Maryland Governor, Comptroller Recognize Sligo Member Contributions

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1 Adventist Heritage From: Sent: Tuesday, November 22, :30 AM To: Adventist Heritage Subject: Visitor News Bulletin--November 22, 2011 November 22, 2011 Maryland Governor, Comptroller Recognize Sligo Member Contributions A veritable list of who s who gathered on November 15 to celebrate and recognize Erwin Mack (left), a member of Potomac Conference s Sligo church in Takoma Park, Md. The 120 guests attended 80-year-old Mack s retirement party held at Washington Adventist University also in Takoma Park. This marked the second time that Mack retired from the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, a business association, which he founded and chaired for more than 20 years. Through that organization Mack has lobbied for increased police surveillance, combined advertising, utility improvements, street and pedestrian safety enhancements. That evening Mack received several citations, certificates and recognition, including Martin O Malley s Governor s Citation for Service, comptroller Peter Franchot s Certificate of Recognition of Service, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett s Certificate of Appreciation and Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams Proclamation of Appreciation. 1

2 These sorts of recognitions don t happen every day, asserts Kim Frum, spokesperson for the Comptroller Office for the State of Maryland. Erwin got a proclamation from our office simply because of his decades of hard work to make the Takoma Langley area safer for people who work there, live there and shop there, she said. Story by Taashi Rowe, photo by Gary Lunsford READ MORE Potomac Hispanic Youth Shower Langley Park Residents With Blessings If you walked or drove by the parking lot of the Takoma Park Spanish church in Takoma Park, Md., on Sunday you would have heard a live Christian praise team; seen kids and kids-at-heart getting their faces painted, taking photos with the Guide magazine dog and singing interactive songs while their parents selected free clothing and food and got free immigration and health counseling. The church is just blocks away from Langley Park, one of the largest Spanish-speaking communities in the Washington, D.C.-area. This was the primary reason that Moviemento Joven Adventista (MJA), Potomac Conference s Hispanic youth ministry, moved this annual outreach event to this location. Calling it Lluvias de Bendiciones or Showers of Blessings, MJA started working with Spanish-speaking churches around the conference in 2004 to shower this largely poor, immigrant community with key supplies and services around the holidays. Story and photo by Taashi Rowe READ MORE Highland Adventist Students Organize Yearlong Evangelism Outreach As the Parsons church, a very small congregation located 20 miles from Elkins, W.Va., puzzled over how best to witness to the local community, Mountain View Conference officers encouraged schools across the conference to develop evangelism projects in 2

3 their local areas. Students and staff at the Highland Adventist School (HAS) in Elkins responded to the challenge and worked with Parsons members to plan a 10-month evangelism cycle with health ministry as the emphasis. What Parson lacked in manpower, HAS had in abundance and throughout the school year, the students conducted a number of outreach activities, such as a health expo, where they offered free exercise evaluations with a physical therapist, a lecture on cancer prevention and mini health screenings. They also offered a free, healthy lunch program to the community, contacted missing members and distributed literature. In the spring, the students planned a weeklong revival series with a guest speaker. Story by Cheryl Jacko READ MORE Pine Forge Academy Foundation Donates Nearly $30K The Pine Forge Academy (PFA) Foundation recently presented scholarships and awards to several PFA students during Parents Weekend. In total, the foundation awarded $12,750 to eight students for this school year and presented a check for $15,500 to facilitate wireless access for the students in both dormitories. Delmas F. Campbell, PFA principal (center) holds up the check from Melodie Mayberry-Stewart (left), president of the PFA Foundation, and John Grier, a benefactor and member of the foundation s Scholarship Committee. Noreena Ogidan Mountain View Says Goodbye to Lewisburg Member Mountain View Conference members are 3

4 mourning the death of Charlie Wilson, husband of Suzan Wilson (who teaches at Greenbrier Valley Academy in Lewisburg, W.Va.). Members of the Lewisburg church, the Wilsons have lived and worked in that conference for over 15 years. His love for Jesus, along with his devotion and commitment to Christian education, was evident in the many hours of service he gave volunteering his time and energy with Mountain View schools and on mission trips, said Larry Boggess, conference president. We look forward to the glorious day when Christ will wipe away every tear. Story by Monica Zill Metropolitan Church Mobile App Allegheny East Conference s church in Hyattsville Md., just Metro Mobile App for the iphone, ipad. This makes it easy for anyone listen or watch sermons anywhere app to be a huge tool for evangelism, one of the app s developers. We are members share it with their friends, coworkers, ultimately introducing and non-adventists to the beautiful that they might never hear otherwise. Click here to download the app for ipad, and click here to download the Android platform. Launches Metropolitan launched the Android and with the app to anytime. We expect this said Joel Sam, already seeing family and non-christians advent message your iphone or app for the 4

5 Andrews Study Bible Goes Digital The Andrews Study Bible, a product of Seventh-day Adventist scholars working with Andrews University (Mich.), is now available in a popular digital format, readily accessible for computers and mobile electronic devices. Niels-Erik Andreasen, Andrews University president, said the Andrews Study Bible is available as a digital product through a partnership between the church-owned school and Logos Bible Software, the largest developer of software for the Christian market and a worldwide leader in multilingual electronic publishing. The digital edition, officially released on October 10, is available for all major computer operating systems, making it accessible on standard desk-based and mobile computers and devices, including Apple, Inc. s iphone, ipad and ipod Touch, as well as Androidbased smartphones and tablets. Story by Keri Suarez, Andrews University/Adventist Review READ MORE in the Adventist Review Columbia Union Members in the News The Burlington (N.J.) church: Thanksgiving comes early in Burlington City The Ephesus church in Richmond: South Side church feeds the hungry UPCOMING EVENTS December 2: Metro Area Adventist Young Adults (MAAYA) invites all to attend First Fridays on December 2 at 7:30 p.m. for a multicultural praise and worship and testimony agape feast. This month s First Friday will be held at the Community of Hope church located at 580 University Boulevard in Silver Spring, Md. For more information, contact Randy Preston at (240) or Trevor Fraser at (301) December 3: The Frederick church presents Amahl and the Night 5

6 Visitors. This benefit concert for wounded warriors will feature the church s Christmas choir and orchestra and members of La Camerata Nouve. Francisco de Araujo is producing and directing this performance. U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett will serve as the honorary host. There will be two showings, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at 6437 Jefferson Pike in Frederick, Md. For more information, call the church office at (301) December 3: Spencerville Adventist Academy s Fourth Annual Messiah Sing-along will be held 4 p.m. at the Spencerville church located at New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring, Md. Participants must have their own music. For more details, contact Jane Lanning by at jlanning@spencerville.org or call (301) December 3: All are invited to enjoy Highland View Academy s Annual Christmas Concert. The select choir, orchestra and bell choir will praise the Lord in song at the Highland View church in Hagerstown, Md., at 4:30 p.m. This year the freewill offering will go toward a trip to Russia for the young musicians to perform in Moscow and Kiev and to visit an orphanage in the Ukraine. December 4: Sligo Adventist School presents their first Business and Craft Showcase at their Takoma Park, Md., campus. The hours are 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. For more information, call (301) or visit December 6: Frederick Adventist School s Handbell Choir will be performing a Christmas concert for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation s Holiday Survivors Tree Lighting at the National Emergency Training Center located in Emmittsburg, Md. Following the performance, survivors can remember firefighters with an ornament on the National Fallen Firefighters Holiday Tree. For more information Teresa Kelchner at teresakelchner@comcast.net. December 16: Frederick Adventist School invites you to their Luke's Story Christmas pageant at 7 p.m. at the Frederick church. Come be part of when God sent His precious Son to become a tiny baby in a stable in Bethlehem, in poverty and simplicity. For more information, teresakelchner@comcast.net or visit December 16, 17: Shenandoah Valley Academy s Annual Christmas Concert Weekend will feature the Shenandoans, handbell choir, orchestra and concert choir. The first performance will be the Christmas Candlelight Concert at New Market church on Friday, December 16, 7:30 p.m. The following evening, December 17, these same groups will perform a secular Christmas Concert at SVA s gymnasium, 6:30 p.m. A freewill offering will be taken for the Support the Arts fund 6

7 at SVA. All are invited to come and be blessed! For more information, visit shenandoahvalleyacademy.org. December 17: Miracle Temple s 17th Annual Christmas Cantata will be held during the divine worship service and will feature the sanctuary choir and symphony orchestra. For more information, visit miracletemple.net. For more news and up-to-date information from the Columbia Union Conference, visit columbiaunion.org Forward to a Friend or Subscribe To share the Visitor News Bulletin with friends and church members across the Columbia Union, click the Forward to a Friend link below so all the photos and copy will appear correctly. Also, encourage them to sign up for the at Thank you! Stay Connected: Taashi Rowe, Visitor News Bulletin Editor 5427 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD visitor@columbiaunion.net Website: Visitor News Bulletin is an electronic newsletter published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Columbia Union Conference. You are free to reprint any portion of the bulletin, however, please identify Visitor News Bulletin as the source. Visitornews mailing list To unsubscribe send your request to trowe@columbiaunion.net This message was sent to ahc@andrews.edu from Columbia Union, 5427 Twin Knolls Road,, Columbia, MD Edit profile / unsubscribe - Forward to a friend Spam Not spam Forget previous vote 7

8 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 1 of 2 11/22/2011 2:03 PM Maryland Governor, Comptroller Recognize Sligo Member Contributions Story by Taashi Rowe; Photos by Gary Lunsford Published 11/22/11 NEWS ARCHIVES NOTICIAS PODCASTS VIDEOS BLOGS TWITTER FACEBOOK November 2011 Archives Try our easy-to-read format Download the Visitor Calendar 2011 Peter Franchot (right), Maryland comptroller, presents the Certificate of Recognition of Service to Erwin Mack. A veritable list of who s who gathered on November 15 to celebrate and recognize Erwin Mack, a member of Potomac Conference s Sligo church in Takoma Park, Md. Some guests attended 80-year-old Mack s retirement party held at Washington Adventist University also in Takoma Park. This marked the second time that Mack retired from the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, a business association, which he founded and chaired for more than 20 years. Through that organization Mack lobbied for increased police surveillance, combined advertising, utility improvements, and street and pedestrian safety enhancements. Mack was probably best known for his efforts to make the University Boulevard/New Hampshire intersection safer for pedestrians. When State Farm insurance company named those streets the third most dangerous intersection in the state and several people died there, he founded a multijurisdictional pedestrian committee that pushed for and succeeded in securing millions of dollars in pedestrian safety improvements in that area. During the retirement party, Mack received several citations, certificates and recognition, including Martin O Malley s Governor s Citation for Service, comptroller Peter Franchot s Certificate of Recognition of Service, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett s Certificate of Appreciation and Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams Proclamation of Appreciation. These sorts of recognitions don t happen everyday, asserts Kim Frum, spokesperson for the Comptroller Office for the State of Maryland. Erwin got a proclamation from our office simply because of his decades of hard work to make the Takoma Langley area safer for people who work there, live there and shop there, she said. Mack said he was humbled by these recognitions. I'm just grateful that it appears that my work not only has been appreciated, but has made a positive difference in the areas of my influence, he said. Although officially retired, Mack will continue to serve as the chair of Montgomery County s Pedestrian, Bicycle and Traffic Safety Committee for a two terms.

9 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 2 of 2 11/22/2011 2:03 PM To receive news, click here. Visitor News Bulletin Archives 2012 Calendar of Offerings 2012 Columbia Union Pathfinder Camporee 5427 Twin Knolls Road Columbia, MD Tel: (410) Tel: (301) Family members surround Erwin Mack and his wife, Sylvia. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland state senator, presents Mack with a Resolution for Service. Home About Us News Services Education Entities Find a... Events Legal Notice & Privacy Policy SiteMap. Provided by the North American Division and AdventistChurchConnect.org User Login / Customize.

10 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 1 of 2 11/22/2011 2:04 PM Potomac Hispanic Youth Shower Langley Park Residents With Blessings Story by Taashi Rowe Published 11/21/11 NEWS ARCHIVES NOTICIAS PODCASTS VIDEOS BLOGS TWITTER FACEBOOK November 2011 Archives Try our easy-to-read format If you walked or drove by the parking lot of the Takoma Park Spanish church in Takoma Park, Md., yesterday you would have heard a live Christian praise team; seen kids and kids-at-heart getting their faces painted, taking photos with the Guide magazine dog and singing interactive songs; while their parents selected free clothing and food and got free immigration and health counseling. As people chatted happily with the young people who staffed the giveaway stations and with each other the atmosphere was certainly festive. Located at the corner of University Boulevard and Caroll Avenue, the church is just blocks away from Langley Park, one of the largest Spanish-speaking communities in the Washington, D.C.-area. This was the primary reason that Moviemento Joven Adventista (MJA), Potomac Conference s Hispanic youth ministry, moved this outreach event to this location. Calling it Lluvias de Bendiciones or Showers of Blessings, MJA started working with Spanish-speaking churches around the conference in 2004 to shower this largely poor, immigrant community with key supplies and services around the holidays. Other partners included Catholic Charities and a local supermarket. This is a key corner for us. We know that people need these services. Some live four families in one apartment and many don t have work especially during this time of the year, said Eliasib Fajardo, the conference s assistant youth director for Hispanic Ministries. He also pastors Potomac s Arlington Spanish, the Metro NOVA Spanish and Sterling Spanish churches in Virginia. We want to show people that Jesus Christ is real, he said. Download the Visitor Calendar 2011

11 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 2 of 2 11/22/2011 2:04 PM To receive news, click here. Visitor News Bulletin Archives 2012 Calendar of Offerings 2012 Columbia Union Pathfinder Camporee 5427 Twin Knolls Road Columbia, MD Tel: (410) Tel: (301) Fajardo noted that 99 percent of the staff showing Christ s love on Sunday were young people like Tatiana Escobar, 15, a member of Langley Park Spanish church. This is my way of giving back to the community, she said as she folded clothing. I notice that people take a lot so there is definitely a need. For Maria, who contemplated a pair of shoes for her son, she had multiple needs met that day but the most important was getting her blood pressure checked. I m taking some medication for it so it s good to know the medication is working, she said happily. Home About Us News Services Education Entities Find a... Events Legal Notice & Privacy Policy SiteMap. Provided by the North American Division and AdventistChurchConnect.org User Login / Customize.

12 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 1 of 2 11/22/2011 2:06 PM Highland Adventist School Leads Yearlong Evangelism Outreach Story by Cheryl Jacko Published 11/21/2011 NEWS ARCHIVES NOTICIAS PODCASTS VIDEOS BLOGS TWITTER FACEBOOK November 2011 Archives Try our easy-to-read format Download the Visitor Calendar 2011 As the Parsons church, a very small congregation located 20 miles from Elkins, W.Va., puzzled over how best to witness to the local community, Mountain View Conference s officers encouraged schools across the conference to develop evangelism projects in their local areas. Students and staff at the Highland Adventist School (HAS) in Elkins responded to the challenge. During the school year, they worked with Don Jacko, pastor of the Parsons and Elkins churches, and Parsons members to plan a 10-month evangelism cycle with health ministry as the emphasis. Mountain View Conference and the Parsons church provided financial and other support for the program. The students and staff planned and staffed the various events. What Parson lacked in manpower, HAS had in abundance and throughout the year, the students conducted a number of outreach activities, such as a health expo, where they offered free exercise evaluations with a physical therapist, a lecture on cancer prevention and mini health screenings. They also offered a free, healthy lunch program to the community, contacted missing members and distributed literature. In the spring, the students planned a weeklong revival series with a guest speaker. Several guests joined the students and church members for the series. Students expressed satisfaction with the program and several mentioned the positive experiences they had during the year. I really enjoyed visiting with a man in the community who believes in the Sabbath, Alex Engelkemier said. We found him when we were distributing literature door to door throughout town. Parsons church members were also pleased and appreciated the results of the initiative. I see the yearlong evangelism program as a success, Jacko said. The members are energized and church attendance has increased. We have made several new friends in the Parsons community.

13 Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 2 of 2 11/22/2011 2:06 PM To receive news, click here. Visitor News Bulletin Archives 2012 Calendar of Offerings 2012 Columbia Union Pathfinder Camporee 5427 Twin Knolls Road Columbia, MD Tel: (410) Tel: (301) Home About Us News Services Education Entities Find a... Events Legal Notice & Privacy Policy SiteMap. Provided by the North American Division and AdventistChurchConnect.org User Login / Customize.

14 Adventist Review : 31 CN: Andrews Study Bible Goes Digital 1 of 2 11/22/2011 2:07 PM SUBSCRIBE NOW! NOVEMBER 10, 2011 PRINT THIS PAGE SEND US A COMMENT Notes available for Windows, Mac computers, iphone, ipad, and Android devices BY KERI SUAREZ, Andrews University he Andrews Study Bible, a product of Seventh-day Adventist scholars working with Andrews University, is now available in a popular digital format, readily accessible for computers and mobile electronic devices. Niels-Erik Andreasen, Andrews University president, said the Andrews Study Bible is available as a digital product through a partnership between the church-owned school and Logos Bible Software, the largest developer of software for the Christian market and a worldwide leader in multilingual electronic publishing. Logos offers the largest digital library for theological and biblical study, with more than 9,000 titles from more than 100 publishers. It has long offered a digital edition of The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary on its software platform as well. Andrews University Press, with the Andrews Study Bible, is now part of that impressive roster, Andreasen said. We re pleased to work with Logos Bible Software, because the company has established itself as a leader in providing digital reference and resource material to the Christian world. Logos was a natural choice for helping us obtain an efficient and user-friendly way to make the Andrews Study Bible available for the new generations of Bible students who are comfortable with and even demanding digital resources. AR HOME LOGIN NOW ABOUT THE REVIEW IN THIS ISSUE ONLINE ARCHIVES PRINT INDEX READER RESPONSE PARTNERS PAGE FREE NEWSLETTER CONTACT US ADVENTIST WORLD KIDSVIEW SEARCH The digital edition, officially released on October 10, 2011, is available for all major computer operating systems, making it accessible on standard desk-based and mobile computers and devices, including Apple, Inc. s iphone, ipad, and ipod Touch, as well as Android-based smartphones and tablets. We re excited about the powerful and user-friendly functionality of this new digital edition from Logos Bible Software, said Erno Gyeresi, associate director of Andrews University Press and managing editor of the Andrews Study Bible product line. We believe users will be highly impressed with how their reading experience can be customized to their preferences, the automatic tracking between the New King James Version text and the Andrews Study Bible Notes, and the speed and specificity of search functions, Gyeresi said. Because it operates on many platforms and has effective synchronizing functions, users can use the same purchased product on all their registered computers and devices. We re also particularly pleased with how the software handles the unique linked reference system in the study notes highlighting the great themes of Scripture a hallmark feature of the Andrews Study Bible. Gyeresi said that new Logos Bible Software customers will want to purchase the complete package of the Andrews Study Bible, along with the New King James Version of the Bible. The package retails for $ Current Logos customers who already have the New King James Version from Logos in their digital library will need to buy only the Andrews Study Bible Notes product, which includes all original content in the Andrews Study Bible. That retails for $ Information can be found online at andrewsstudybible. Software Brings Adventist Scholarship to Your Hand The arrival of the Andrews Study Bible Notes on the Logos platform means Seventh-day Adventists with access to handheld technology will have one of the church s best Bible study resources in the palm of their hand. Using the notes is easy, especially on the ipad, where both notes and text are synchronized: enter a Scripture reference in the Bible pane, and the notes will reflect that selection. The quality of the notes in the Andrews Study Bible is without peer for Adventist readers. The scholarship is top-notch, yet the notes themselves are easy to follow and understand. But instead of a three-pound book to carry, it all fits in your iphone, ipad, ipod Touch, or Android device. There s only one word for that: neat!

15 Adventist Review : 31 CN: Andrews Study Bible Goes Digital 2 of 2 11/22/2011 2:07 PM News editor Mark A. Kellner has reviewed technology products since 1983 and is the author of God on the Internet, among other books. Copyright 2011, Adventist Review. All rights reserved worldwide. Online Editor: Carlos Medley. SiteMap. Powered by SimpleUpdates.com User Login / Customize.

16 Thanksgiving comes early in Burlington City - phillyburbs.com : Burlin of 1 11/22/2011 2:07 PM By Jeannie O Sullivan Staff writer Posted: Thursday, November 17, :45 am BURLINGTON CITY For the second year, two congregations joined forces to provide an early Thanksgiving to dozens of needy people. Members of the Burlington Seventh-Day Adventist Church cooked and served a traditional turkey meal at the Burlington Quaker Meetinghouse and Conference Center on High Street on Wednesday. Apron-clad volunteers smiled and dished up the buffet while folks of all walks of life dug into the holiday feast and peeked into gift bags filled with toiletries and other essentials. Medical screenings and chair massages, new features this year, were also part of the package. Friends Rose Bickle and Jounita McHugh were impressed. Everything was delicious, said Bickle, of Burlington Township, adding that she d gotten her blood sugar tested. McHugh, of Lumberton, just stuck to the savory cuisine. If I d have gotten a chair massage, I d have fallen asleep, she said. The meal was made possible by $3,000 collected from Adventist members and 25 cheesecakes donated by Mother s Kitchen, a bakery on Veterans Drive. The spacious dining room and professional kitchen at the meetinghouse served as the ideal venue. Adventist Pastor Daniel Duffis worked the room, grinning and taking candid digital photos. Duffis said the community meal carries out the helping-hands vision of the church, which has operated on Conover Street for 120 years. We think this is really reaching out. For some people, it s the only Thanksgiving they ll get, he said. Duffis said that unlike corporate-funded charities, the meal was paid entirely by donations from the church s 75 members. They also gave freely of manpower. Event coordinator Marilyn Mapp of Burlington Township said 25 volunteers, including teenagers, helped prepare and serve the meal, and that a committee was assigned to take care of shopping for the food and getting the word out. My brothers and sisters at church are really, really good. A major difference this year is the youth involvement, said Mapp, a church member for nine years. Attendance was down from last year s 200 visitors, likely because of the rainy weather, she said. Still, nothing went to waste as the servers switched from serving hot plates to packing the extras in to-go boxes. The Meetinghouse and Conference Center, which has lodging space in addition to cooking and dining facilities, frequently hosts traveling groups and other nonprofits of different faiths. Center director Carol Strawson spoke of the excitement that preceded the much-needed brunch. People were knocking on the door yesterday, asking about it, Strawson said. It s really wonderful.

17 1 of 2 11/22/2011 2:10 PM Published: November 21, 2011 Home / lifestyles / faith_values / By Jeremy Slayton The line began to form outside Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church on Sunday about 5:30 a.m., even before many of the volunteers arrived.

18 2 of 2 11/22/2011 2:10 PM For some, the visit to the house of worship on Midlothian Turnpike in South Richmond may be their only chance for a Thanksgiving meal. The church's gym was converted into a food pantry, tables stacked neatly with flour, turkey, cake mix and all the ingredients needed to make a Thanksgiving meal complete. Before the gathered crowd of nearly 150 people was able to pick food from the tables, Pastor Cecil Williams acknowledged that the need of the community exceeds the resources the church has to help everyone. But, he told the crowd, it's a blessing to be able to help those they can. Williams said more people are in need because of the economic downturn and the unemployment that comes with it. "We see individuals more and more these days that have needs for basic necessities," he said before the food pantry opened. "Our community services department has developed relationships and ties where they can generate large amounts of food." It was a special day for the church members and volunteers, one in which they were able to give back. Smiles were present on their faces despite the long, hard work to pull off the Thanksgiving feeding program. "God provides for us," said Norma Foster, director of the church's community service department who oversees the Thanksgiving food pantry. "He's in charge of this whole program, and I'm working under him." Dr. Sharon Joseph, an internist and pediatrician with Bon Secours in Powhatan County, donated money to help the church buy some of the food items for people to take to feed their families. She also volunteered her time helping to help distribute the items. For her, she said, it was a way to reach out to the community in a meaningful way. As Williams looked over the gym, taking stock of the food and people, he said the Thanksgiving food pantry is the church's largest ministry. It's also one the church wants to continue and grow to make a difference for more people. "As you can see, it touches a lot of people. That alone makes it very important to us," he said. "This is the only ministry we have that is touching as many lives as it does." Richmond Times-Dispatch Copyright 2011 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company.