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Grow: A Divine Mandate!

Grow by Brian Donovan from Flickr

Editorial by Jorge Aguero

There are three realities in Christian churches—including the Seventh-day Adventist Church—that we cannot deny: Churches are growing; churches are stagnant in their growth; or churches are declining and finally dying.

Numerous research from the Barna-Group and Gallup report that most churches in the U.S. are not growing. But I believe that the Adventist Church has been given a divine mandate to grow.

New Jersey Conference’s 2020 motto is “Grow: Sharing Hope.” God gave a mandate for church growth, known as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20).

Despite Major Disasters Into the New Year, ADRA Continues to Respond

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba photographed Puerto Rico from the cupola of the International Space Station on Oct. 12, 2017.

Story by ADRA Staff

As the world welcomed the New Year of 2020, natural disasters continue to plague several countries, which have already affected countless lives. With little time to spare, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has continued operating around the clock to respond to these climate crises. Here are the latest situation updates from ADRA’s offices.

Australia

Is Intermittent Fasting Healthy?

Image by Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Intermittent fasting is a popular trend today, but has been practiced for a long time at lifestyle centers like Wildwood (Ga.) and Uchee Pines (Ala.). N. David Emerson, M.D., says eating only breakfast and lunch and fasting for 12 or 14–15 hours a day, a form of intermittent fasting, is beneficial because it helps lower insulin levels.

Disciple Ohio Helps Launch Lorain Church Plant

Ohio Lorain Church Plant

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

October 19, 2019, marked the beginning of a very special day in the life of Elyria church members’ efforts in the Cleveland area. It was the first Sabbath worship service for the Lorain church plant meeting, where 31 people enjoyed Sabbath fellowship.

The Lorain church plant, a part of the vision for Disciple Ohio, is a result of the dedicated members of the Elyria church, pastored by Marius Marton and assisted by Disciple Ohio pastor Randy Barber.

Planting for the Kingdom

Editorial by Rick Remmers

Chesapeake Conference’s new initiative, “35 by 25,” is to plant 35 churches by the year 2025. Currently we have 50 areas in our region without a Seventh-day Adventist presence. These areas are comprised of population clusters of about 50,000 people, as well as specific counties with no Adventist church.

So why plant new churches when some of our existing churches are not yet full? The answer is simple: There are unreached people who need salvation in Jesus Christ, and church planting is one of the most effective ways to impact more people with the gospel.

Dayton Church Baptizes 52

Stephen D. Lewis, pastor of the Dayton church, baptizes Brenda Rutledge.

Story by Benia Jennings

Allegheny West Conference's Dayton (Ohio) church ended their “Dayton’s Revival” evangelistic series with 52 baptisms. During the 15 weeks, more than 75 sermons covered topics such as the state of the dead and the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath. As a result, many individuals were led to make the important decision to choose baptism.

“People were thrilled to know that God created the Sabbath out of a desire to spend the day with them,” says Stephen D. Lewis, pastor. “We shared how much God loves them and that Jesus had paid for their sins. Now we focus on their next steps.”

Liberty Church Holds Vigil for Hurricane Dorian Survivors

Hurricane Dorian 31 August 2019 photo by Antti Lipponen from Flickr

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Last fall, the Fox 45 and WBAL-TV television stations in Baltimore covered an urgent prayer vigil/fundraiser, hosted by Allegheny East Conference's Liberty church in Baltimore, for the survivors affected by Hurricane Dorian. Some of the church members are from Caribbean islands and were horrified at the destruction and devastation that took place in the Bahamas. They planned this event to help relieve the pain and suffering of those affected by the hurricane.