This Month's Issue

In a world that can often feel lonely or uncertain, many long for the assurance that we are never alone. Here, we share stories of those who found a welcoming spiritual home.

Story by Amanda Blake

Romita Mandal had known Mr. Matthie for more than a decade. He’d been her elementary and middle school strings director, and, when she reached high school, her private violin instructor.

“Sometimes, we wouldn’t unpack the violin,” she shares. “Sometimes, I would just have a breakdown on the couch, and he would help me and be a mentor.”

Illustration by Brooklyne Nickell

Thanksgiving and Christmas are awesome times to celebrate with family and friends! Many churches like to decorate, distribute food baskets and remember Jesus’ birth.

You can also help families all over the world by sponsoring gifts from ADRA’s 2025 Gift Catalog at giftcatalog.adra.org!

Check out the scene below, and see if you can find these hidden items inspired by gifts in the catalog: Blanket, Baby Chick, Goat, Honeybee, Seed packets, Water Bucket

The Association of Adventist Women (AAW) recently awarded Griselda Jobe the 2025 Junia Award for pioneering work in rural pastoral ministry. She is the lead pastor of Potomac Conference’s Martinsville and Piney Forest churches in Virginia.

“Griselda Jobe received the Junia Award for pioneering work as one of a few ordained female lead pastors in a rural multi-church district in the North American Division,” states Nerida Bates, president of AAW.

Columbia Union Conference’s Office of Multilingual Ministries recently helped facilitate the distribution of 152,849 books to conferences in the Columbia Union.

The 15,520 small Bibles, 86,400 Steps to Christ in Spanish, 50,600 Steps to Christ in English and 329 family Bibles books were distributed to pastors, who then shared them with church and community members.

Story by Shannon Kelly 

After nearly two decades of service to the Columbia Union Conference as vice president for Ministries Development, and 43 years of full-time ministry, Frank Bondurant retired in November. 

Bondurant, a leader, pastor and mentor, was introduced to Adventism and God by his grandmother.