Skip to content

Chicago Adventist Church to Offer Free Tuition—and More News

chicago_free_tuition

Shiloh Church Pastor John Boston II shared the news that his church voted unanimously to provide free tuition for students attending the Chicago Seventh-day Adventist Christian School. Boston said the goal was to “do everything we can go give the children of Chicago the best chance we can give. Nothing does this better than Christian Education.”

The Chicago Seventh-day Adventist Christian School sits in Chicagos Southside and “since 1913 has served generations of pre-Kindergarten through 8 grade students.” 

Debbie Michel, Lake Union Conference communication director and Lake Union Herald editor, interviewed Boston about the decision. “We couldnt afford not to do something in this area,” he said. “The Southside of Chicago is riddled with violence on the news. This Adventist school is probably one of the most viable opportunities to make a difference in this community. Many urban Adventist schools and churches are not doing well. We believe at Shiloh that our path to heal our community is through Christian Education. Right now, we have begun speaking with local and international agencies fighting human trafficking: 16,000 young girls are trafficked in Chicago each year. Thats two every hour. This was the time for us to step out and stand in the gap. Jesus is coming soon and we need every available tool to reach the hearts of the people around us.”

The church is using its “entire evangelism budget for the rest of 2022 and the first half of 2023 and funds given by several donors to finance the project.” Boston explained that “the final piece comes in from donors in Chicago and around the world that want to be a part of making this kind of difference. This is a need-based scholarship. Once a family applies, we apply the spiritual care necessary to make sure we make room for their children every way we can. Some parents can afford to sacrifice money to place their children at this school, but we want to make sure they dont have to decide between meals, gas, rent, and tuition. We step in to get the tuition where they cant handle it. For some that means 100%; for others that will mean much less. The bottom line is that we will not allow tuition to be an obstacle for any family that comes to us.”

Boston expects “exponential growth” from the initiative. “Really, we want the floodgates of change in our community to pour through the church and the school,” he said. “Jesus is coming soon, and if we are going to make a radical difference, we must take some radical steps.”

—From the Lake Union Herald, Chicago Church School to Offer Free Tuition.”

Nigerian Adventist Pastor Highlights the Need to End Gender-Based Violence

“District pastor of Asokoro Seventh-day Adventist Church, Abuja, Musa Munaji [Nigeria], has called on the government at all levels to apply stiffer penalties for perpetrators of rape and other gender-based violence,” Henry Tyohemba writes in an article for the Nigerian website Leadership. “Munaji made the call . . . during a peaceful walk to raise awareness and advocate for the end of violence around the world.

Speaking in regards to the Adventist Church’s enditnow Emphasis Day, “he said perpetrators shouldnt be hidden once they are found guilty, but allowed to face the consequences so as to put a stop to the act. He said men and women were created in the image of God, saying that every individual either man or woman is valued in the face of the Lord.

“The spiritual father also condemned violence of any kind, either emotional, physical, or psychological. ‘As a church, we are saying no to violence of any type, against women, men or children.’ “

Grace Okah, director of women’s ministries for the North Central Nigeria Conference, said, “Women and children have been victimized and have not been given their due rights in society. They have suffered a lot and the perpetrators have not faced enough . . . and it has affected some peoples lives.’ “

—From Leadership,Clerics Advocate Stiffer Punishment for Rapists.”

Loma Linda University Medical Center Entryway Design Praised, Providing Safety to Employees and Visitors

Loma Linda University Medical Center entryway design is being praised for providing safety to employees and visitors. In an article from Forbes, “hospital design experts Christina Grimes and Sarah Markovitz explain how caregiver environments can balance the need to maintain a welcoming environment while protecting staff and patients from the recent uptick of violence at healthcare facilities.”

Loma Linda University Medical Center in California uses “a unique entry experience, featuring a series of dramatic outdoor archways leads to a shallow lobby and reception, creating a single controlled access point while creating a warm, beautiful first impression.”

The article follows with other types of safety ideas for protecting healthcare workers and others.

—From Forbes, Violence Against Healthcare Workers Is At An All-Time High: Here’s How Workplaces Can Keep Them Safe.”

Former Calypso King of the World” Baptized as an Adventist by Leading Evangelist in the Inter American Division

Calypso performer Slinger Francisco, “The Mighty Sparrow,” will now be known as “Brother Francisco” after his recent baptism at Far Rockaway Beach in New York, according to the Searchlight newspaper. Sparrow, 87, who now lives in Queens, New York, had a career as a calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. He was known as the Calypso King of the World.”

 “With his baptism as a Seventh-day Adventist, it’s uncertain if the legendary Mighty Sparrow will ever again sing calypsos to his legions of fans worldwide,” reported New York Carib News.

According to the Caribbean Union Conference, Pastor Claudius Morgan, who performed the baptism, “has so far led 20,000+ people to Christ and established 15 churches in the Caribbean and North America. He is one of the few evangelists in the World Church who effectively combines singing and preaching in his ministry.”

—From the Searchlight,The Mighty Sparrow—Calypso King of the World Baptised in New York,” and from New York Carib News, The Mighty Sparrow Baptized In New York.”

 


Pam Dietrich taught English at Loma Linda Academy for 26 years and served there eight more years as the 7-12 librarian. She lives in Yucaipa, California.

Title image courtesy of the Lake Union Herald

We invite you to join our community through conversation by commenting below. We ask that you engage in courteous and respectful discourse. You can view our full commenting policy by clicking here.

Subscribe to our newsletter
Spectrum Newsletter: The latest Adventist news at your fingertips.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.