News Headlines: Oakwood University Church to Honor Trayvon Martin’s Mother
In this week’s news headlines:
Oakwood University Church to Honor Trayvon Martin’s Mother. Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, will be honored with the Black History Achievement Award during a live broadcast of Breath of Life at the Oakwood University Seventh-day Adventist Church. Carlton Byrd, senior pastor of Oakwood Church and speaker-director of Breath of Life, said recognizing Fulton symbolizes the on-going work needed to create fairness in United States. Fulton will be honored for her violence-prevention work. From AL.com, “Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, to be honored in Huntsville for violence-prevention work.”
Hell, No For AUC’s Accrediting Process. Disagreement over theological understandings of Satan and hell ended the accreditation process for Atlantic Union College with the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges (TRACS). AUC lost its accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 2011 and has been seeking alternative accreditation in order to begin enrolling students again. The school is now seeking accreditation with another, yet unnamed organization, as well as pursuing certificate programs through the state of Massachusetts. From Sentinel & Enterprise News, “Devil in the details for Atlantic Union College’s accreditation attempt.”
LSU-3 Appeal Dismissed, Ending Lawsuit. In a special NAD NewsPoints memo, the North American Division reported that on March 5, 2014, California Superior Court Judge Edward Webster granted summary judgment in favor of La Sierra University and the other defendants by dismissing the claims of the three university staff members who resigned in 2011. The plaintiffs dropped their appeal of the March 5 ruling prior to their appeal being heard by the California State Court of Appeals, making the March 5 ruling final. In the NewsPoints bulletin, North American Division president Daniel Jackson, who had been named in the suit, said, “We are grateful that this lawsuit has ended and that the Church and La Sierra University can focus all of our attention and resources to the quality education of our students.”
Adventist Pastor Announces Philadelphia Mayoral Candidacy. The senior pastor of the North Philadelphia Seventh-day Adventist Church, Keith Goodman, announced Sunday that he will run for mayor in the May 19 Democratic primary. Goodman ran as a Democrat for Chester City Council in 2005 and lost. Now, questions about his eligibility have arisen. Philadelphia laws require that a mayoral candidate be a resident for three years. Goodman has been, but not during the past three consecutive years. From Philly.com, “Goodman officially enters Phila. mayoral race,” and “Lawyer: Rev. Keith Goodman not eligible to run for mayor.”
Muslim Youth Burn Church in Ghana Land Dispute. Reports from Ghana’s Brong-Ahafo region indicate that a group of Muslim youth burnt an Adventist church after a land dispute turned violent. JoyOnline.com reports that the church and pastor’s home were burnt on land that the Adventist Church purportedly owned since 1967, but which the Muslim group maintained it had purchased in 2010. From JoyOnline.com, “SDA abandons church after Muslim youth attack.”
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 Redlands, CA.
