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Boots, Blessings & Bandannas: A Weekend to Remember
Boots, Blessings & Bandannas: A Weekend to Remember Boots, bandannas, laughter, and heartfelt prayer filled Camp Au Sable as mothers and daughters gathered for the annual Mother-Daughter Retreat, themed “Boots, Blessings & Bandannas.” The weekend offered an opportunity to step away from the busyness of everyday life and spend intentional time together while growing closer…
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Battle Ready: Preparing Public University Students for Spiritual Warfare
Battle Ready: Preparing Public University Students for Spiritual Warfare On the weekend of September 11–13, public university and college students from around the state came together at Camp Au Sable to study the Bible and learn how to engage in spiritual warfare. At this Public Campus Ministries retreat, the students in attendance represented Lake Michigan…
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Jackson’s Club Ministry Revived
The Jackson Seventh-day Adventist Church, recognized as the world’s oldest continuous Seventh-day Adventist congregation since 1849, is entering a hopeful new chapter in ministry to children and young people. From earlier clubs known as the Jackson Blacksmiths and Jackson Jaguars, the congregation now celebrates the restoration of the Jackson Lambs Adventurer Club, Jackson Shepherds Pathfinder Club, and Master…
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iShare Celebrates a Summer of Sharing Christ
After a summer spent knocking on doors, praying with strangers, sharing Christian literature, and watching God answer prayers, Michigan Youth Rush students gathered for one final weekend—not simply to celebrate what they had accomplished, but to share what God had done. Held August 7–8 at the Cedar Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church, iShare marked the concluding…
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Upper Peninsula Camp Meeting Brings Churches Together at Camp Sagola
Beautiful weather, friendly faces, spiritual encouragement, and Christian fellowship marked Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Camp Meeting, held September 11–13 at Camp Sagola in Crystal Falls. Each year, camp meeting provides an opportunity for members from across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and beyond to come together for worship, fellowship, and spiritual renewal. This year’s theme, “With a Loud…
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From Company to Church
Shalom Celebrates New Church Status and Mortgage Milestone July 25 was more than an ordinary Sabbath for the Shalom Seventh-day Adventist congregation. Surrounded by former pastors, founding members, friends, and Michigan Conference leaders, the congregation celebrated two significant milestones in its history: officially transitioning from company to church status and completely paying off its church…
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A Resting Place at the Berrien County Youth Fair
Amid the crowds, activity, and summer heat of the Berrien County Youth Fair, thousands of visitors found something a little different—a place to sit down, cool off, receive a bottle of water, and connect with someone who cared. Amid the crowds, activity, and summer heat of the Berrien County Youth Fair, thousands of visitors found…
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Teachers Equipped for the Ministry of Adventist Education
Michigan Conference educators gathered at Camp Au Sable August 5–7 for the 2026 Teachers Convention. Teachers experienced a time dedicated to equipping, encouraging, and spiritually renewing as they prepared for the start of another school year. While classrooms, curriculum, and professional development were important parts of the convention, the gathering reinforced a larger purpose behind…
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Elected: Gabrielle Umaña-Santacruz
The Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is pleased to announce the Executive Committee appointment of Gabrielle Umaña-Santacruz as associate director for the Public Campus Ministries Department and Director for the CAMPUS Missionary Training Program. Gabrielle brings firsthand experience in public campus ministry, student leadership, missionary training, and discipleship to this new role. As a student,…
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Family & Lifestyle Medicine Celebrates Grand Opening in Holt
What began five years ago as a small medical practice in the back room of a home has grown into a multidisciplinary clinic with a permanent home in Holt, Michigan. A journey made possible through faith, generosity, and connections formed along the way. On Friday, August 21, Family & Lifestyle Medicine (FALM) celebrated the grand…
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A Blessing Right Next Door
Grand Rapids Churches Unite for Free Health Clinic It was Sabbath afternoon in Wyoming, Michigan, when an AMEN volunteer began walking through the neighborhood surrounding the Rogers Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church. With flyers in hand, the volunteer knocked on doors, inviting neighbors to a free medical, dental, and vision clinic taking place the next day.…
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From Searching to Surrender
Sometimes a simple email can be the beginning of something much bigger. In May 2024, Pastor Ben Garcia received an email from Mary Morrison-Collins with a straightforward question: What did she need to do to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Pastor Ben tried to reach Mary by phone but got no answer.…
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Six Minutes on the Side of the Road
On a recent weekend, Amy Benedict and her daughter Kaylee were traveling north to attend a health ministry retreat at Camp Au Sable. The trip from their home in Zeeland normally takes about three hours. They were about an hour and a half into the drive, traveling between Big Rapids and Reed City, when something…
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Ambassadors for Christ
A remarkable convergence of events took place in the young American republic in January 1802. A Baptist minister named John Leland, known for his unwavering defense of liberty of conscience, traveled to meet President Thomas Jefferson. He brought with him a symbol of goodwill (though we might disagree today) from his congregation in the form…
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Sharing the Gospel Through Music
On March 29, more than 320 people filled the Ann Arbor church. Over half of them entered the space for the first time. They did not come for a traditional service, but for a concert that told the story of Christ through sacred music. What unfolded that evening revealed something powerful: music can open doors…
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What Religious Liberty Means to Me
Religious liberty is more than a civil right; it is a spiritual principle rooted in God’s character. It is the freedom to worship without coercion, to obey from love, and to stand faithfully according to conscience. At its heart, religious liberty means that my conscience belongs to God alone. Some important aspects I keep in…
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MiTribe: A Call for Michigan Youth to Do Life Together
Across Michigan, something meaningful is happening. Small groups of young people are gathering in homes, parks, coffee shops, and churches. They are sharing meals, praying together, studying the Bible, and finding ways to serve their communities. These groups are called MiTribes, and they are helping youth experience something many people are searching for—authentic Christian community. MiTribe…
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The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
In the past, Seventh-day Adventist religious liberty advocates regarded the Declaration of Independence as the definitive statement of America’s founding principles and therefore the primary source for correctly interpreting the US Constitution. During the antebellum period, J. N. Loughborough noted that the Constitution was “professedly based on the Declaration of Independence.”[1] In the decades following…
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Adventists Fought for the Principles of the Declaration of Independence
Writing in response to the Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), Abraham Lincoln argued that the founding fathers had proclaimed the principles of the Declaration of Independence in order to establish a “standard maxim for free society.”[1] The inalienable rights of the Declaration had not been immediately conferred on all Americans, but by declaring these rights…
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A Journey of Faith, Patience, and God’s Perfect Timing
A Journey of Faith, Patience, and God’s Perfect Timing Sometimes God brings two people together at exactly the right moment. Not only to build a life together, but to draw them both closer to Him. That was certainly true for Caleb and Amanda, whose journey began in June 2019 in the Dominican Republic. Amanda had…