The audience watched a tribute video highlighting Kim’s ministry. “It has been a joy to work alongside the best experts in each field,” Kim said. “I pray that, under new leadership, the church will unite and experience unprecedented revival and growth.” Erton Köhler, General Conference president, and Lee JaeRyong, former NSD president, expressed their appreciation to Kim. Government and civic leaders also delivered congratulatory remarks.
In his inaugural address, Kang expressed gratitude for the sacred trust placed in him. “This region faces many challenges, but I am convinced that God’s grace is greater than any obstacle,” he said. “The heartbeat of the NSD must remain focused on saving souls and fulfilling the mission. Let us stand firmly on the Word of God, safeguard our identity, and press forward together to accomplish the mission entrusted to us.”
More than 200 attendees gathered in the auditorium at the Northern Asia-Pacific Division headquarters in Paju, Korea, where Kang SoonGi officially assumed the presidency of the church’s region. [Photo: Northern Asia-Pacific Division]
PHILIPPINES
Adventist Students Invite More Than 200 Peers to Find Purpose
Many of the attendees came from apartments and boardinghouses around the town of Bunawan. “I never thought a simple invitation from a friend would lead me to discover this much about God,” said Angel Mae Romano, a senior university student who joined the church through baptism.
Heshbon Buscato, Southern Asia-Pacific Division Youth Ministries director, served as the main speaker for the series. His messages, centered on hope, discipleship, and God’s plan for young people, left a lasting impact on the audience, organizers said.
The culmination on Saturday, September 6, brought inspiration to 24 students deciding for baptism. PCM students, officers, and Master Guides personally assisted the candidates as they filled out baptism questionnaires, surrounding them with encouragement and prayer. “The moment symbolized more than decisions made,” organizers said. “It revealed a generation ready to embrace their faith.”
Adventist students and leaders kneel in prayer with newly baptized young people at the end of an evangelistic series at Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology on September 6. [Photo: Southeastern Caraga Mission]
ITALY
Almost 100 Young Adventists Attend the National 2025 Summer Camp
Leading the way on this journey was the spiritual guest of the event, Eugen Havresciuc, director of the northern field in the Italian Union of Churches Conference and pastor of the Adventist communities in Sesto San Giovanni and the Romanian ethnic church in Milan. Based on the image of “broken cisterns” in Jeremiah 2:13, Havresciuc reflected on life stories that hold “everything and nothing”—social profiles that do not accurately describe us, dreams and professional goals for which the Lord is neither involved nor consulted, and empty relationships—to invite young people to make Jesus the center of their lives.
Nicole Salazar, a pedagogist and psychologist, focused on analyzing the inner wounds that inform our character, explaining how to recognize them and transform them into awareness and growth. George Caputi, pastor in the Bergamo district, invited his audience to cultivate balanced relationships.
Participants also surveyed and connected with people in downtown Lecce, where they found out about their spiritual needs.
Almost 100 young Seventh-day Adventists attended the national 2025 summer camp in Melendugno, Lecce, Italy, August 17-24, under the theme “Jesus Is the Center.” [Photo: Hope Media Italia]
UNITED STATES
Grand Rapids Area Adventist Churches Offer Mental Health Support to Community
As Garhett Morgan, pastor of the Rockford and Sparta Adventist churches, and his team set up a large black wall in downtown Rockford, Michigan, United States, a woman stopped. She told him, “I just lost somebody because of suicide in my family, and this just means the world to me.”
The Mental Health Solidarity wall quickly filled with notes, Bible verses, and doodles. “It was like the easiest transition into deep spiritual conversation ever,” Morgan said.
Months before, Morgan sought approval from the township. “There was so much support from the local office,” he said. Church members and volunteers also helped the initiative become a reality.
The congregation invited three Adventist mental health professionals to be present for anyone who needed immediate support. And the church handed out Steps to Christ and gained a few Bible study interests. For Morgan the event reinforced the value of simple initiatives. “I believe in public evangelism. . . . However, I do think that having events like this are just as important.”
The Rockford and Sparta Adventist churches, near Grand Rapids, launched the Mental Health Solidarity wall initiative on September 6. [Photo: Lake Union Herald]
ALBANIA
Baptism Marks Firstfruits of a Church Plant in a Town With No Adventist Presence
In Dishnicë a vision for church planting emerged after the ACTS training in 2022. ACTS is a support system for planters committed to multiplying Adventist churches worldwide.
Adriel Henke, leader of the project, explained the choice of Dishnicë. “I prayed and visited some villages around Korçë, where I serve as a pastor. God answered me clearly that we should focus on this village. There was no Christian presence there, so we saw it as an open door, [because] nothing is impossible for God.”
Bledi Leno, director of the Global Mission Urban Center and one of the ACTS trainers in Albania, commented on the wider vision. “Witnessing the results of a church planting initiative is not only heartwarming but also deeply inspiring,” he said. “This is the vision at its best: sparking and sustaining a movement that takes root, grows, and transforms lives for eternity.”
Five people were baptized in July on the shores of Pogradec, Albania, marking the firstfruits of a new Seventh-day Adventist church plant in the nearby village of Dishnicë. [Photo: Albanian Mission]
