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Adventist HealthCare Named to Newsweek Most Trustworthy List

Adventist HealthCare has been named to Newsweek’s 2025 list of Most Trustworthy Companies in America. The rankings were determined by examining three main public pillars of trust – customer trust, potential investor trust, and potential employee trust – as well as evaluating online remarks.

Of the thousands of companies that met the initial analysis threshold across all industries, only 700 companies were named most trustworthy nationwide, including only 16 Maryland-based companies.

In the Healthcare and Life Sciences category, which included a broad range of health systems, pharmaceutical companies, online wellness firms and other health services, Adventist HealthCare ranked 17th out of the 33 organizations named.

Columbia Union Evangelism Directors Unite in Pursuit of God's Work

2025 Columbia Union Conference Evangelism directors

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Today, the Evangelism directors from the various conferences within the Columbia Union are convening at the Chesapeake Conference headquarters in Columbia, Md., to engage with Columbia Union leadership and fellow colleagues.

José D. Espósito, the union’s assistant to the president for Evangelism, organized the gathering for participants to exchange updates on their respective territories, gain insights into the activities within the North American Division and foster collaboration.

Vienna church and Academy Host Health Fair

Story by Michele Joseph, photos by Elisabeth Zeller

The doctor is in.

In November, doctors, nurses and representatives from the biggest health care organizations in the northern Virginia joined forces for the Vienna Health Fair hosted by Potomac Conference's Vienna church  and Vienna Adventist Academy in Virginia.

Sabbath school classrooms became clinics and the gymnasium transformed into a diagnostic center and medical information hub. Visitors and members received eye exams, blood pressure checks, flu vaccinations and physician consultations and dental screenings all for free.

Spencerville Adventist Academy Hosts a Weekend of Spiritual Renewal

Lucas Chow (’27), William Miongo (’27), Andrew Pozo (’28) and Samuel Joel (’28) pause to pray during the academy’s spiritual retreat.

Story by Lauren Esveld

This year’s spiritual retreat for Spencerville Adventist Academy took place at the restful Mount Aetna Camp and Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md. Having a spiritual retreat at the beginning of the school year served as a refreshing pause that fostered unity among the students and led to reflection and spiritual growth.

The weekend centered on the powerful theme found in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (NIV).

The Family of Christ

Photo by Παῦλος from Pixabay
By Robert Becay
 
Robert Becay, a newly baptized member from Ohio Conference's Medina church, shares what being part of Christ's family means to him.   
 
Being part of the family of Christ means more than sharing a name or a creed. It is an invitation into a new kind of kinship built not on bloodlines or social status, but on grace, trust and a common journey toward wholeness. In this family, belonging is rooted in the radical idea that every person is seen, cherished and invited to participate in the divine promise of love transforming the ordinary into something holy.
 

Potomac Conference Hosts Ministry Center Open House

Conference Hosts Ministry Center Open House, Potomac Conference, "Move Beyond the Walls"

Story by Debra Anderson

More than 200 people gathered on August 23 to celebrate the official opening of the Potomac Conference Ministry Center in Silver Spring, Md. The event welcomed pastors, educators, staff and community members who toured the new facility and learned about the vision behind its creation.

Couples Declare Marriage Is ‘Better With You’

Couples Declare Marriage Is ‘Better With You’ , New Jersey Conference, Abdiel del Toro, Esther Cruz, Orlando Cruz, Chesapeake Conference Hispanic Ministries,

Story by Carlos Torres, Family Ministries Director

Themed “Better With You,” the Family Ministries Department held the 2025 Couples’ Retreat this summer, in partnership with Chesapeake Conference’s Hispanic Ministries Department. The gathering brought together 86 couples who were richly blessed by devotionals from Pastor Abdiel del Toro and inspiring seminars led by Esther and Orlando Cruz. Together, they offered spiritual and practical insights for strengthening marriages.

Compassion Projects Yield More Than 200 Baptisms

Allegheny East Conference, Compassion Projects Yield More Than 200 Baptisms, Sharon church, Shane Francis, Mount Olivet church, Daniel Hall, Conklin Gentry

Story by LaTasha Hewitt 

As part of Allegheny East Conference’s (AEC) commitment to evangelism in 2025, several churches hosted compassion projects—two of them yielding more than 200 baptisms combined.

Office of Education Reports on 2025-26 Enrollment

Image by EB Pilgrim from Pixabay

This week at the Columbia Union Conference Board of Education and Executive Committee meetings, the Office of Education staff reported on Columbia Union’s 2025–26 enrollment numbers. The numbers are as follows:

  • 505 students in eight Early Childhood Education stand-alone centers 

  • 2,757 students in 52 schools offering grades PK–8 or K–8 

  • 697 students in six junior academies 

  • 541 students in four boarding academies 

  • 2,177 students in nine senior academies 

Total numbers include: 

Jose Vazquez Voted as New Vice President for Ministries Development 

Jose Vazquez and his wife, Sonia, are welcomed to the Columbia Union staff.

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

At today’s Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee meeting, delegates voted Jose Vazquez to be the new vice president for Ministries Development.

Vazquez served as the vice president of Administration for the Potomac Conference for the last six years.