This Month's Issue

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Evangelism Draws 1,287 New Believers in Columbia Union

The Columbia Union ended a two-year emphasis on evangelism in fall of 2018. Throughout this time, churches across the union hosted meetings and placed an emphasis on evangelism in our communities, celebrating 1,287 baptisms and professions of faith in 2018 alone.

As part of this emphasis, Columbia Union President Dave Weigley preached two series of meetings, one in Mountain View Conference’s Cumberland and Frostburg church district in 2017 and another in Chesapeake Conference’s Hagerstown (Md.) church in 2018. “It was so encouraging to see so many people from the community attend these meetings; there is a hunger for the Word of God in our world today,” he says.

Preparing for an Online Crisis

Story by Visitor Staff

If you’re trying to grow your online ministry, you may run into a crisis and need to act fast before the news spreads.

“The digital age has brought about a few realities that have impacted how we handle a crisis,” says Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president for Strategic Communication and Public Relations for the Columbia Union Conference. “Social media has redefined
the term ‘breaking news’ because while it is happening, people have their cells phones going, recording video or are on Facebook Live. They will take you to the event or situation in real time.”

In the Center for Online Evangelism podcast, Blyden shares tips on how your organization can prepare for potential crises in our changing world.

 

Jail an Answer to Prayer?

Alex Partyka prays at a Maryland Men of Faith Event. Photo by Marlon Ming

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Alex Partyka grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but stopped attending during a span of 12–13 years of partying that included almost daily drug highs. Toward the end of this time, he realized he wanted to change his life, but didn’t know how and prayed about it.

He says this prayer resulted in a 30-day jail sentence when new evidence was introduced in a re-opened 15-year-old fireworks case thought to be closed.