News reports from Southern Adventist University, Spectrum Magazine, the Lake Union, AdventHealth and Washington Adventist University:

Southern Adventist University’s Dylan Gibbons, ’19 and ’20, was recently mentioned by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, recognizing his new role as the first donor-funded bail fund manager with the CALEB Hamilton County Community Bail Fund. CALEB stands for Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence. It is a faith-based nonprofit organization.

Bonnie Dwyer, editor of Spectrum Magazine and Executive Director of Adventist Forum, has announced plans to retire by the end of this year. An article on the Spectrum website noted Dwyer wrote her first article for Spectrum in 1976 while she was a senior at La Sierra University. She has served for 23 years in a leadership role at Spectrum.

From the Lake Union Herald:
Over the weekend of March 19 and 20, 2021, Detroit-area pastors of the Lake Region and Michigan conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States led their congregations to study how the Bible addresses issues of ethnocentrism and cultural superiority among believers.

The event, entitled “His Invitation: Reconciliation, Unity, and Latter Rain Power,” drew hundreds of Adventist participants online and in churches.

Keynote speakers Gregory and Carol Allen of Oakwood University and authors of Christ Has Welcomed You: A Biblical Case for Relational Unity in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, presented four lectures stemming from their research on the topic. Presentations traced the ethnic tensions between Jew and Gentile in the early Roman church and the biblical record of the apostle Paul’s appeals in the book of Romans and other pastoral letters. In these passages, he even-handedly addressed both ethnic groups and appealed for them to unite in Christ through His saving ministry.

Altamonte Springs, Florida-headquartered AdventHealth was listed in a Washington Post article titled “Some of America’s wealthiest hospital systems ended up even richer, thanks to federal bailouts.” It showed that in 2020, the Adventist health system not only posted an operating income of over $500 million but also was given over $500 million in relief funds from the government. According to the Washington Post, “Hospitals can hold on to unspent relief funds until the end of July to defray any further pandemic-related costs. After that, any unspent money must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.”

Washington Adventist University President Weymouth Spence took the lead in an April Fools video sent out to faculty and staff of the university today, highlighting student appreciation for their work during challenging times. Spence then spoke of an “infectious impact on our campus” before hesitating and acting confused. Retro graphics announcing “WAU Pride Is Spreading” then took over the screen, followed by faculty and staff doing the electric slide while welcoming students back to campus. It turns out Adventists CAN dance. Kind of…

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