Contents On the Web Video – Steve Pacheco is a police officer and Seventh-day Adventist who started an organi - zation to solve a problem. “When I was growing up, we couldn't play sports because we didn't play on H A Sabbath,” he recalls. “I don't want N N A Sabbath to be a barrier to excellence H N for our youth.” His sports league, I R E Maryland Excel, is a burgeoning min - Y B istry that’s helping youth pursue O T excellence while honoring their faith. O H P Meet him in this month’s Columbia Union Story at columbiaunion.org/ videos, or scan this barcode using a free QR code reader app. 4 Newsline | Calendar – Our 2013 Visitor Calendar is com - 6 | Noticias ing! The theme is “Fearfully and Wonderfully 8 | Feature Made,” and it will feature God’s creatures, great Ministry in Motion and small. Look for it in Alexis A. Goring your mailbox next month. For additional, free copies, email Seventh-day Adventists employ a number of creative ways to [email protected]. share their faith and minister to others. As you look for ways Email News – To stay connected to reach your community this holiday season, and in the year between issues of the Visitor , sign up ahead, we hope to inspire you with these imaginative to receive our email news bulletin at columbiaunion.org/emailnews. examples of ministry in motion. Facebook – Are you a fan of our Visitor Facebook page? Connect Newsletters with us at facebook.com/ 15 | columbiaunionvisitor and click the “Like” button. Then, share your church and school news and 44 | Bulletin Board photos, promote your upcoming events or v ote on next month’s question: What age is your pastor— 18-35, 36-49 or 50+? Visitor Facebook Poll Do you put up a Christmas tree? No 9% About the Cove r: Joseph, played by Mark Zimmerman, and baby Jesus, Yes 91% played by Sophia Rivera, both from the New Market (Va.) church, are participants in the church's annual Journey to Bethlehem production hosted at Shenandoah Valley Academy. Photographed by Monica Grimes. Source: facebook.com/columbiaunionvisitor 2 | VISI TOR December 2012 Editorial CELESTE RYAN BLYDEN Celeste Ryan Blyden I Editor & Publisher Beth Michaels I Managing Editor Taashi Rowe I News Editor We Are Storytellers Kelly Butler Coe I Art Director & Designer Sandra Jones I Classified Advertising & Circulation Manager ur Visitor team has the best job. We are PUBLISHING BOARD I Dave Weigley (chair), Celeste Ryan Blyden (secretary), Raj Attiken, Seth Bardu, Larry Boggess, storytellers. We help tell the story of José H. Cortés, William T. Cox, Henry Fordham, Ray Hartwell, Bill Miller, Rick Remmers, Rob Vandeman Owhat God is doing in and through His MISSION STATEMENT I The Visitor provides news and people in the Columbia Union. information, resources for effective ministry, and insight on issues with a spiritual focus to help people celebrate God's We strive to find creative ways to tell your transforming grace in preparation for His return. stories through the Visitor magazine, columbi - COLUMBIA UNION CONFERENCE I 5427 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045 I (410) 997-3414 I (888) 4-VISITOR aunion.org website, email news, Columbia columbiaunion.org I [email protected] Union Story videos on YouTube, photos, the SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES I To subscribe, change addresses or discontinue Visitor mailings, contact [email protected] annual calendars, Facebook, Twitter, workshops and worship programs. or call (888) 4-VISITOR. Free to members. All others, $21 annually. COLUMBIA UNION CONFERENCE WHAT MAKES A STORY GOOD? Dave Weigley President Rob Vandeman Executive Secretary Everybody loves a story and everybody has a story. But, what makes Seth Bardu Treasurer Frank Bondurant Vice President/Ministry Development a story good? In school, our teachers taught us that every story must Hamlet Canosa Vice President/Education Walter Carson Vice President/ General Counsel/PARL have a beginning, middle and ending, but there’s so much more. Celeste Ryan Blyden Asst. to the President/Communication Rubén Ramos Asst. to the President/Multilingual Min. Stories paint pictures in our minds. Connect us. Move us beyond our Harold Greene Director/ Information Technology Curtis Boore Director/ Plant Services circumstances. Help us see another point of view. Record history. And, Peggy Lee Secretary-Treasurer/ Revolving Fund Carol Wright Undertreasurer help us remember what we otherwise might forget. CONFERENCES Stories come in different forms. Negro spirituals are testimonies of ALLEGHENY EAST: Henry Fordham, President; Robert Booker, slaves relayed through music. The diaries of Anne Frank brought the Visitor Correspondent; P.O. Box 266, Pine Forge, PA 19548. Tel. (610) 326-4610 I visitaec.com horrors of the Holocaust to light. Garrison Keillor shares humorous ALLEGHENY WEST: William T. Cox, President; Bryant Taylor, accounts of life in Lake Wobegon via his radio program. Nursery Visitor Correspondent; 1339 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43205. Tel. (614) 252-5271 I awconf.org rhymes share life lessons with our little lambs. CHESAPEAKE: Rick Remmers, President; Samantha Young, Visitor Correspondent; 6600 Martin Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. The Bible, often called God’s Letter, is chock full of stories. I think Tel. (410) 995-1910 I ccosda.org the reason they are so good is that they make God real, relevant and MOUNTAIN VIEW: Larry Boggess, President; Monica Zill, Visitor Correspondent; 1400 Liberty St., Parkersburg, WV 26101. relatable. Stories bring the Bible to life and help us know that God Tel. (304) 422-4581 I mtviewconf.org understands our humanness, frailties, needs, experiences, hunger and NEW JERSEY: José H. Cortés, President; Jim Greene, Visitor Correspondent; 2303 Brunswick Ave., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. prayers. Through stories, God teaches, grows, prepares, calls and fills Tel. (609) 392-7131 I njcsda.org OHIO: Raj Attiken, President; Heidi Shoemaker, Visitor us with what we need most—love, grace and hope. Correspondent; P.O. Box 1230, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. We laugh at the stories about people in the Bible, but we also learn Tel. (740) 397-4665 I ohioadventist.org PENNSYLVANIA: Ray Hartwell, President; Tamyra Horst, from them. One of my favorites is the story of Elijah. In one day, he Visitor Correspondent; 720 Museum Rd., Reading, PA 19611. Tel. (610) 374-8331 I paconference.org goes from victoriously calling down fire and then rain from heaven, to POTOMAC: Bill Miller, President; Dan Jensen, Visitor running for his life and praying to die. Sarah laughs at God and then Correspondent; 606 Greenville Avenue, Staunton, VA 24401. Tel. (540) 886-0771 I pcsda.org laughs with joy over the birth of her son. Martha and Mary help us EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS know that we aren’t the only ones learning to play nice in the sandbox. KETTERING COLLEGE: Charles Scriven, President; Mindy Jesus was a master storyteller. He used stories to teach, convict and Claggett, Visitor Correspondent; 3737 Southern Blvd., Kettering, OH 45429. Tel. (937) 395-8601 I kc.edu convert. His story touched hearts, changed minds, transformed lives WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY: Weymouth Spence, President; Grace Virtue, Visitor Correspondent; 7600 Flower Ave., and changed the world. Takoma Park, MD 20912. Tel. (301) 891-4000 I wau.edu Sometimes we wonder if you’re reading our stories. But, we were HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS thankful to learn from our Visitor survey (see highlights on page 5) and ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE: William G. “Bill” Robertson, President & CEO; Thomas Grant, Visitor Correspondent; 1801 Research the Google Analytics Web usage report that you are reading the stories Blvd., Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel. (301) 315-3030 adventisthealthcare.com we share. Yet, more than that, our prayer is that these stories will touch KETTERING ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE: Fred Manchur, hearts, change minds, transform lives and even change the world. President & CEO; Christina Keresoma, Visitor Correspondent; 3965 Southern Blvd., Kettering, OH 45429. Tel. (937) 395-8167 khnetwork.org Published by the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Celeste Ryan Blyden is editor and publisher of the Columbia Union Visitor . 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 117 I Issue 12 December 2012 VISI TOR | 3 Newsline TAASHI ROWE Seibold; and Potomac’s Karen L. Cress, Sharon Cress, Jennifer Deans, Debbie Eisele (below), Cherilyn O’Ffill and Sonia Perez. The vote included emeritus credentials for Chesapeake Conference’s Charlotte McClure and Josephine Benton, the first female pastor pre - sented for ordination in 1973. The ordination approvals took place days before this year’s General Conference Annual Council, where a voted document regarded the actions of the Columbia Union (along with that of the Pacific and North German union conferences, whose constituents also approved inclusive ordination) “as serious mistakes.” The statement also said, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AWARD CONFERRED AT FESTIVAL “The world church does not recog - Walter Carson (pictured, far right), union vice president and general counsel, nize actions authorizing or imple - confers the first Adrian T. Westney Religious Liberty Award on Sen. Roger P. menting ministerial ordination Manno (pictured, center, with the Westney family) at the union’s first religious without regard to gender.” liberty festival. The senator supported a religious accommodation bill pending in Shortly before the Annual the Maryland General