Weekly News & Updates | January 20, 2022
GC Delegates Vote Virtual Participation in World Church Sessions
On January 18, 2022, delegates attending a special General Conference (GC) Session voted to include a new section to Article V of the GC Constitution that will allow delegates to participate digitally in a future GC Session. The unanimous vote took place in the event that unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances arise and will enable delegates to participate in the upcoming GC Session taking place June 6-11, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri, even if they cannot physically travel to the venue because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to current COVID-19 travel restrictions, the delegates for the one-day, one-item session were primarily individuals working at the GC headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. Each division previously approved these delegates, and the GC Executive Committee (EXCOM) voted to approve them on September 16, 2021. The GC EXCOM still has to make a decision at the appropriate time based on the current circumstances whether the GC session will be held virtually, in-person, or as a hybrid event.

Adventist Review/Adventist News Network
Devonshire Church Donates to Local Family Shelter
The Devonshire church in Devonshire, Bermuda, donated $4,500 to the newly-opened Transformational Living Centre (TLC), a center addressing the growing problem of homelessness in Bermuda among families with children. In 2019 and 2020, the church raised the money through its annual Christmas gift drive. Carlyle Simmons, the church's pastor, presented the donation to Elaine Butterfield in November 2021 during the Sabbath morning preliminaries. Butterfield is the former executive director of the Women’s Resource Centre, one of the charitable foundations behind TLC. "We are so grateful to the Devonshire Seventh-day Adventist Church for your most generous donation," Butterfield told the congregation. "Please know that lives will be changed because of it."

Theresa Millett, Devonshire church communication department
Photo caption: Volunteers prepare the Transformational Living Centre in Pembroke, Bermuda, to receive families needing shelter. [Photo provided by Theresa Millett]
Public Affairs and Religious Liberty COVID-19 Coronavirus Conference: February 5
The Atlantic Union Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty (PARL) Department will present a virtual COVID-19 Coronavirus Conference on February 5, at 5:00 p.m. Topics include: "Are Vaccine Mandates Legal?" "Do the Vaccines Change a Person's DNA?" "Are Fetal Cells Used in the Vaccines?" "How Do I Get a Vaccine Exemption?" "Are Vaccines Safe?" and "I Am Not Vaccinated, What Are My Rights?" Presenters are Wilmore Webley, Ph.D., an immunologist at the University of Massachusetts; Alan Reinach, JD, an employment attorney and PARL director for the Pacific Union Conference; Nia Johnson, JD/MA, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University; and Nicholas Miller, JD/Ph.D., a church historian and PARL director for the Lake Union Conference. Watch the conference live on the Atlantic Union Conference YouTube channel and the Atlantic Union Conference Facebook page.
2022 GODencounters Virtual Event: Feb 11-13
GODencounters is now virtual! Registration is open for the virtual 2022 GODencounters happening February 11-13. Join young adults (ages 18-35) from across the Atlantic Union and beyond for this life-changing experience with God. Registration for this virtual event is FREE but ends February 4. Click HERE for more information and to register online.
Upcoming Events

Do you have an alumni weekend, church event, or special event happening at a church, school, or other entity within the Atlantic Union? Click HERE to let us know!

January 14-February 5; 7:00 p.m. nightly (except Mondays and Thursdays)
Healing for a Hurting World: A Virtual Health Series sponsored by Eden Lifestyle, The Healing of the Nations Ministry, and the Northeastern Conference Health Ministries. The event will be on Zoom. Click HERE for presenters, topics, and login information.

January 22; 5:00 p.m.
Let's Meet the Religious Liberty Magazine Today! sponsored by the Northeastern Conference and Greater New York Conference Public Affairs and Religious Liberty departments. The event will be on Zoom. Click HERE for presenters and login information.

January 27-29
Northern New England Art Clinic 2022 hosted at Pine Tree Academy in Freeport, Maine. Click HERE for more information.
Moment of Reflection
About Atlantic Union Conference
Founded in 1901, the Atlantic Union Conference is the headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the northeast United States and the islands of Bermuda. It serves six conferences, more than 128,595 members in 602 churches and 95 groups, 52 schools, and numerous community-based ministries.
The Atlantic Union Gleaner FYI is a news and information bulletin produced by the Communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Atlantic Union Conference. You are free to reprint any portion of the bulletin without the need for special permission. However, we kindly request that you identify Atlantic Union Gleaner FYI whenever you publish these materials.
Ednor A.P. Davison, communication director/editor
Debra Banks Cuadro, communication assistant director