This Month's Issue

Story by Daniel Granderson / Image by Mars P on Flickr

The four pillars of STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—already shape nearly every aspect of our lives, and Adventist educational leaders, if interested in staying relevant in a business-minded world, must embrace its effects. It’s becoming clear that American business leaders of tomorrow are the STEM students of today.

Story by Daniel Granderson / Images by iStock

Jesus came not just to preach, but also to teach. Is it any wonder then that He was referred to by His followers as rabbi (teacher)? He held class on the mount and in fishing boats. Wherever there were ears to hear, He saw opportunities to educate.

Today there are more than 1.8 million pairs of ears still receiving the teachings of Christ through the schools, colleges and universities the Seventh-day Adventist Church operates worldwide. These modern teachers develop not only the intellect, but also the spirit, allowing the ministry to live on beyond the pulpit. In these schools, there is no ministry without education. The two are twin branches growing together on the same gospel tree.

Story by Edwin Manuel Garcia

The worldwide refugee crisis is prompting the United States to open its immigration doors to a larger number of people from regions in turmoil. According to the United States Department of State, nearly 70,000 refugees came to the U.S. last year—the world’s top resettlement location—yet recent political instability in Asia, Central America, the Middle East and Africa will boost admissions to 85,000 this year and 100,000 in 2017.

This dramatic increase will undoubtedly enhance the chances that families fleeing persecution may move into our communities in the near future. How should Seventh-day Adventists respond when refugees from Syria, Burma, Iraq, Honduras, Guatemala and other nations become our neighbors?

We found nine amazing ACS volunteers—including a trio of motorcycle “ministers”—who go the extra mile year-round to help those in need in their mid-Atlantic neighborhoods.

Story by Mark Tyler

Eight women gathered for a prayer group in Battle Creek, Mich., more than 140 years ago with a central idea: the church should provide food and clothing to needy families, minister to the sick and care for the fatherless and widows. Born from that 1874 meeting came the Dorcas Society, an association of female members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that grew to assist countless people in need throughout North America and beyond.

“Those volunteers did such amazing work that almost anywhere in the world, even today, people remember the selfless women of the Dorcas Society,” explains Minnie McNeil, Adventist Community Services (ACS) coordinator for the Columbia Union Conference and director for the Allegheny East Conference.

Today the work of those service-minded ladies continues through ACS, and has expanded to include men, teens and whole families who volunteer together to extend God’s love to others. The Columbia Union is currently home to 14 official ACS centers run by Adventist members who dedicate their time to spread Jesus’ love in ways the early Dorcas ladies may have only imagined.