What a wonderful blessing the year end meetings of the North American Executive Committee were last week. Let me tell you about a wonderful blessing that you will be hearing more about in the next few months. On Friday evening it was announced that a special documentary on the Seventh-day Adventist church would be airing on PBS television around Easter time 2010. We were privileged to see a sneak preview of this documentary. It was not filmed by an Adventist, in fact the producer is a Roman Catholic. However, it is a wonderfully positive look at Adventist's and their medical work and health message. It tells the viewer about the history of the church and the role of Ellen White in establishing our health beliefs and sanitarium work. It documents the fact that SDA's in the United States, on average, live longer than the general population. It interviews numerous Adventists as well as non-SDA's who have been patients in some of our hospitals. While the exact air date has not been announced please keep checking the Carolina Conference website and we will post it as soon as we receive it. You will want to put this date on your calendar. It will make you proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist. In fact, I hope this can be a tremendous blessing to the church throughout the US.

Another very exciting development here in our own Conference has to do with Mt. Pisgah Academy. For the last several years the students of MPA have produced a daily devotional book. The students have written the devotionals and the academy has produced the book. Many of you have received this special devotional at campmeeting. It was just announced last week that the Review Publishing Association has asked the Mt. Pisgah Academy students to write the teen devotional book for 2011 for the entire North American Division. What an honor for our students! Again, as I have many times in the past, I want to affirm our students at Mt. Pisgah Academy. What a tremendous witness for Jesus they are! Now, they will have the opportunity to witness to untold thousands of teenagers through the writing of this book. Please remember them in your prayers that God will continue to bless and use them to His honor and glory.

This past Friday the Community Services department of the Conference conducted a training weekend at Nosoca Pines Ranch. Friday afternoon I met with our Community Services committee and it was good to hear a brief report from some of our local Community Services leaders as to what they are doing in their local communities. In these trying economic times many of our churches are being called upon to provide more and more support and relief to families throughout their regions. Even though many of our church members have lost jobs themselves there is still very much a giving spirit among our church family.

This past Sabbath I had the privilege to be in Wilmington, NC and worship with our church family there. How good it was to see and experience a new vibrancy and enthusiasm among our folks both in Wilmington and the Delco church who joined with us for this Sabbath service. I appreciate the ministry that Pastor Wennerberg and the two congregations are providing for those communities.

This week the Southern Union Department Council is taking place in Myrtle Beach, SC. Administrators and departmental directors from each conference in the Southern Union are meeting to lay plans for the coming year. Please pray that God will bless as these plans are being formulated and laid before the Lord.

May God continue to richly bless each of you as you minister for Him.

Your friend,
Jim