Family Celebration Sabbath (FCS) took place at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University on July 20 and 21.

Attending from the United Kingdom, Bernie Holford (South England Conference Family Ministries director) lauded, "Family Celebration Sabbath was a tremendous inspiration for me to make a positive, practical difference in my home. I loved the ideas for Friday night worships and learned how Sabbath and the family were always intended to be celebrated together every week! Thank you for organizing such a wonderfully encouraging and affirming Sabbath."

The weekend included presentations by David Taylor, from the School of Religion at Loma Linda University, and Richard and JoAnn Davidson, professors at the Seminary. A. Allan Martin, associate professor of discipleship and family ministry at the Seminary, gave leadership to this new event.

"Family Celebration Sabbath was truly a celebration of God's goodness in putting us all into one big, loving family and providing one day a week for building relationships with our heavenly Father and our family in Christ!" shared Karen Flowers, co-director, Department of Family Ministries, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (GC). "There was Good News, good music, good friends, good food, good conversation. Who could ask for more?"

During closing ceremonies, two prestigious awards were given to Jane Thayer, retiring director of Religious Education at the Seminary. In honor of her many years of dedicated service to family ministries, Thayer received the Distinguished Service Award from the North American Division (NAD) Department of Family Ministries, and the Spaulding Distinguished Service Medallion from the GC Department of Family Ministries.

FCS is the successor of Adventist Family Conference. It was developed to strengthen networking opportunities between family ministries [leaders] and the Doctor of Ministry in Family Ministry cohort as well as individuals pursuing the graduate certificate in family life education. We congratulate the following eight persons who are completing coursework for their graduate certificate summer of 2007, and received certificates during the closing ceremonies. The graduates are Sun Jung Cho, Sherry Galvez, Hyun Young Jeong, Su Jin Kang, Zelda Felix-Mottley, R. Elaine Myers, Deborah Rivera, and Leslie White.

Co-sponsors of FCS include the Religious Education Program at the Seminary, the Adventist Association of Family Life Professionals, AdventSource, and the Departments of Family Ministries for the GC and NAD.

"I was blessed beyond measure," affirmed Donna Mitchell, a family ministries coordinator from Baltimore, Md. "I was in God's presence along with His children, and that was a bit of heaven on earth for me."

FCS will continue as an annual event on the campus of Andrews University, open to Berrien Springs and surrounding communities, as well as to our family ministries network across North America and around the world.

Alexis A. Goring, editorial assistant, Department of Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists