Ohio Conference

SVA’s Rwandan refugee students meet members of the police department who raised funds for their education.

Story by Vicki Swetnam

When Police Officer Tom Thompson heard about the 26 Rwandan refugee students attending Spring Valley Academy (SVA), he determined to raise money to help provide them with lunches, tuition and other expenses. He encouraged fellow officers at the Grandview, Ohio, police department to join him in a “no-shave” fundraiser challenge. They proudly presented a $3,000 check for the Rwandan students to Principal Darren Wilkins at a pizza party held at the school.

Members of the Fredericksburg Pathfinder Club participate in the Columbia Union Pathfinder Bible Experience

On Sabbath, 54 teams, comprised of at least 320 Pathfinders, gathered in Blue Mountain Academy’s gymnasium in Hamburg, Pa., to test their knowledge of the Bible during the Columbia Union Conference’s sixth Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE), a competition that tests participants Bible knowledge. So far it is the largest Columbia Union PBE event in the union.
 

Akron First Church, photo by Akron Adventist from Flickr

Story by Heidi Shoemaker

A series of regional town hall meetings are scheduled for delegates who will attend the 42nd Regular Constituency Meeting of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The purpose of these area meetings is to provide delegates an opportunity to hear and discuss reports on various aspects of conference operations and specific agenda items for the May 6 Constituency Meeting. All elected delegates are urged to attend at a location close to you. Email information@ohioadventist.org, or call (740) 397-4665 for more information. Additional information is available online at ohioadventist.org.

Story by Heidi Shoemaker
 
Last September Ron Halvorsen Jr, Ohio Conference president, spent more than a week in Ghana training 50 lay pastors and elders to preach. This month two Ohio Conference pastors, Ron Anderson (pictured with members in Ghana) and Tom Hughes, traveled to Ghana to begin meetings of their own as part of Pentecost 2018. Hughes recently spoke to 1,500 university students, 90 percent of whom were not Christians. He has reported dozens of decisions made for baptism.
 
"There have been 20 baptisms so far from Elder Anderson's meetings," shares Halvorsen. "Ron also helped train three theology majors from our university in Accra Ghana (Valley View University). God is good!"