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Why Every Church Needs to Get Pregnant ... and Multiply

Story by Michele Joseph

The Bible gives a specifc command: multiply, says Peter Casillas, most recently the associate director for pastoral ministries in evangelism and church planting and volunteer lay pastors in Potomac Conference.

However, as a church gets bigger, it is easy to go into institutional mode.

“Church planting reminds us to come back to the movement and not stick with the institution,” he says. “Church planting is ... like blood to the body. It’s the moving dynamic action of the body. If you kill church planting, you kill the movement.”

For that reason, he believes every church should get “pregnant.”

Feature: Their Needs > Our Needs = A Formula for Church Planting

Story by Michele Joseph

When Juliana Marson received a call from a woman so depressed she was unable to leave her home, Marson did what she knew would work best—she prayed. Then she invited the woman to her two-week-old church plant, the New Jersey Conference’s Grace Place, in Lakewood.

Jacqueline Lewis didn’t come to church, but she arrived during fellowship dinner.

“I stopped what I was doing, ran and hugged her,” Marson says. But Lewis replied, “You can’t hug me. I’m ugly.”Jacqueline Lewis (right) credits Lay Pastor Juliana Marson and the New Jersey Conference’s Grace Place church members in Lakewood for helping her overcome depression. Photo by Jorge Pillco

In God’s Time

Photo of Tony Liriano by Jorge Pilco

Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Photos by Jorge Pillco

For years Tony Liriano had the dream of starting and leading a new church. Tony and his wife, Maria, were excited for the opportunity to plant a church and spread the gospel in Garfield, N.J. Since starting the project more than a year ago, Tony, who leads the New Jersey Conference church plant as a lay pastor, reports a membership growth from 10 to 60 people. Members faithfully invite friends to attend, gather for a weekly prayer session and help to reach those who don’t know Jesus. A family of six started attending the church after Tony greeted them on the street and invited them to attend. Maria says the key to their growth is the family environment and members who “act like Jesus and don’t judge.”

Will the New Tax Bill Impact Adventists?

Photo by forcal35 on pixabay

Story by the General Conference Office of General Counsel & General Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty

The United States House and Senate passed, and the President is expected to sign into law, H.R. 1 formerly known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” which makes certain changes to the United States Internal Revenue Code. Below is a summary of some of the changes that particularly impact the Adventist Church and its employees. It also addresses changes that were proposed but not ultimately passed.

Share Hope in the Second Coming of Christ

Photo by Mathieu Plourde from Flickr

Editorial by Andre Ascalon

On any given day, we are bombarded with information from a multitude of sources—email, text messages, television and social media sites. Sadly, too many times this barrage of information is more negative than positive. Between the increasingly common natural disasters, mass shootings, sexual misconduct of those in public office, the opioid epidemic, accidents and disturbing social and political issues, it seems like every day is a struggle to survive. Even for the most committed Christian, it can be a challenge to remain hopeful in a world that seems hopeless. But the good news is that we can.

Resource: Watch Videos from NAD Evangelism’s eHuddle 2018

Photo of David Franklin at NAD's eHuddle 2018 by Pieter Damsteegt

Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Photo by Pieter Damsteegt, NAD Communication

This week church leaders, local pastors and institutional leaders from across the Seventh-day Adventist church in North America gathered to discuss ways to collaborate to reach, retain and reclaim the people of North America with Jesus’ message and mission.

Topics covered included church revitalization, the trend of aging churches, ministering to large people groups (such as single mothers and their families) and how to reach missing Adventist members.

Shady Grove Medical Center Is Second in Nation to Earn Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI

Story by Katie Solovey

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Md., for its demonstrated expertise and commitment in treating patients who come to the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab for care. Shady Grove earned Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with PCI in January based on a rigorous onsite study of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients. Shady Grove is the only hospital in the Northeast and one of only two hospitals in the U.S. to hold this accreditation.

Ohio Conference Pastors Baptize Dozens in Ghana

Story by Heidi Shoemaker
 
Last September Ron Halvorsen Jr, Ohio Conference president, spent more than a week in Ghana training 50 lay pastors and elders to preach. This month two Ohio Conference pastors, Ron Anderson (pictured with members in Ghana) and Tom Hughes, traveled to Ghana to begin meetings of their own as part of Pentecost 2018. Hughes recently spoke to 1,500 university students, 90 percent of whom were not Christians. He has reported dozens of decisions made for baptism.
 
"There have been 20 baptisms so far from Elder Anderson's meetings," shares Halvorsen. "Ron also helped train three theology majors from our university in Accra Ghana (Valley View University). God is good!"
 

Ohio Pastor Writes Spiritual Growth Book

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

The idea to write this book was ignited when I spent some time on the plains of Moab (in the modern country of Jordan), just east of the Jordan River,” says Patrick Mazani, pastor of the Ohio Conference's Findlay district. Fully convinced that history holds the key to understanding the future of the world, Mazani closely examines the biblical account of ancient Israel in their last camp just before crossing into the Promised Land.