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Weekly News From Around the
Columbia Union Conference

August 21, 2014
Maryland Young Adults Help D.C. Homeless
Young adults from four Seventh-day Adventist churches in the greater Maryland/Washington, D.C., metropolitan area recently organized and hosted their second annual Park n’ Praise event.
 The young congregants—representing the Seabrook, Metropolitan, Restoration Praise Center and Takoma Park (Md.) churches—host the event to provide food, clothing, toiletries, prayer and fellowship to 500 homeless individuals.—Story by Abby McPherson
More Than 600 Pathfinders Baptized at International Camporee
Hundreds of children aged 10 to 15 accepted the challenge to be “Forever Faithful” and got baptized at a campout August 11-16 attended by tens of thousands of Pathfinders in the state of Wisconsin.
The campout, held at an airfield in the city of Oshkosh every five years, brought together 44,000 people from North America and another 2,000 from 50 other countries. The event, themed “Forever Faithful,” focused on Daniel, with evening programs offering theatrical performances from the life of the biblical hero who rose from the lowly post of captured slave to Babylon’s prime minister thanks to his trust in God.—Story by Ansel Oliver, ANN, and Andrew McChesney, Adventist Review;
Photograph Courtesy Pennsylvania Conference
Pathfinders Touch Hearts, Help Community
On Thursday morning of the “Forever Faithful” International Camporee, more than 60 Pathfinders piled into a yellow bus, headed for the Salvation Army Community Center in Fond du Lac, Wis.
The outing was one of the many community service events planned during the camporee. But, at the Salvation Army Community Center, clubs from Colorado, Virginia and New York pulled weeds, cleaned windows, loaded boxes into trucks and packed lunches. The tasks may seem menial, but they mean a lot to the Salvation Army staff.
The Fredericksburg Patriots from Virginia unloaded a truck full of seasonal supplies for Michael Detert, thrift store manager, saving his staff almost two hours of work.— Story by V. Michelle Bernard
View our International Camporee Slideshow
The 2014 “Forever Faithful” International Pathfinder Camporee was full of spiritual renewal, community service, pin trading and fun. See a glimpse of the action in our Facebook slideshow.
Kettering's GospelFest Attracts 4,000
More than 4,000 recently attended Kettering Adventist HealthCare’s GospelFest, a free, Christian music festival that featured Sanctus Real, a Dove Award-winning Christian band, and 10 local church groups.
Jarrod McNaughton, a vice president at Kettering, says they have received a tremendous response from the event and hope to do it again in the future.
“Our goal was to bring the faith community together and celebrate our Christian mission of caring for our community as we celebrate our 50th anniversary,” says McNaughton.—Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Ghanaian Churches' Outreach Gets Results
The Ghanaian congregations in Cincinnati and Cleveland reached out to their respective communities with tangible results this summer. First, the youth in the Cincinnati Ghanaian church challenged their church to conduct a public evangelism campaign in one month.—Story by Heidi Shoemaker
27 Choose Baptism at Central Church's VBS
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is usually synonymous with fun. However, VBS organizers at Allegheny West Conference’s Central church in Columbus took the program to new heights this year. Angela Green, VBS director, started planning activities and building her staff months before the program, and John Boston, pastor, orchestrated Tract Attack, a plan to ensure the community knew about the program.—Story by Bryant Taylor
Erik Wangsness Named President of Washington Adventist Hospital
Erik Wangsness, currently the president/chief executive officer of Jellico Community Hospital in Tennessee, has been named the new president of Washington Adventist Hospital (WAH). He will officially begin his new role the week of September 22.
Wangsness joins WAH and Adventist HealthCare after serving more than three years as the leader of Jellico, part of the Florida-based Adventist Health System. He replaces Joyce Newmyer, who in June was named a regional president and CEO with Adventist Health in Portland, Ore.—Story by Adventist HealthCare Staff
Adventist Church's Anti-Abuse Initiative set for Sabbath
Seventh-day Adventist world church leaders are calling on all Adventist congregations to designate a portion of their August 23 church service to mark the EndItNow Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day.

The Adventist Church’s annual day of emphasis brings awareness to the issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse and other forms of mistreatment. Church leaders are also urging members and others in the community to sign an online petition for world leaders to endorse EndItNow as a global campaign.
Story by Ansel Oliver/ANN
SVA Principal Takes Bucket Challenge, Helps Support Adventist Education
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, has been making its way around local news stations, social media and finally hit Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) in New Market, Va. Roy Wu, an alumnus from the Class of 1993, challenged John Wagner, SVA principal, to dump a bucket of ice water on himself in support of ALS, (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and the SVA Alumni Association’s Open A Door student aid fund.
Wagner accepted and, after getting drenched, urged viewers to get involved with something like ALS and Open a Door because it is rewarding.
"The Bible says there is great reward for those who give to others, so I challenge you all to get involved,” he says.
 Click here to see the video of Wagner taking the challenge.
Should Christians Practice Yoga?
Yoga was born from Eastern meditation practices and comes with warnings to Christians. However, Faye Gregory, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor who is a member at Allegheny East Conference’s First church of Newtonville (N.J.), notes one benefit to seek elsewhere. “I’m big on breathing. We don’t breathe deeply and fully enough,” she says. Deep breathing oxygenates the bra and muscles and is a key component in de-stressing. But is it safe for Christians?—Story by Sherry English
Social Media Challenge
Tweet @visitornews a community service photo from church for a chance to win a Signs of the Times subscription.
Perspectives: Members Experience Transformation During Mexico Mission Trip
Emely Cruz, a member of the Pennsylvania Conference's Reading Shalom Hispanic church, reports, “While on this [mission] trip, I learned so much [from] preaching these sermons. Many were things that I already knew, but now I know how to support so many truths. This trip has really inspired me to work when I return home, and to encourage the youth to give Bible studies so that our church may also see growth.”
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