Pennsylvania Conference

Columbia Union team participation in the annual test of Bible knowledge has more than doubled over the past year.

Story by Columbia Union Staff; Photos by Jeff Cooley

Story by Jennifer A. McCary

Tamyra Horst

Story by Tamyra Horst

At the end of this year, Seventh-day Adventists in the Pennsylvania and Ohio conferences will see two Adventist Book Centers (ABC) close—one in Mount Vernon, Ohio—the other in Hamburg, Pa. The closures come as a result of the Idaho-based Pacific Press Publishing Association’s (PPPA) decision early this fall to end a management agreement of some 17 ABCs across the North American Division.

Despite the fact that they didn’t quite reach their goal of packing 300 boxes for Operation Christmas Child last year (they packed 286), the students of Huntingdon Valley Christian Academy (HVCA) set an even higher goal this year. The 145 students of the Pennsylvania Conference school located in Huntingdon Valley didn’t want a small goal. They decided to pack 500 boxes for 2013.

The Pennsylvania Conference is among several Columbia Union entities using video conferencing to reduce travel, costs and conflicting schedules. Some 30 pastors “attended” their recent fall meeting, which marked their one-year anniversary of holding these meetings online. We recently talked with Tim Madding, the conference’s director of Leadership and Spiritual Growth, to find out exactly how it all works.
 

In Reading, Pa., one church nourishes hungry neighborhood children—physically and spiritually.