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March 28, 2023
For Immediate Release

Statement From the Columbia Union Conference Regarding Allegations at Kettering Health

The Columbia Union Conference is aware and takes seriously allegations of inappropriate fiscal and operational management at Kettering Health, a nonprofit health care organization sponsored by the Columbia Union. 

The allegations are currently being investigated by an external firm retained by the Kettering Health Board to conduct a thorough and independent examination.  

Lauri and Joe Nichols came to know Christ as a result of Rachel Velez (center), a 14-year-old who couldn't hide her love for Jesus.

Story by Liz Bailey

Fourteen-year-old Rachel Velez became friends with her public school teacher Lauri Nichols during their private tutoring sessions. As they met each week, Velez could not hide her love for Jesus, often talking to her teacher about God. One day, Velez invited Nichols and her husband, Joe, to church to hear her sing special music.

Xavier Smet/Unsplash

Editorial by Jerry Lutz

It is remarkable to see how God can use the least likely people to do amazing things. For example, take the apostles Peter and John. The New Testament reveals enough about their personal lives from before they knew Jesus to all but guarantee they’d be overlooked as candidates for discipleship, let alone commissioned for key leadership in His church. While these Galilean fishermen were indeed colorful individuals with as coarse and unrefined characters as they come, Jesus sdaw in them what others did not: Potential. And what potential there was!

Chad Stuart and Frank Hasel host Spencerville Adventist Churches Biblical Perspectives

Story by Spencerville Church Staff

Seventh-day Adventists have a “high” view of Scripture. We find the Bible an invaluable resource for knowing God's character as we as His plan for our lives. The Biblical Perspectives series seeks to bring our audience into a conversation on timely, relevant topics between a local church pastor, Pastor Chad Stuart, and a highly-educated theologian, Dr. Frank M. Hasel.

concert including harp, flute, percussion and piano. Upon arriving at RingFest, Shenandoah Valley Academy students were challenged by two days of intense practice.

Story by Daniel Biaggi

Experiencing long-held Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) traditions with students is an uplifting experience. One tradition students look forward to—for more than 20 years now—is the handbell RingFest held in Toledo, Ohio.

Story by Debra Anderson

Church revitalization is the process of leading a dying church back to a healthy state. Many churches are not only dealing with empty seats but also experiencing congregants losing interest in church life and growth. Recognizing this need for an infusion of new energy and vision, the Potomac Conference recently transitioned Paul Graham to serve as assistant to the vice president for Pastoral Ministries for Revitalization. Graham, who most recently served the conference as the associate Ministerial director of the North, will be assisting churches that are suffering from a lack of vision and growth to identify and rectify their deficits. It’s a process that sometimes may take months, and, in some situations, years, Graham says.

The Memorial Service for Dr. William G. Johnsson, scholar, professor, writer, advocate, and former editor of the Adventist Review, will be held on March 25, 2023, 6:00 PM PDT, at Crosswalk Church in Redlands, Calif., 10421 Corporate Dr, Redlands, CA 92374.

The service will be streamed live from https://crosswalkvillage.com/memorial.

A full obituary, and the means to share a note in memory of Johnsson, may be found at legcy.co/3TxNHLX  The messages that are shared on this page will be read and cherished by Johnsson family.

Story by Ohio Conference Staff

The Ohio Conference office team bids farewell to Edward and Mariya Marton and Kasper Haughton Jr., and welcomes Joseph Ottinger.

Edward served 14 years in Ohio as a senior pastor and another seven years

as the conference’s youth director. His next assignment will be with the Kentucky- Tennessee Conference as youth director and as summer camp director for Indian Creek Camp (Tenn.).

Mariya will also serve the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference as the associate youth director. Over the decades, she ministered in Ohio as a chaplain for Kettering Health, a senior pastor, and as associate youth director for the conference.