Writing and reporting by V. Michelle Bernard, Michele Joseph, Alan Hecht, Monte Sahlin, Kelly Butler Coe, Taashi Rowe and Laverne Henderson.
Many lifelong church members are unaware of the organizational structure and operations of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This article seeks to clarify the history, structure and role of the Columbia Union Conference and its members within the church.
Story by Evan Knott
Chesapeake Conference’s 2025 English Camp Meeting will take place June 17–21 at Highland View Academy in Hagerstown, Md., featuring keynote speakers John Bradshaw (left), president of It Is Written, and Eric Flickinger (below), associate speaker of It Is Written.
Summer camp season is about to start! Last summer, more than 600 campers attended at least one of Columbia Union Conference’s camps, where they spent time in nature, playing sports, doing crafts and learning about Jesus. Out of those attendees, 390 chose to follow Jesus.
Why do conferences and unions hold constituency meetings, and how do its members nominate and elect leaders? Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Conference executive secretary, explains the “nuts and bolts” of this in-depth process.
Today, in honor of the National Day of Prayer, Adventist HealthCare and WGTS 91.9 hosted a Prayer and Sticker Stop at Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Md.
White Oak Medical Center's Spiritual Care team and local clergy members led attendees in prayer and the hospital provided tips and recipes for healthy eating and provided free health screenings. WGTS staff shared station bumper stickers and encouragement to attendees as well.
In this video, Columbia Union Conference President Marcellus T. Robinson talks about the roles and functions of the Columbia Union.
See other May-June 2025 Visitor Articles
Editorial by Kelly Butler Coe
At worship on Monday mornings, our prayer and praise time with the office staff at the Columbia Union Conference is especially meaningful. Every week, I eagerly anticipate a praise report from Rubén Ramos, Columbia Union’s vice president for Multilingual Ministries. His eyes light up—beaming with warmth and joy—as he regularly recounts beautiful stories of people who have decided to give their lives to the Lord.
Story by Dilcia Flores
How do countries navigate our world in the digital age? That was the theme at the 7th annual Capital Model United Nations Conference (CAPITALMUN), held on the Campus of Washington Adventist University on March 30-31, 2025. Students from public and private high schools from Maryland (Takoma Academy, Spencerville Adventist Academy, Highland View Academy, Montgomery Blair High School), Virginia (Shenandoah Valley Academy), Pennsylvania (Pine Forge Academy), and North Carolina (Fletcher Academy) debated a range of global issues during the 2-day conference.
Photo by Katie Fellows, Lake Union Conference
Thirty-four teams from the Columbia Union Conference attended the North American Division's Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) last weekend. Out of those teams, 31 placed first.
Here are the placements:
Allegheny East Conference
Story by Simonique Dietz
Washington Adventist University (WAU) recently witnessed a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit during its inaugural Pentecost 2025 Tent Meeting, held last week on campus. Despite adverse weather conditions, the multi-day spiritual revival demonstrated the triumph of faith over fear and the reality of God’s miraculous intervention.