThs. This follow-up and Florence Segbor and Summer Gonzalez’s congreganTs aren’T pursuiT of missing, former and Pearson, members of the Aberdeen The only ones looking To embrace inacTive members is now a parT (Md.) church, were eager to missing members. Over The course of The lifesTyle and lifecycle of our welcome returning members. of Two weeks in April, some 30 church. IT will no longer be whaT we do, buT who we are ,” said Chris Holland, senior pasTor of The HagersTown (Md.) church.