GYC Europe: The Hour Has Come

GYC is going to Europe. Check it out!

Watch GYC 2011 live online

The 10th annual Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC) conference is happening Dec. 28, 2011—Jan. 1, 2012 in Houston, Texas.

Here's what you need to know about this year's event:

So you think you know the Christmas story?

Funny video fact-checking the classic nativity scene.



As seen on the Graceroots Movement website.

Jesus vs. Santa — the similarities & differences

As seen on the Cross Connection show's blog.

Federal court says Adventist student at Catholic university has the right to skip school on Sabbath

[Photo source: Quielze Miranda,
public photo on Facebook]

In Brazil, a federal court ruled in favor of an Adventist student who was having Sabbath problems at a Catholic university.

The court says the student has the right to skip classes from Friday evening to Saturday evening.

Quielze Miranda, 19, hasn't been able to attend one of her college classes since the beginning of the school year because it is scheduled on Friday nights.

Another young Adventist wins on 'The Sing-Off'

For the third time in a row, a Seventh-day Adventist has become the championship of NBC's "The Sing-Off", a reality TV a cappella competition.

Kevin Olusola is the beatboxer for Pentatonix, the winning a cappella group. The group was announced the winners of the show's third season during the live season finale Monday night.

The five-member team won the grand prize of $200,000 and a Sony Music recording contract.

This is the fourth time an Adventist person or an Adventist group has won on any of The Sing-Off's international franchises.

In April 2011, Gentle Voices won the The Netherlands version of "The Sing-Off."

In the United States, Committed won the second season of The Sing-Off in 2010. Nota won the show's first season in

We've included a video of the winner being announced:

Shawn Boonstra returns to TV

Pastor Shawn Boonstra, former Speaker/Director for It Is Written, is making a return to television early next year.

He will be hosting a new show on the Hope Channel called Disclosure: The Future Declassified. It is scheduled to premiere on January 12, 2012.

Boonstra resigned from It Is Written in December 2010, due to personal health challenges.

According to the show's website, the new "interactive" program will feature Boonstra answering questions about the end of time.

Promotional video for Disclosure: The Future Declassified below:

Awesome Thanksgiving Video - Inspirational

So true. Simply put, I'm thankful for my Jesus!! How about you? :-D

Would you quit your job to feed the homeless?

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." (Matthew 25:35-36)

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

New updates on 2014 Camporee. Speakers announced: Sam Leonor and Gilbert Cangy

The Center for Youth Evangelism announced today the main speakers for the upcoming 2014 Forever Faithful International Camporee.

Sam Leonor (top left) has been chosen to be the nightly program speaker. Leonor is the Pastor for the La Sierra University students and faculty.

Gilbert Cangy (bottom left) has been chosen to speak for the Sabbath Morning program. Cangy is the General Conference Youth Director.

The two speakers were unanimously approved by the Camporee's Executive Advisory Committee on Oct. 17, when it met to discuss camporee planning.

Details and updates about new things at the upcoming camporee are available in the minutes from the meeting.

Here are some of the highlights:

How it all began: The Intl. Pathfinder Camporees

Here's how the International Pathfinder Camporees came to be such awesome mega-events!

GYC 2011 Trailer

Generation of Youth for Christ is a youth-led movement that encourages young people to spread God's love and to live a life of standards.

It holds a conference in the United States every year. This year's conference is scheduled for Dec. 28, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012 in Houston, Texas. Theme is "Fill Me: Our Earnest Plea." Learn more about the event.

2020 General Conference Session will be in Indianapolis, Ind.

Indianapolis, Ind. has been chosen to host the 2020 Adventist Church World Session, according to Adventist News Network (ANN). This is the second time the city has hosted the session.

The Adventist Church World Session, also known as the General Conference Session, is the Seventh-day Adventist Church's highest governing body. Delegates from around the world meet every five years to vote on important issues facing the world church.

Indianapolis last hosted the session in 1990. It will be the first time since 1962, that a city has hosted a GC Session twice.

Introducing new weekly video reports from Adventist News Network

The Seventh-day Adventist Church recently launched a new, weekly video news service called ANN Weekly.

ANN Weekly is run by Adventist News Network, the Church's official news outlet.

10,000 young people attend evangelistic series, 524 baptized in crocodile-infested river

By @Adventist_News, special to A Sabbath Blog

An incredible 32,000 people came to the final night of an Adventist outreach in the South Pacific. At least 10,000 of them were young people.

The meetings were held in the city of Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands. About half the population came to at least one night of the 10-meeting series.

524 people were baptized on the final weekend. And after each person was baptized, they were given a lei around their necks. Hey! What else would you expect in the South Pacific!

What if the Prodigal Son Parable happened today?

Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? Here's what the story might have been like if it happened today.

(Viewer discretion advised due to violence, drugs and alcohol)

Prodigal from Jeremy Rowland on Vimeo.

If you don't remember the story of the prodigal son or have never heard it before, you can check it out in Luke 15:11-32! :)

Wildfire threatens Big Lake Youth Camp

Photo from Big Lake Youth Camp's Facebook
page. Arrow added to show BLYC's location.A nearby wildfire forced Big Lake Youth Camp to finish its final week of summer camp early and evacuate all staff, campers and livestock.

The lighting-sparked Shadow Lake Fire has burned to within a half mile of the Seventh-day Adventist summer camp, the camp website stated.

The camp was in the middle of Family Camp II, the last week of camp in its summer camp season when it was evacuated on Sept. 3.

Big Lake Youth Camp is located at the base of Mt. Washington, inside the Willamette National Forest, near Sisters, Ore.

"The Adventists" documentary sequel in the works

A sequel is being planned for "The Adventists," the 2010 health care documentary that aired on PBS.

The sequel will be about the Adventist Church's "medical missions around the world," said Martin Doblmeier, the film's director.

Doblmeier said that the reason he is making a sequel is because he kept hearing from people about how proud they were of the Adventist medical missions around the world. He hopes his films are a positive influence on viewers.

Committed releases "Break Free" music video

Committed, a six-man Adventist a cappella group, has released its first music video since winning NBC's The Sing-Off.

"Break Free" is written by Therry Thomas, Committed's third tenor. The song talks about breaking free from the temptations of the devil by giving God control of your life.

The a cappella group's debut album, "Committed," will be released on August 30, 2011.

Reality show contestant refuses to compete on Sabbath

Remember those stories from way back in time about people who went through hard times but still chose to keep the Sabbath, and lived happily ever after? Does that even happen anymore?

Oh, yes it does.

A few days ago, a reality TV show contestant told the show’s host (and the world) that she couldn’t participate in the Saturday-scheduled challenges because she is a Seventh-day Adventist.

The host told the contestant that things would get complicated if she didn't participate in those challenges.

With tears in her eyes, and as cameras rolled, the young Adventist woman decided to drop out of the show.

And boom! She became an overnight celebrity ….but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Here's how it all began:

Adventist teens share God during TV talent show

Above: Adventist teens competing on TV talent show

A group of Adventist teens in Chile recently competed on a TV talent show called "Talento Chileno." This is literally the Chilean version of "America's Got Talent."

But here's the cool part: They didn't just compete on the show. No, they straight up witnessed for God!

Memphis Junior Academy principal killed in classroom

Suzette York, principal (left). Eduardo Marmolejo, student (right).

A school principal was stabbed to death Aug. 10 at a Seventh-day Adventist school in Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis police say Suzette York, 49, was found dead inside a classroom that morning at Memphis Junior Academy just three days into the new school year.

Eduardo Marmolejo, 16, has been arrested and is being charged with first-degree murder. He was the school’s first and only 11th grade student.

NAD creates new annual Bible trivia tournament for Pathfinders

The North American Division recently created a new system for Pathfinder Bible trivia tournaments. It's called The Pathfinder Bible Experience.

Currently, there are different types of Bible trivia programs being used by Pathfinder Clubs across the North American Division. The Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) was created to unify these different models and give "ownership to local leaders," according to a recent NAD Youth Dept. email.

Pathfinders will be studying the books of 1 Samuel and Mark for this year's tournament.

Here's a quick overview of how the program will work:

Watch the entire Joseph Play from the Oshkosh Camporee online

The Center for Youth Evangelism recently uploaded the entire Joseph play from the 2004 International Pathfinder Camporee. You can watch it right here on A Sabbath Blog.

The videos below are from the 5-night drama, "The Fire Within" performed live at the 2004 "Faith on Fire" International Pathfinder Camporee in Oshkosh, Wis.

Student killed in kidnapping near Adventist university

[Photo courtesy Inter-America Division / Adventist News Network]Source: Adventist News Network

A Montemorelos University student was shot and killed minutes away from the Northern Mexican school's campus in the evening hours of May 29, officials have confirmed.

The shooting -- possibly a case of mistaken identity, a city official said -- happened just hours after the Seventh-day Adventist institution celebrated its 68th graduation ceremony.

Yoselin L. Perez Ramirez, 20, a second-year communications major, died of gunshot wounds after an attempted kidnapping.

According to authorities, Perez was walking into a store at approximately 8:30 p.m. yesterday when she was approached and threatened. She ran away and later tracked down and shot. She was about to return to her home in Oaxaca for the summer, according to a statement made by Ismael Castillo, president of Montemorelos University.

What most Adventist young people think about traditional Adventist standards

According to the Center for Youth Evangelism, 783 young adults were asked if they agreed or disagreed with 10 standards "generally thought to be held by Seventh-day Adventists."

Here's what they found:

Standard	Agree	Disagree
1. Not use illegal drugs	93%	5%
2. Not use tobacco	92%	4%
3. Keep the Sabbath holy	88%	4%
4. Not drink alcoholic beverages	77%	15%
5. Dress modestly	75%	12%
6. Sex should occur only within marriage	74%	14%
7. Not wear cosmetic jewelery	33%	49%
8. Not listen to rock music	32%	49%
9. Not dance	22%	60%
10. Not attend movie theaters	16%	71%

Suggestions from the Center for Youth Evangelism:

"If these last four standards really do have a Biblical base, and if they continue to be relevant to Adventism, then the church, and especially youth ministries leaders, will need to find ways through study and dialogue to lead to a commitment on the part of young adults to these standards. Otherwise, they should be removed from the list, for standards that are proclaimed but not practiced only lead to charges of hypocrisy."

This is why Ultimate Workout is so awesome

Ultimate Workout 21 will take place July 12-25, 2011 in Chiapas, Mexico. It's a two-week mission trip for high schoolers only.

Learn more about Ultimate Workout

Another Adventist a cappella group wins 'The Sing-Off,' this time in The Netherlands

Adventists' got a cappella talent.

An Adventist a cappella group won The Netherlands version of "The Sing-Off" in April. This is third time that an Adventist group has won on any of The Sing-Off's international franchises.

Gentle Voices won a Sony Music recording contract and have been invited to perform with Dutch music group, De Toppers.

Gentle Voices is made up of six cousins from Rotterdam, South Holland. The group began in 1999 as a quartet, but eventually expanded to become a sextet. They are Mitchell Bouterse, Anthony Glen, Earl Vlijter, Everton Glen, Lionel Bouterse and Mitchell Thompson.

According to tedNews, "Not only do they want to reach a large group of people with their gift of singing, but their motivation is to reach people with creativity and harmony."

In the United States, Committed won season 2 of "The Sing-Off" in December 2010. Nota won season 1 in December 2009.

Below, you can watch Gentle Voices' performances on "The Sing-Off," including when they were announced the champions:

Watch the 3rd IAD Pathfinder Camporee online

Thousands of Pathfinders gather at the IAD Camporee. Photo courtesy IAD / Adventist News Network.

Source: Adventist News Network

More than 20,000 people attended the 3rd Inter-American Division (IAD) Pathfinder Camporee April 19-23, 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Pathfinders came from across Central America, the Caribbean and parts of South America to attend the five-day youth event.

This year's camporee theme, "Conquering Giants," was based on the Bible story of David defeating Goliath.

More than 260 people were baptized at camporee and more than 1,000 people were invested.

The next IAD Pathfinder Camporee is scheduled to be held in 2017 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

You can watch videos of the nightly camporee programs below:

Senior class president won't be able to attend graduation due to Sabbath

The senior class president of a Connecticut high school will not be able to attend his own graduation ceremony because it is on a Saturday.

According to NBC Connecticut, the school board voted 7-1 to not change the Enfield High School graduation date, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 25.

On April 12, Patrick Knighton, senior class president, had asked the school board to change the graduation date because it conflicted with his religious beliefs.

Knighton told the school board that as a Seventh-day Adventist, he does not participate in "business or business-related activities" from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

According to NBC Connecticut, "parents of other students complained to the board that family members had already made flight arrangements" and couldn't change them.

Shenandoah Valley Academy senior killed in motorcycle accident

Photo: SVA website

A Shenandoah Valley Academy senior was killed in a motorcycle accident Thursday afternoon in Timberville, Va.

19-year-old Kent Grimm, from Broadway, Va., was driving west on New Market Rd. when he crashed into an eastbound car that had turned in front of him, police said.

SVA has brought in grief counselors to help students cope through the tragedy, stated the academy website.

Below is a video report from a local station.

Newsweek magazine says be an Adventist if you want to live long

Newsweek magazine posted a short, illustrated guide to living a long life. One of their suggestions? Be a Seventh-day Adventist.

We've included the image below:

Epic videos: Adventist universities edition

Today, we bring you two awesome videos from two awesome universities.

The first video is from Walla Walla University in College Place, Wash. In the video, students go backcountry skiing and take a video camera with them. The results are amazing mix of epic slow motion flipping and point of view shots.

The second video is from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn. It's a trailer for their end-of-year show. The feature length documentary sums the school year up through the daily lives of four students. Again, pure awesomeness!

400+ Adventist teens stage Christian flash mob at Universal CityWalk

More than 400 Adventist teenagers staged a flash mob with a Christian message Saturday, April 9 at Universal CityWalk in Orlando, Fla.

All of a sudden, hundreds of teens began chanting, "Look! Look! Jesus coming, I'm not ready! Are you?"

The flash mob was organized by the iServe United Youth Congress, an Adventist youth event held this year in Orlando, Fla.

Watch the videos below:

Watch iServe United Youth Congress live online

Photo by Josef Kissinger

More than 3,400 teens from Canada, United States, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are at the iServe United Youth Congress in Orlando, Fla. April 6-10, 2011. More than 10,000 people are expected to arrive on Saturday, according to the event newsletter.

The United Youth Congress is made for teens ages 11 to 17 years old and is hosted by the Black Adventist Youth Directors Association (BAYDA).

The keynote speaker was Zach Hunter, an 18-year old author and founder of Loose Change to Loosen Chains (modern day anti-slavery campaign). General session speakers include Paula Olivier, Willy Ramos, Donald Rolle and Myron Edmonds.

The four-day event concludes Saturday night with a concert featuring Committed, Fred Hammond, 21:03, and comedians Bone Hampton and Broderick Rice.

Committed talks about new album, Sabbath, and life after "Sing-Off"

Committed (l-r): Robbie Pressley (tenor 4), Geston Pierre (bass), Dennis “DJ” Baptiste (baritone), Maurice Staple (tenor 1), Alain “Tommy” Gervais (tenor 2) and Theron “Therry” Thomas (tenor 3). Photo: Facebook.

Committed, NBC's "The Sing-Off" champion, has been staying busy since winning the $100,000 grand prize and Sony Music recording contract last December.

The six-man Adventist a cappella group has presented and performed at award shows and music events across the country (and in Jamaica), singing mini-concerts for church schools and events, as well as recording their upcoming album.

Committed's second tenor, Alain "Tommy" Gervais, said they have finished their first album. According to an NBCUniversal press release, Committed's album is set for release this summer.

Update: The debut album is now available for pre-order on Amazon. At first, Amazon.com said the album would be released on May 3, 2011. But they have since changed that date to Aug. 30, 2011.

Committed will be in concert at the BAYDA United Youth Congress on April 9 in Orlando, Fla.

Why Committed almost said no to "The Sing-Off"

2,000 young people pray with strangers on the streets

Looking for something to do this weekend? Try doing what more than 2,000 young people did on the streets of Medellin, Columbia. They spent the day praying with passersby and motorists.

Groups of youths gathered at different places where there are lots of people, such as malls, stores, parks and streets offering to pray for their worries and troubles.

You can read more about the event and what people thought of the kids praying for them on the Inter-American Division website.

Behind the scenes video of SAU President getting his hair dyed purple, flash mob appears

The president of Southern Adventist University, Gordon Bietz, dyed his hair purple on Feb. 10 for a good cause.

Bietz, whose normal hair color is white, had a deal with Southern students: If the students could raise more than $5,000 for a literacy project, he would let his hair be dyed a different color.

But there were more surprises than just a new hair color.

Minor damage to churches, no reports of member casualties after Japan Quake/Tsunami

Image from NHK via CNN

The most recent updates on Adventists in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami:

March 13 Update: There are no reports of casualties among church members, according to Adventist News Network.

Four institutional building received minor damage, despite a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that wiped through Japan on Friday.

ANN also reports that an Adventist high school was also damaged.

Youth in South America share Jesus by making movies, sharing books

Youth in South America are making short videos illustrating how they share Jesus for a chance to have their video shown on TV.

Young people living in the South American Division have until April 3 to upload a video illustrating an ongoing campaign's theme: “Friends of Hope."

But there is much more to this event than just a video contest.

Funny Video: 9 annoying things about Walla Walla University

Check out this funny rant from the Associated Students of Walla Walla University.

6.3-magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand

"It looked and felt like a scene straight out of the Second Coming."

-David Asscherick

Update: Feb. 25 ― About seven Seventh-day Adventist churches in Christchurch, New Zealand are damaged due to the earthquake.

According to Record, the South New Zealand Conference "hasn't received any reports of church members being seriously injured."

Church members are encouraged not to formally meet for worship on Sabbath, but to meet at each other's homes instead. Three churches (Ashburton, Oxford and Rangiora) will be open on Saturday for worship, according to Record.

113 people have died in New Zealand, and more than 200 people are missing, CNN reported.

The Sanitarium Health Food Company's property is being used as a triage center. The Sanitarium and ADRA provided food to 1100 people at two evacuation centers.

American pastor David Asscherick was in Christchurch, New Zealand when a deadly 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Feb. 21.

For the past month, Asscherick had been speaking at an evangelistic campaign called "What Does the Future Hold?"

According to ARISE Institute, the meetings were "built, in part, around the September 4th, 7.1 earthquake."

See photos and read about the earthquake, as told by David Asscherick.

All student missionaries in Egypt leave the country

Photo by monasosh (Creative Commons)

UPDATE: Nile Union Academy plans to reopen Feb. 21

Feb. 8 — Adventists living in Egypt's big cities found themselves in an uncertain situation due to massive and often violent protests in Egypt.

All Adventist student missionaries working in Egypt have left the country. They were told to leave by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. All foreign staff members at Nile Union Academy have also left Egypt, said one student missionary, whose name is omitted for her safety.

Llewellyn Edwards, president of the Egypt Field of Seventh-day Adventists told A Sabbath Blog of the courage of a number of Sudanese students and Egyptian staff, who are guarding Nile Union Academy, with teams patrolling the compound 24/7.

Adventists Safe in Egypt, according to tedNEWS

Editor's note: On Jan. 31, 2011 the following news bulletin was posted by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division. Since then, the protests have become even more violent.

Source: tedNEWS ― Jan. 31, 2011

The Egypt standoff intensifies as the unrest goes into the seventh day of anti-government protests. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a number of denominational schools and congregations there.

Pastor Llewellyn R. Edwards, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Egypt, shared with us what the situation is regarding members, church properties and the work of the church:

In Egypt, Adventist schools suspended this week

Photo by Ramy Raoof (Creative Commons)

Source: Adventist News Network

Two Seventh-day Adventist-run schools in Egypt have suspended classes this week due to ongoing national protests. Otherwise, Adventist operations are not affected, according to latest reports from the region.

A day before the Internet was shut down in Egypt on Friday, the president of the small Adventist community there said church operations were not affected by national protests.

"There is no news at all that any of our 12 churches, 700 members and two schools are affected in any way," Llewellyn R. Edwards, president of the denomination's Egypt Field, wrote to ANN in a January 27 e-mail.

Adventist student makes movie and gets shown on CNN & Hulu

Image source: Hulu.com

An Adventist college student's documentary about the 2010 Haiti earthquake is being featured on CNN and screened on Hulu.

"Adopting Haiti" captures the story of the Maison des Enfants de Dieu orphanage, its staff and the 135 orphans who lived there.

Timothy Wolfer, a film and television major at Pacific Union College, said he skipped his classes and arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti just days after the earthquake struck.

For a limited time, you can watch the entire documentary below.

Watch the entire Oshkosh Camporee Esther Play online

Photo credit: Alden J. Ho/Center for Youth Evangelism

You can now watch the entire Esther play from the 2009 International Pathfinder Camporee right here on A Sabbath Blog.

The videos below are from the 5-night drama, "Courage to Stand: The Story of Esther," performed live at the 2009 "Courage to Stand" International Pathfinder Camporee in Oshkosh, Wis.

Adventist church president speaks to young people

Source: Adventist News Network


Photo credit: Mark A. Kellner/Adventist ReviewIn a stirring one-hour message to a Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC) convention, Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson exhorted the church's young adults to lives of faithfulness and Christian service.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is bidding us as a people to 'go forward' with 'no turning back,'" Wilson said, referring to the theme of the five-day event that drew thousands of Adventist youth to Maryland's largest city.

Shortly after the morning meeting, an estimated 5,000 -- including Wilson and his wife, Nancy -- boarded 75 buses and fanned out across metro Baltimore to witness door-to-door and invite people to enroll in Bible studies.

Babylon Rising trailer

What happens in Vegas, won't stay in Vegas. Actually, it'll be streamed live around the world.