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Growing Young Adventists: Our Future Depends on It

Our churches are growing older. Some are reporting that our average membership age is 60 years or more. It’s not that there is anything wrong with that age, but the outlook is not promising if we just continue to age without engaging younger generations in meaningful relationships with local church communities.

“Churches in the North American Division (of Seventh-day Adventists) as a whole really need to think about where we want to be in the next 20, 30 years,” said Justin Yang, senior pastor of Atlanta Korean Church. “If we don’t do something about reaching the next generation, we will become obsolete.” >Read More!

What My Young Students Have Taught Me

I have been a teacher for 17 years, with the last six in a K4/K5 classroom. Currently, I am serving the Mobile Junior Academy in Mobile, Alabama. Every year I learn new lessons about kids, about God, and about myself.

My students come from many backgrounds, cultures, and different experiences with God. They come to me having different levels of knowledge and understanding. Those first few weeks of school always bring interesting experiences as I get to know my little charges. They are each so unique and have different needs, fears, and abilities. I find myself listening and paying close attention to them as we get to know each other. Bringing these individuals and myself into a little community, or family, is my goal for those first few weeks of school. >Read More!

South Atlantic Conducts Vacation Bible School Expo

The Sabbath School and Children’s Ministries Departments at the South Atlantic Conference conducted a Vacation Bible School Expo during Camp Meeting in Orangeburg, S.C., June 2018. The theme was “Footprints of Jesus.” The goal was to introduce the children to Christ by sharing what a day in the life of Jesus might have been like.

It was a joy to combine the Vacation Bible School theme with authentic items direct from Israel. Souvenirs gathered by Darryl Howard, Conference youth director, during his tour of the Holy Land, were on display for the children. The young people’s imaginations were stimulated by object lessons gleaned from a replica of the “widow’s mite”; fresh virgin oil from an old-fashioned olive press; water from Jacob’s Well and the Jordan River; rocks collected from Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and other locations of interest; hand-crafted blankets and clothing; replicas of the lanterns and vases used by the wise virgins of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25; and many other displays. >Read More!

Computing Students and Faculty Develop Adventist Giving App

This year Southern’s Center for Innovation and Research in Computing (CIRC) developed a mobile giving app for the North American Division (NAD). The goal was to increase the ease of making tithe and offering donations.

The app, called Adventist Giving, is currently available for download from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. Church members from any participating NAD church can utilize this tool. >Read More!

La Música: Un Medio de Alabanza y Atracción a Cristo

David Bárzola es uno de los pastores de la iglesia de Hollywood, en Florida. Entre los dones que Dios dio a él y a su esposa Nancy está el de la música, que ambos han dedicado a la alabanza a Él.

Al comenzar su trabajo en esta iglesia decidieron crear un pequeño conjunto musical de bronces y eventualmente de cuerdas si es que conseguían suficientes interesados. Con este fin ofrecieron clases de diferentes instrumentos. Para poder enseñar tuvieron a su vez que aprender a tocar algunos de estos instrumentos, ya que ellos no tenían experiencia con todos. Al principio estaban felices porque 5 personas se mostraron interesadas en la actividad. >Read More!