This Month's Issue

Editorial by José D. Espósito

• A church family growing from 15 to 54 members after meeting the needs of community members and hosting an evangelistic series.

• A young girl requesting prayer for her grandpa and helping lead her family back to Christ.

• A member sharing his love of pickleball with others, resulting in hundreds of people finding fellowship and a safe place to discuss spiritual matters, while getting exercise.

• A pastor using his love of restoring cars to connect with his neighbors.

• A teacher praying for her students, impacting their spiritual walk for years to come.

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Many local elementary students will have new books in their school libraries, thanks to customers at Potomac Conference’s LivingWell store in Silver Spring, Md.

This fall, the LivingWell Adventist Book Center received 160 books worth $1,583 during the store’s first book drive.

By Michelle Perez and Jennifer Jill Schwirzer

Emotional abuse, also known as the "hidden abuse" since it leaves no physical mark and is so difficult to identify, is more common than you think—even within Seventh-day Adventist homes and churches. As a pastor, leader or church member, it is important to distinguish what the church's role is and isn't when faced with this situation. 

The church's role isn’t

• A substitute for law enforcement involvement

• A substitute for mental health services

• A substitute for legal support or advice

• A judge

The church's role is

The church community can be a great support in cases of abuse, but pastors and lay leaders are often not professionally trained in this area. Michelle Perez, a domestic abuse prevention educator, shares some tips on what not to say or do when approached by an abused survivor. For ideas on best practices, read the feature here.

What NOT to Say to Someone Experiencing Abuse