Story by John Boston / Originally published on nadchurchplant.org

“If the church only serves its members it’s not a church, it’s a club.” This is a statement that drives my leadership and all of the initiatives of our local church. At the church I serve we have been working hard on making sure we serve with Matthew 25 in mind. One of those points in particular is “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matt. 25:36 There are probably hundreds of prison ministry initiatives in North America but I don’t think there are any like the one we have seen God build in Columbus, Ohio.

A modest 20-30 inmates attended my first visit to one of the correctional institutions in mid-Ohio. I was curious if there was a limit on how many could attend and when I found out there was none my curiosity went in another direction. If every inmate can come to a Bible study or worship experience in the prison, then why didn’t they come? I began to inquire about the timing and format until I concluded that we could make some adjustments that would change the way we engaged the prison population.

Each weekend and on Wednesdays we brought in children from around our city for a hot meal and positive programming. Many of them had adults in their lives that were incarcerated. I knew that if we could somehow close and stand in the gap we could really make a difference in their lives. The food and the visitation just wasn’t enough. If it were really powerful I believed that the whole prison would be talking about it and we’d get droves of people pressing in to hear the Word of God.

My prayer was simple: Lord, show me how to win the hearts of these families for your Kingdom. God began to speak to me and to the leaders of the Allegheny West Conference's Central church and we moved forward in faith. We decided that every guest speaker that would come to Central would also have to go to the prison and deliver a message. In many instances the guest speakers would go to two prisons in a single weekend. Not one of them ever came out without saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” We were on to something, but we weren’t there yet.

I registered for the CALLED convention and received an email about a “Shark Tank” ministry funding opportunity. In faith the church paid for our Prison Ministry leader to fly to Texas and meet me in Austin to present. At the end of the night when the judges announced that we were the $20,000.00 winners, it was confirmation that God was about to do something with our ministry that we had praying for all along.

When the state firector for the Department of Corrections wrote to congratulate us on our win via Facebook I jumped at the opportunity to make a request. I asked for more creative freedom to serve and he identified the platform for us to move forward with our plans. We realized we had to do things differently if we wanted to reach the thousands of inmates that didn’t even know we were available to them. We started doing more than just scheduling preachers. We would take our praise teams and band and choir members as well as our special musical guests. We started planning for our prison ministry with as much energy as we were putting into our Sabbath worship experience at the church. Things began to shift. Where we saw 20-30 we now saw 200-300 but it still wasn’t enough. What about all of the others?

We met with the chaplain of the women’s prison and the warden and proposed to partner with them on programming other than worship. We offered to provide facilitators for parenting and we chose to use Ellen White's Adventist Home and Child Guidance books as textbooks. We offered to facilitate group life skills programming and we opted to use Mind, Character and Personality. We tapped into resources that typically sit on shelves collecting dust in our churches and to the inmates and the prison system it was like striking gold in a deep, dark mine.

Inmates began writing letters. We had our "Sensational Seniors" and children write them back with prayers. We made sure every inmate had a Bible. We began receiving visits from recently released individuals and they would not come alone. One week two gentlemen and their families walked into church and before I got up to preach I received a note, “Pastor, the two men that just came in a little bit ago were released from prison recently and they brought their families with them.” I would be at dinner with friends and people would come up to me and say, “Pastor, I know you don’t remember me but I was at the prison and your church helped me get my life together.” These powerful encounters have been happening more and more and I recognize that God has been orchestrating something special.

In our preparation for a powerful move of God in the prison, our church began to change. Children and adults began to visit our services because their loved ones on the inside wrote them or called them to tell them about the revival that was taking place in the prison with our ministry. Even recently I received a long email from a mother whose son will spend the next 20 years in prison here. She wrote to let me know that we are making a difference in his life and she wanted to express her gratitude for the work of the Holy Spirit through us.

On any given Sabbath we have four worship services. Three are on our main campus at the church and one is in the prison. When we show up for worship at the prison, now we have 600-700 people in attendance. Some weekends those that work there come in even on their days off because they want to be a part of what’s taking place. It is a powerful experience and it all started because we wanted to reach people that are often considered unreachable.

I am often asked how we are able to get so many people to come to a prison ministry like this and I don’t have most of the answers but I do have these:

1. Ask God to show you how to change everything you are doing that doesn’t work and do it HIS way.

2. Put as much energy in planning your prison ministry as you do your church ministry. In time the inmates will seem more like members than prisoners.

3. Do not allow your guest musicians or preachers feel that church is their main priority. Make sure you schedule your guests with the prison ministry in mind.

We have brought in celebrities and world class instrumentalists, vocalists, preaches and lecturers. All of this communicates a single message: You are important to us! Isn’t that exactly what Christ communicated to His followers?

I can’t tell you how many tears have been shed by our team and our guests but this process doesn’t just change the inmates, it changes us. One of the most unbelievable moments I’ve had at the prison happened after I went in to visit after I was in a horrific, nearly fatal car accident. As I walked up to the gymnasium it was silent until I opened the door and stepped inside. The whole place burst into applause and cheers and I stood there overwhelmed with emotion. One of the officials went to the mic and said, “Pastor Boston, when we saw your accident on the news we called the prison together in this place and we all prayed over you. Seeing you stand here today gives us all hope because you are an answer to our prayers.” Even as I write this article I am in tears over the love they showed towards me. When the Lord returns I want to know that I led my church to be a part of this sacred work so that He will find us faithful in the end.

We have reached thousands of people connected to the prison system with the good news of Christ’s love and His soon coming just because we dared to do something differently. I believe that in time we will become the spiritual leaders of the entire prison system in the state. Until that time comes we will keep pressing forward and trusting that God will always make a way for us to do amazing things if we just step out to serve others and not ourselves. I would like to challenge you to go back to your board and ministry leaders and ask them, “What do we need to do to change the game?” Everywhere Jesus went throngs of people were touched by His ministry. I don’t think we are hitting the mark if people are not drawn to our work for the Lord. Our lives in Columbus will not be the same because of this work. The moment things changed here happened when we stopped working on “us” and started working for those that were not in our pews. The tithe and offering will come. The attendance will come. The laborers will come. These things will come but first, you must GO!

John Boston is the lead pastor of Columbus Central church.

Story by Bryant Smith

Allegheny West Conference's Shiloh church in Cincinnati, recently celebrated its 103rd anniversary with a special homecoming week. The theme was: “Empowering Disciples—the Call to Serve.” Every aspect of the event glori ed God for leading the congregation to disciple and be disci- pled in the city of Cincinnati.

Story by Tamaria Kulemeka

Large Doses of Love

Natisha Hughes (pictured) used to spend a lot of time on the corner of Sullivant and Burgess avenues outside the Hilltop Community Worship Center in Columbus. 

“I used to prostitute in front of the church because that’s the corner the girls stand at—either this corner or a block or two away,” she says.

Hughes knows all too well the struggles and effects of living on the street. The 31-year-old mother of five says she not only prostituted, but also used “a lot of drugs,” including heroine. 

One night in November, a feeling of desperation led Hughes to reluctantly accept an invitation from Hilltop member Kimberly Holt, who invited her inside for soup and sandwiches. Hughes had not stepped in a church in more than a decade. “I used to pray by myself, but going inside a church? No, you get judged on appearance,” she says.

That night something compelled Hughes to venture from her soup and sandwich in the fellowship hall, to the sanctuary where she could hear preaching. After leaving the service, she couldn’t shake the feeling from listening to the sermon. I have to go back to that church, she told herself.

In the midst of going about her regular routine and being “sick” from her heroine addiction, Hughes continued attending the evangelistic effort. One member in particular, Shryiell Owens, latched on to her, and that meant a lot, she says. On November 16, Hughes was baptized into the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) church and started her journey of recovery.

“More people need to do what we’re doing—this church here; I am at home,” says Hughes.

Read how churches in Baltimore are sharing tangible touches of God.

Having Hughes take her stand, and efforts to reach other women like her, has ignited a fire in the Hilltop congregation, says Pastor Jason Ridley. “When I came to Hilltop four years ago, one of the first things I said was, ‘I don’t see myself as just pastor of the church but as pastor of the community,’ but I had no idea how that would manifest itself,” he notes.

A series of rapes in the community, including one in the alley behind the church, and a police sweep where they arrested more than 80 prostitutes greatly concerned the members. “When I heard those numbers, it blew my mind, and I knew that the issue was great,” Ridley says. 

These events, coupled with the efforts of another Hilltop member, Diane McAllister, have stirred the entire church. McAllister’s encounter with a prostitute outside the church one Wednesday night in August inspired her to deliver sack lunches in the community every Sabbath.

“The people are in need of large doses of love on the West Side,” says McAllister. “If we have that and can give that, I believe God will be pleased because that is what’s lacking.”

Plans are in the works for Hilltop to open a recovery center so these women, and others, have a fighting chance to kick addictions and strongholds and get back on their feet, says Ridley.

Tearing Down Walls

Joseph Simmons, a member of another AWC church, Columbus Central, was taken aback when an inmate’s letter was shared with the congregation.

She said she was in a depressive state when we came and ministered, and some way or another, she felt moved to come to [our prison worship service] to interact with others,” Simmons says. 

This encounter is just one of many motivating Simmons (pictured right with Pastor John Boston) and the Prison Ministries team at Central to visit men’s and women’s prisons weekly. There are 600 to 700 inmates, including 250 to 300 women, who attend worship services. “They are so involved and sincerely moved to tears; its encouraged me to know this ministry is effective and really inspiring [people] to follow Jesus Christ,” says Simmons.

An inmate Simmons visited in December relayed to him how “glad” he was to see the team, especially since he doesn’t get to see his family. The inmate told Simmons how he had attempted suicide many times, but that something was different about his life since attending Central’s prison services.

“He said he’d heard things about Jesus, but didn’t really know who He was,” Simmons says. “He said, ‘Hey, I’m never getting out of here, but knowing this is not the end, that it’s just temporary, and there’s going to be a new heaven and a new earth, that’s something to look forward to.’”

The work being done outside the walls of Central and Hilltop cannot help but have a ripple effect across the board, says William T. Cox Sr., AWC president. “They are modeling it to the community, but also modeling it to other churches in the Allegheny West Conference.”

Cox says community leaders are now calling on John T. Boston, II, senior pastor of Columbus Central, and Ridley to help them make inroads in the community and seeking insight on how they are responding to issues in their areas, as well as visiting the churches and using the venues as a forum to reach residents. This speaks volumes, he says, and helps tear down the isolationist label that has plagued the Seventh-day Adventist Church for many years.

Read and share these stories from the April Visitor:

• Editorial: What a Difference a Year Makes
• Tangible Touches of God in Baltimore
• Tangible Touches of God in Columbus
• 10 Ways to Make an Impact on Your Community
• Psalm 22: The Psalm for the Cross
• Book Release: Grace Outlet
• Book Release: Never Lose Hope

"Some of the tension that exists, exists because the peacemakers aren't providing the platforms for the conversations," said John T. Boston, II, lead pastor at Allegheny West Conference's Central church in Columbus, Ohio.

Watch Boston's entire talk on racism and religion at Ohio Conference's Kettering church in Dayton.

Taboo2Tuesday: Racism from Kettering SDA Church on Vimeo.

Read and share these stories from the April Visitor:

• Editorial: What a Difference a Year Makes
• Tangible Touches of God in Baltimore
• Tangible Touches of God in Columbus
• 10 Ways to Make an Impact on Your Community
• Psalm 22: The Psalm for the Cross
• Book Release: Grace Outlet
• Book Release: Never Lose Hope

Story by Bryant Smith

One hundred years ago, the world was much different than it is today. The Temple Emmanuel church in Youngstown, Ohio, however, remains a constant force for good. The church was organized in 1917, first meeting in homes, later at a YMCA, then at a rented facility and finally in their own church building. The members of Temple Emmanuel enjoy a rich history of God’s faithfulness and blessings.

To launch their 100th anniversary month, special guest speakers were scheduled each Sabbath in January, including William T. Cox Sr., Allegheny West Conference president, and former presidents James Lewis and Henry Wright, who concluded the series and commemorated this milestone. “One hundred years is something to be incredibly proud of,” preached Wright.

Story by Bryant Smith

Allegheny West Conference recently held its 17th Annual Constituency Meeting with 300+ delegates from the following states of Ohio, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

In favor with the majority, William T. Cox (President), Marvin C. Brown (Secretary), and H. Candance Nurse (Treasurer) were re-elected for another term. President Cox mentioned how blessed he was to have formed a bond with his team and thanked every delegate who attended and made this possible. 

“We have a high level of "Ministry Beyond the Walls" taking place throughout the conference,” says Cox. Churches from around Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Virginia and their ministry initiatives for providing education and housing and sssistance to young women and the homeless.

Jason Ridley, pastor of the Columbus Hilltop church in Columbus, was also voted in as the new youth director of the conference.

It's camp meeting season! Get information on the Columbia Union Conference camp meetings here!

(Also, be on the lookout for the Columbia Union Visitor Snapchat filter on the first (or only) Sabbaths at your local camp meeting!)

Allegheny East Conference
June 22-July 2: Allegheny East Camp Meeting, Pine Forge Academy, Pine Forge, Pa. (livestream link)

Allegheny West Conference
June 15-25: Allegheny West Camp Meeting, AWC Campgrounds, Thornville, Ohio (livestream link)

Chesapeake Conference
June 9-11: Hispanic Camp Meeting, Highland View Academy, Hagerstown, Md.
June 13-17: Chesapeake Camp Meeting, Highland View Academy (livestream link)

Mountain View Conference
June 16-June 24: Mountain View Conference Camp Meeting, Valley Vista Camp, Elkins, W.Va.

New Jersey Conference
July 24: New Jersey Conference Camp Meeting, Theatre Ritz, Elizabeth, N.J.

Ohio Conference
June 3: Ohio Conference, Camp Mohaven, Danville, Ohio

Pennsylvania Conference
June 3-4: Hispanic Camp Meeting, Blue Mountain Academy, Hamburg, Pa.
June 10-17: Pennsylvania Camp Meeting, Blue Mountain Academy
(livestream link)
June 17: Haitian Camp Meeting, Blue Mountain Academy

Potomac Conference
June 9-11: Southern Region Camp Meeting, Camp HopeTree, Blue Ridge Va.
June 17: Northern Region Camp Meeting, Hylton Memorial Chapel, Woodbridge, Va.
June 23-24: Hispanic Camp Meeting, APG Federal Credit Union Arena, Bel Air, Md.

Story by Pam Humphrey | Photo by Steven Mastroianni

The idea for the Allegheny West Conference (AWC) Young Adult Retreat was birthed in the backseat of Jerome and Carolyn Hurst’s car. During a two-and-a-half-hour ride home from the conference constituency meeting, Charde (Hurst) Hollins, a recent college graduate, and her parents bounced ideas back and forth, as she wrote them down on a stray piece of paper and pen from the bottom of her mother’s purse.

Five years later, those sketchy notes have blossomed into the AWC Young Adult Retreat, an annual meeting where approximately 300 young adults are inspired to know and serve God in a deeper way, Jerome says.

Impacting the lives of young adults and “seeing them on fire for God” is the focus of Hollins’ work today as AWC Young Adult Ministries director. Her love for making a difference in others’ lives was inspired by her parents and extended family, especially her father, who also works for the conference as a pastor of the Southeast church in Cleveland and director of AWC Adventist Community Services. “Ministry has always been a part of our family,” says Jerome. 

Hollins says that car ride five years ago triggered memories of traveling to workers’ meetings, youth federations and weekly trips to church, centered around her father’s ministry in which the family brainstormed what they could do to enhance the church. “But this car ride was different,” says Hollins. “This time it was my ministry that was the focus, and the ‘car ride meeting’ was to enhance my passion.”

Lesson Learned: I can be free to minister to others based on how God leads me.—Charde Hollins 

Story by Bryant Smith

As Allegheny West Conference (AWC) celebrates its 50th anniversary, Pastor Carl Rogers, who has dedicated 50 years of service to the church, also has cause for celebration—he recently retired.

In 1967 Rogers graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Oakwood College (Ala.), and in 1969 received his Master of Divinity in Theology from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University (Mich.). Rogers and his wife of 53 years, Tecora, have since served in every corner of AWC.

Rogers began his work as a pastor and evangelist, and for 14 years ministered in multiple churches throughout Delaware, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He went on to serve at the departmental level for 20 years. Rogers shouldered a variety of responsibilities as either director or assistant director for ministries including Adventurers, Pathfinders, Summer Camp, Sabbath School, Health Ministries, Family Ministries, Sensational Seniors and others.

During the final 18 years of his career, Rogers served in multiple administrative roles, including executive secretary, assistant to the president and ministerial secretary. In 2014 the Columbia Union Conference paid tribute to his remarkable lifetime of service to AWC by recognizing him as a Notable Person of Honor.

William T. Cox Sr., president of AWC, remarks, “[Carl Rogers] has helped the conference grow in immeasurable ways and continues to inspire and be an influence for the kingdom of God. His service will never be forgotten, as the conference moves toward Christ’s soon return.” 

William T. Cox Sr., President of the Allegheny West Conference; William Miller, President of the Potomac Conference; and Dave Weigley, President of the Columbia Union Conference, release the following joint statement regarding the unrest in Charlottesville, Va.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Heather Heyer and Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M. M. Bates of the Virginia State Police, who lost their lives on Saturday, August 12, during the violent uprising in Charlottesville, Va. We’re also praying for healing for all who were injured and impacted.

“As a church, we abhor evil and stand against individuals and organizations who perpetuate hatred, violence and discrimination. God calls each of us to love, to be compassionate and to show mercy to all people no matter their race or gender. We honor that call and stand in solidarity with those who seek peace and justice. We pledge to do everything in our power to end the scourge of racism, sexism and discrimination whenever and wherever we see it.

“In the spirit of unity and solidarity, we will join with our four area Seventh-day Adventist churches—Bethany, Central Hispanic, Charlottesville and Charlottesville Spanish—to pray for the victims, their families and the community. This rally will be held at the Freedom of Speech Wall, 605 East Main Street, in downtown Charlottesville on Sabbath afternoon, August 19, at 1:42 p.m., the time a car plowed into the crowd killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others.

“The purpose of the rally is to demonstrate Christ’s love and bring healing to this hurting community. We invite you to join us in a season of prayer for peace at the time of the incident—in Charlottesville or wherever you may be.”

                                                                              ###

Click here to read the statement in Spanish.

William T. Cox Sr., Presidente de la Conferencia de Allegheny West; William Miller, Presidente de la Conferencia de Potomac; y Dave Weigley, Presidente de la Unión de Columbia, publican la siguiente declaración conjunta sobre los disturbios en Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Nuestros pensamientos y oraciones están con las familias de Heather Heyer, el Teniente H. Jay Cullen y el Soldado Piloto Berke MM Bates de la Policía Estatal de Virginia, quienes perdieron la vida el sábado 12 de agosto en el violento levantamiento en Charlottesville, Virginia. También estamos orando por sanidad para todos los que fueron heridos e impactados.

“Como iglesia, aborrecemos el mal y nos enfrentamos a individuos y organizaciones que perpetúan el odio, la violencia y la discriminación. Dios llama a cada uno de nosotros al amor, a la compasión y a la misericordia de todas las personas sin importar su raza o género. Honramos ese llamado y nos solidarizamos con aquellos que buscan la paz y la justicia. Nos comprometemos a hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para poner fin al flagelo del racismo, el sexismo y la discriminación en todo momento y dondequiera lo veamos.

“En el espíritu de unidad y solidaridad, nos uniremos a nuestras cuatro iglesias adventistas del séptimo día: Bethany, Central Hispanic, Charlottesville y Charlottesville Spanish para orar por las víctimas, sus familias y la comunidad. La reunión se llevará a cabo en el Freedom of Speech Wall (La Pared de la Libertad de Expresión), ubicada en 605 East Main Street, en el centro de Charlottesville, la tarde del sábado 19 de agosto, a la 1:42 p.m., simbólicamente a la misma hora en la que un automóvil arrolló a la multitud de manifestantes matando a Heather Heyer e hiriendo a otros 19.

“El propósito de la reunión es demostrar el amor de Cristo y traer sanidad a esta comunidad herida. Le invitamos a unirse a nosotros en oración por la paz, a la hora del incidente, en Charlottesville o donde quiera que se encuentre.”

                                                                               ###

Story by Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Visitor; Photos by Brian Patrick Tagalog

In the wake of the violent Charlottesville attack that left a family grieving, 19 others injured and a city in shock, Seventh-day Adventist worshippers made their way to the downtown promenade where residents and visitors gathered to post messages of comfort, love and hope on giant chalkboards erected in the town square.

In front of a large chalk sketch of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who died after being struck by a car that plowed into a crowd protesting a white nationalist rally in her city, church members and leaders prayed and placed red roses and a handmade prayer chain for her family. Then, they headed to 4th Street where they planned to sing, pray and recite “The Lord’s Prayer.”

“We planned everything so carefully, including to meet at the site where Heather was hit at the exact time of the incident, 1:42 p.m., and offer prayers for all who were impacted,” says Debra Anderson, communication director for Potomac Conference, who spearheaded the Adventist response. “What we didn’t plan is what happened next.”

As they rounded the corner onto 4th Street, someone spotted Susan Bro, her husband and the young adults they’d asked to lead them to the site where their daughter was killed (pictured). In silence the group watched and waited, wanting to give the family privacy.

When Susan noticed the group, many donning red clothing, she beckoned them. “It’s ok, you can come closer,” she said. “I probably need you right now.”

It had only been a week since her daughter died.

Claudia Pretell from Charlottesville Spanish church hugs Susan Bro.

Without hesitation, they descended on the couple enveloping them with hugs and words of comfort and encouragement. “We love you,” someone said. “We’re so sorry about Heather,” someone else said. “Do you need anything?” asked another. The crowd grew as Adventists, city residents and visitors from far and near surrounded the couple. Then, someone started singing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. (Watch a video of the song here.)”

“Can we pray for you?” asked Daniel Xisto, pastor of Potomac’s Charlottesville church. With consent, he lifted his bullhorn and prayed so the crowd could hear: “We thank you, Lord, that … love is stronger than hate. … At this moment, we just want to bring healing down upon this family. Lord, they have lost such a bright light. And I pray that You’ll be with them … comforting and strengthening them in the days and weeks ahead. … Bring healing into this place, bring healing into our hearts. …”

After leading the group in reciting “The Lord’s Prayer” and more singing, and as more and more people gathered to hug the couple and share words of solace, the Adventist group moved aside.  

“AS A CHURCH, WE NEED TO RESPOND"

The need to come together compelled leaders from the Allegheny West and Potomac conferences, which have four churches and more than 250 members in Charlottesville, to collaborate with the Columbia Union in releasing a statement and planning a trifecta of unity—a joint Sabbath worship service, prayer rally and potluck.

“As a church, we abhor evil and stand against individuals and organizations who perpetuate hatred, violence and discrimination,” they said in a statement released August 15. “God calls each of us to love, to be compassionate and to show mercy to all people no matter their race or gender. We honor that call and stand in solidarity with those who seek peace and justice. We pledge to do everything in our power to end the scourge of racism, sexism and discrimination whenever and wherever we see it.” (Read the entire statement in English or Spanish.)

On Sabbath morning, members from all four churches gathered at Allegheny West’s Bethany church and despite the record heat index, marched three-quarters of a mile to Potomac’s Charlottesville church singing and chanting “Love Wins.”

Clad in red and using a bullhorn, pastors Nathaniel Drew of Bethany church and Daniel Xisto of Charlottesville church, lead the way to a joint worship service that drew nearly 200 attendees.

During the worship service that followed, each speaker echoed the sentiment, calling for love and unity to prevail. “When they speak hate, we’re going to speak love even louder,” said Bethany pastor Nathaniel Drew.

“What you’re seeing on TV, that is not who we are,” said Charlottesville’s vice mayor Wes Bellamy. “Now, more than ever, we are unified, stronger together and more than willing to deal with and address our issues, not in our own silos, but collectively.”

William Miller (pictured top, center), president of Potomac, which has two churches in Charlottesville, explained why he wanted to participate. “As the church, we need to respond,” he said. “This happened on our watch. This happened in our lifetime.”

His counterpart, William T. Cox Sr. (pictured top, right), president of Allegheny West, which also has two churches in the city, agreed. “I am assured of the fact when we pull together, God will heal all of our wounds. … Trouble will not last always. God has put an expiration date on hatred, on fear, on prejudice. God has put an expiration date on death and dying.”

Jose Cortes Jr, an associate ministerial director of the North American Division, and Celeste Ryan Blyden, a vice president at the Columbia Union Conference, lead worshippers in a prayer of commitment during the August 19 joint worship service in Charlottesville, Va. (Read the full prayer.)

Fernando Muller, who pastors AWC’s Central Hispanic congregation, shared one more reason for the turnout: “When we started talking about coming together today, there is one word in the Bible that started resonating with me: That word is compassion,” he said, drawing a chorus of “Amens” from the worshippers. “I hope that today we can show compassion because that’s the reason God created the church, to show compassion in this moment.”

Story by Allegheny West Conference Staff

Three years ago, Cincinnati had only one Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist church and one small group. Today Allegheny West Conference (AWC) has five thriving Hispanic churches and two church plants in the city that are about to open. Ohio Conference also has one church plant.

“Those that have accepted the call of Jesus to preach and evangelize the city are taking it seriously and find every opportunity they have to witness about Jesus ... in a personal and appealing way, through small groups or public evangelism,” says Sergio Romero, director of AWC’s Multilingual Ministries.

Pastor Horacio Quiroga and his wife, Ivana, minister to AWC’s Iglesia Central de Cincinnati, El Buen Pastor, La Esperanza, Pan de Vida and Cristo Viene churches. Pastor Joel Gonzalez and his wife, Isis, recently joined the pastoral team in the area. Joel has already preached at a week of evangelism for the youth. At the close of the event, 10 people chose to be baptized, bringing the total of new members since September to 50.

When asked how he can work with five churches, Horacio says “I don’t think about the amount of churches, but the amount of people [who] don’t know Jesus as their personal Savior; we have an excellent opportunity to reach more people in more ways.”

Historia depastor de la Conferencia de Allegheny West

Hace tres años, Cincinnati sólo tenía una iglesia adventista del séptimo día y un grupo pequeño. Hoy la Conferencia de Allegheny West (AWC) tiene cinco prósperas iglesias hispanas y dos a punto de abrirse. La Conferencia de Ohio también está plantando una iglesia allí.

"Aquellos que han aceptado el llamado de Jesús a predicar y evangelizar la ciudad lo toman en serio y encuentran cada oportunidad que tienen de testimoniar sobre Jesús ... de manera personal y atractiva, a través de grupos pequeños o evangelismo público", dice Sergio Romero, director de Ministerios Multilingües de AWC.

El pastor Horacio Quiroga y su esposa, Ivana, trabajan en las iglesias: Central de Cincinnati, El Buen Pastor, La Esperanza, Pan de Vida y Cristo Viene. El pastor Joel González y su esposa, Isis, se unieron recientemente al equipo pastoral de la zona. Joel ya ha predicado en una semana de evangelismo para los jóvenes. Al final del evento, 10 personas eligieron ser bautizadas, y son 50 los nuevos miembros a desde de septiembre.

Cuando se le pregunta cómo puede trabajar con cinco iglesias, Horacio dice: "No pienso en la cantidad de iglesias, sino en la cantidad de gente que no conoce a Jesús como su Salvador personal; tenemos una excelente oportunidad para llegar a más gente de muchas maneras".

Story by Tamaria L. Kulemeka

The opioid and heroin epidemic is crippling communities across the nation, leaving health officials and providers, coroners, law enforcement and churches scrambling to respond to and combat this widespread crisis.

Bonnie Franckowiak, professor and coordinator of the Master of Science Nursing Program at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., says, “The use of opioids in this country is staggering. It’s huge, and it’s growing all the time; we don’t seem to have a handle on it at all,” she says. “In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is enough to give every American adult their own pill box.”

Franckowiak notes, “Four out of five new heroin users first started out on prescription painkillers.” She adds that 85 percent of opioid users get their pills from a friend. 

Since prescription drugs are too costly to purchase on the streets after prescriptions run out, those who develop addictions often turn to heroin to relieve their symptoms and discomfort, she says.

Unfortunately, addiction leads to accidental overdoses, which Kettering Adventist HealthCare’s Kettering Medical Center staff in Ohio has seen at alarming rates in communities “from urban to suburban and rural,” says Nancy Pook (pictured below), M.D., medical director of the hospital’s Emergency Department. 

The hospital serves five counties in the greater Dayton and Cincinnati areas, including Montgomery County, which recently clinched the title as the county with the highest number of drug overdose deaths per capita in the U.S. Pook says this record was set June 19 when the number of deaths eclipsed the total of all of 2016.

“In general, EMS personnel are responding to an increased number of overdose calls, and many of the patients are [repeatedly] being treated with Narcan [an opioid antagonist reversing the effects of opioids]. The impact of fentanyl products (painkillers) in our community has triggered this excessive death rate, in large part,” Pook explains.

“This tragedy is a serious and complicated problem for our culture, and our caretakers must be both diligent and attentive, as well as resourceful, avoiding rescuer fatigue themselves due to the negative social consequences surrounding the poly-drug epidemic,” she adds. 

All Walks of Life

Opioid addiction is not discriminatory; it affects people from all walks of life.

“While the typical overdose patient is a young, white adult, often from a middle-income community, all ages and races and socio-economic groups are affected,” Pook says. “We see pregnant women with active addiction, babies born addicted, toddlers in foster care due to addiction’s consequences, teenage users and adults through the end of life using a variety of illicit drugs or buying drugs off the street. We see homeless people, working adults and professionals. Often we see a family in crisis due to the ravages of addiction and its consequences. Addiction is blind to race, socio-economic class, church affiliation and good intentions.”

Pook adds that people with drug dependencies often start as good people with good families who attend good schools.

One of the major factors escalating the crisis in Kettering Medical Center’s coverage area is location. Pook says Dayton is at the crossroads of two major U.S. interstates: Interstate 75 travels north and south, while Interstate 70 travels east and west.

“We know our community is targeted by drug cartels for trafficking, based on input from the Drug Enforcement Administration,” she says.

This epidemic is absolutely changing nursing instruction and care across the board, says Franckowiak.” It doesn’t matter where you work—in schools, the ER or obstetrics unit—wherever nurses work, they’re bound to encounter people who have a problem, or use or are at risk of using or becoming addicted,” she says.

WAU’s nursing program is teaching students how to screen for addiction and abuse and educating them on how to refer those who may be addicted. 

Minnie McNeil, recently retired Adventist Community Services/Disaster Response director for Allegheny East Conference (AEC) and the Columbia Union Conference, says that the crisis also affects family members of addicts, especially when both parties don’t feel comfortable sharing their struggles. “Our prayer is that our churches will be safe-havens where we can ban together in prayer, yes, but also that we can extend our referral sources and support families so they feel able to talk about it so that those addicted can get the help they need,” she says. 

The Forgotten Ministry?

“[The church] is supposed to be a hospital, but we’re not all ready to address the sick,” says James Jackson, AEC’s coordinator for Adventist Recovery Ministry (ARMin), and a member of the Mount Olivet church in Camden, N.J., who spent 20 years under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. After being “restored to sanity” and getting clean, he worked as a counselor and retired as a clinical supervisor for an agency that provided mental health and substance abuse services in the city. 

“We’re good at feeding them, but we still don’t have a place where someone going through something can get help or referrals,” Jackson says. “The amount of drugs and prostitution in the streets is a result of hurt people. Hurt people hurt people; and we have no answer for that in our churches.” But he adds, “ARMin could be the answer.”

Formerly known as Regeneration, the purpose of ARMin is to address addiction in a wholistic manner, not just focusing on drugs, alcohol and addictions, but on all compulsive behaviors and underlying problems, Jackson says.

Their meetings, patterned similarly to the Alcoholics Anonymous model, use a modified 12 steps, 12 traditions and 12 concepts and provide a safe, confidential atmosphere of support where people can learn how to find freedom from their unhealthy habits.

Jackson says ARMin is not as visible as it should be in churches, and in many churches, it’s nonexistent. “I would like to see that it becomes a household word in churches and not a forgotten ministry,” he adds. “Once people become a deacon or elder in the church, they don’t like to be exposed as an addict, so we have a lot of members, but a lot don’t participate in the program.”

In the Trenches

Darcel Harris is thankful for the success her 12-step group, patterned after the Regeneration model, has experienced for nearly three decades. Harris, a middle school Language Arts teacher, psychology professor and author in Westminster, Md., says the group grew out of Chesapeake Conference’s Westminster (Md.) church, where she is a member. Today they meet every Friday night and during a branch Sabbath School service called True Vine. They also operate a non-profit called Grow, which enables them to provide resources and minister to the needs of homeless people, drug addicts and the less fortunate in the community.

Harris, a recovering alcoholic and cocaine addict, echoes that the group does not just deal with drug and alcohol addictions, but addresses 13 primary issues, including overeating, rage and depression. “The same neglect an alcoholic gives his or her children [is the same as] a workaholic, so we look at addictions, behaviors and choices, not just alcohol and drugs,” she says.

Harris also says the reason it is so hard to treat people for drugs or heroin is because no one ever gets to the root of the problem. “Once you get rid of what the real thing is, the obsession is gone,” she adds. “For example, if you’ve been sexually molested, I don’t care how many counselors you go to, you will keep going back to your addictions; the craving or the need for it came from the pain. … If God can heal you from that pain, then that’s how you get free from addictions.”

The work Harris is doing in the community is making a “huge impact,” says Robert Martinez, Westminster church pastor. While there is a visible drug problem in the city, Martinez says he doesn’t deal with the issue much, but when he’s with Harris, it’s right in his face, and he prays with people who are high.

“[Harris] is so practical,” he says. “A lot of our Adventist churches aren’t practical. [It seems] we aren’t living in the same world as most people. We don’t relate to their needs. … We’re good to the people who are like us. … She is right there with them, helping them.” 

On the Front lines

Norman Carter, a member of Allegheny West Conference’s Temple Emmanuel in Youngstown, Ohio, is also on the frontlines of the drug crisis. 

“[The opioid crisis] is a beast that’s been unleashed. … In order to stop it, you have to stop drugs, and we know that is not going to happen. I think that all we can do is be prepared to provide services to those in need,” says Carter, who kicked his crack cocaine habit nearly eight years ago, and three years ago founded the Carter House, a transitional residential program in Youngstown. 

The not-for-profit organization operates four houses with 26 beds for alcoholics and substance abusers in recovery and who need to transition back into the community. Residents live in the Carter House anywhere from 90 days to a year.

“I had no idea the opioid epidemic was going to be what it is today; I was just providing the piece to the puzzle that was so important to helping me in my process,” he says.

Carter, who started selling drugs right out of high school and soon began using those drugs, graduating to crack cocaine at age 30, said his second lease on life came after being arrested for stealing from Wal-Mart to buy drugs. Instead of being charged with a crime, Carter was given the option to enter a drug program and have the charges dismissed, as long as he completed the program. 

Carter completed his 60-day treatment program and moved into a transitional facility like the one he now runs. He eventually returned to his Seventh-day Adventist roots and sought the church for support. Pastor Bryant Smith and the church got on board with the Carter House, supplying them with food and clothes, conducting Bible studies for residents and praying for the ministry. 

Today Carter strives to love those trying to rebuild their lives until “they can love themselves.” He says there are days when those in recovery relapse, but this just makes him work harder for those who have yet to come through the doors.

Photos by Darren Bullock, James Bartosik, Tijuana Griffin and Kevin Cameron