Monday, May 18, 2009

May 15, 2009

This past week has been a shuttle run between meetings at the Columbia Union, and spending time at Blue Mountain Academy. At the Columbia Union, I attend the President’s Council, which consists of all the Conference Presidents in the Union along with the Union Officers. Then I also attended the Columbia Union College Board of Trustees meeting. One of the significant issues at the CUC BOT meeting was to vote to recommend to the CUC Constituency meeting that the name of CUC be changed to Columbia Adventist University.

Tuesday night, the BMA Board interviewed 2 candidates for BMA Principal. I also had 2 faculty/staff appointments that night to listen to campus concerns and hopes for the future.

Thursday I met with the BMA Principal Search Committee as they interviewed each of the 2 Principal candidates for about 2 hours each.


Tamyra Horst, our communications Director also filmed me giving the closing appeal for this years Evangelism offering DVD to be shown in each church. Also on Thursday I met with each of the Principal candidates one-on-one. I also met with another member of the BMA faculty to listen to concerns and hopes for the future. Then in the evening on Thursday, the Principal Search Committee met again to carefully consider what recommendation to make to the BMA Board on Friday, based on the interviews. On Friday, the Search Committee recommended to the BMA Board that we not make a final decision on a candidate at this time, but prayerfully consider an additional person before making a recommendation.

While at BMA on Thursday, I got to see the finishing work on the first bathrooms in the East wing of the Boy’s Dorm. Brian Butler and his daughter Monica are doing a great job with the tile.


Dean David Ringer showed me an example of the new windows that will shortly be installed.



Please encourage all those you know to give generously for BMA to make this wonderful necessary upgrades.

May 10, 2009

On Sabbath, May 9, the Shekinah Haitian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manheim, PA, celebrated the beginning of its ministry in its new location. This church was recently voted by the PA Conference Executive Committee to be recognized as an official, organized SDA Church in the PA Conference. For a number of years, this church group had met in the Lancaster SDA Church, first as a Sabbath School class, then as a mission group, then a Company, and finally a few weeks ago being voted as a church.

Pastor Jody Swart was a huge support to this group as they formed and worked through many issues to get to church status. Bill Peterson, the Assistant to the President for Mission worked closely with this group and coached them on a number of items. Floyd Dare spent many, many hours working with them on possible building opportunities and especially guiding them through the process of purchasing this building after they located it and decided they would like to make this their church home.


At the Sabbath Celebration, I specifically affirmed the valuable ministry these men had provided to Shekinah Haitian to assist them in becoming a church.

The Church family gave a token of appreciation for all the support the Conference had given to enable them to become a church and to get into this building that they have recently purchased.


At the Sabbath Celebration, I specifically affirmed the valuable ministry these men had provided to Shekinah Haitian to assist them in becoming a church.

The Church family gave a token of appreciation for all the support the Conference had given to enable them to become a church and to get into this building that they have recently purchased.

During the service, the youth choir sang.


During the service, the youth choir sang.

The Church expressed it’s appreciation to Brian Yingst and the Lancaster SDA Church for all their support. Brian and his wife attended the whole service and stayed as guests of honor at the fellowship meal.


Pastor Darnel Marius is giving leadership under a unique stipend program Bill Peterson designed here in the PA Conference for Church Plants that are a unique ethnic work.


The church was full for the occasion, and except for a few visitors, most of those in attendance were either members or regular attendees.