Who We Are, How We Serve

The Columbia Union Conference coordinates the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s work in the Mid-Atlantic United States, where 150,000 members worship in 860 congregations. We provide administrative support to eight conferences; two healthcare networks; 81 early childhood, elementary and secondary schools; a liberal arts university; a health sciences college; a 49 community services centers; 8 camps; 5 book and health food stores and a radio station.

Mission Values Priorities

We Believe

God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one,
all-knowing yet all-forgiving.

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Amish Fact or Fiction

Image by Michael F McElroy

Story by Hannah Luttrell and V. Michelle Bernard

Background

The Amish originated from the Anabaptists. The word “ana” is Greek for “again,” and the Anabaptists rejected the infant baptism that many of them had been subjected to, believing instead that the only valid baptism was one that was freely chosen after confessing belief in Jesus. Menno Simons was a former Catholic priest who embraced Anabaptism in the 1500s and became a prominent leader, with his followers becoming known as Mennonites rather than Anabaptists.

In 1693, there was a split after a prominent leader, Jakob Ammann, advocated greater separation from the world and stricter discipline with the shunning of disobedient members. His followers became known as the Amish. Later, schisms led to groups like the Old Order Amish and New Order Amish.

CURF to Return $3.2 Million to Conferences for Ministry

Candace Nurse hands Victor Zill, treasurer of the Mountain View Conference, a check.

Story by Celeste Ryan Blyden

Twenty years ago, the eight conferences within the Columbia Union Conference provided significant funds to help meet a new North American Division (NAD) policy that revolving funds across the division should maintain a minimum of 25 percent of their monies in capital reserves. Now that the Columbia Union Revolving Fund (CURF) has met and maintained that requirement for many years, the administration will return those funds to the conferences. The funds will total about $3.2 million, says Emmanuel Asiedu, union treasurer.