Columbia Union News

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Kristiana Hoffman, a 12-year-old from Charleston, W.Va., wants to be a missionary when she grows up. In January she started practicing.

After reading that 10 people die each day from drowning, Hoffman came up with a plan to help teach children to swim while introducing them to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Hoffman, a member of the Mountain View Conference’s Charleston (W.Va.) church, started taking swimming lessons at age three, and recently hosted swim classes for the community at a local pool.

Story by Sylvia Garcia Urrutia

The Columbia Union Conference’s Adventist-Laymen’s Services & Industries (CUASI) recently held their annual Missional Business Conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Columbia, Md.  

About 150 attendees from across the union gathered to share their ministry passions and gain knowledge to help in their businesses and ministries. Emanuel Pelote, CUASI president, says they choose the theme for the meeting, “Minding the Father’s Business,” because “the Bible is clear that included in following Christ, is a call to full-time ministry.” 

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

August 1–5, the Chesapeake Conference is hosting “Courageous,” an invitational camporee, at the Highland View Campgrounds in Hagerstown, Md.

Pathfinder clubs from all conferences are welcome. “The goal of the event is to create a spiritual, social and educational environment for all, as we grow together in Christ and learn from the Word of God what it means to be courageous Pathfinders for Jesus in the 21st century,” says Carl Rodriguez, Youth Ministries director for the Chesapeake Conference.

Planned activities include a 300-foot waterslide, archery, mountain biking, soccer and 36 activities in which you can earn honors.

For more information, and to register, visit https://www.cicamporee.org.

Editorial by Tiffany Brown

Why do we go to church on Saturday, and why is the Sabbath important?” 

These were the kinds of questions Joksan Cedillo-Gomez wondered about and asked. However, he never got a satisfying answer. “Because it’s in the Bible. Twice!” he was told. 

Later, as youth director of his church, he found himself repeating the same brief answers to his peers and other youth who came to him with questions. 

After enrolling in the REACH Columbia Union Urban Evangelism School last summer, he learned that the Sabbath invites us to experience a connection—in our relationship with God and each other. It’s a time where we can worship, fellowship and grow; a time of jubilee—where we are all equal, regardless of our socioeconomic status.

A Transformative Experience

Last weekend the Columbia Union Conference hosted the Rise Up Young Adult Summit in Arlington, Va., where church leaders encouraged young adults to be leaders in the church today and now.

Read the full story here. See more #YASUMMIT17 photos here.