Hawkeye Seventh-day Adventist^® Church

NAD Honors Historic Promotion of an Adventist Chaplain Serving in the U.S. Air Force

Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries of the North American Division recognized Chaplain John Elliott of the United States Air Force on July 3, 2019, for his recent promotion to colonel. He is only the second Seventh-day Adventist Air Force chaplain to achieve the rank — the first was Chaplain David Buttrick, who was promoted in 2017.

“Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries is proud of our chaplains who have milestone events. We have a Flame Award we present to military chaplains when they achieve the rank of colonel or upon their retirement ... Chaplain Elliott is not retiring. In fact, he's at an apex of his career,” said Paul Anderson, director/endorser of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, during a special ceremony at the division’s headquarters in Columbia, Maryland.

Elliott was commissioned into the Air Force Chaplain Corps in 1999. He is currently the Air Force Chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia. Before that, he was the director of Plans and Procedures for the Air Force Chief of Chaplains. Elliott was officially promoted to colonel on May 1.

“It's a privilege to be in ministry, serve our country, and be a minister for those who serve our country, whether it be soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines. It's been a great honor,” said Elliott upon accepting the award. “One of our primary [roles is to] provide the free exercise of religion. That means everybody in uniform gets to worship God the way they believe that they need to worship God. That means Seventh-day Adventist as well.”

The North American Division Releases a Comprehensive Guide to Search Engine Optimization for Ministries

The North American Division (NAD) recently released its first comprehensive guide to search engine optimization for ministries. The Search Engine Optimization Guidebook is designed to help Seventh-day Adventist entities evangelize online through effective content creation, website ranking best practices, and reputation management.

“The Seventh-day Adventist Church has historically been at the forefront of using tools and technologies to advance present truth — from print to radio to television — now is the time to leverage the untapped potential of digital communications such as search engine optimization for the customization of our ministry services as part of a broader digital strategy that relies on making data-driven decisions,” states Alvin Kibble, vice president for Big Data + Social Media, Public Affairs & Religious Liberty, Literature Ministries, and Executive Coaching, Training & Development for the NAD.

This 142-page document is a culmination of 9 months’ work as well as a collaborative partnership between the NAD’s Social Media + Big Data department and the Center for Online Evangelism. It’s a step-by-step guide designed to be easy to follow and implement. It will be a “living document,” which will undergo regular updates as technologies change, but the underlying philosophy will remain largely the same.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an ever-evolving set of strategies used in online marketing to help organizations reach more of their target audience. It is the process of utilizing a variety of techniques to positively impact a website’s visibility in unpaid search engine results. The higher a website ranks when a person googles search terms related to it, the more Web traffic it receives. Most people do not scroll past the first page of search engine results.

“Our challenge as a Church is to embrace these techniques in order to cut through the clutter online and reach more seekers in an increasingly digital world,” said Jamie Domm, digital strategist for the NAD. “This guide is designed to equip ministries of all sizes to truly ‘meet people where they are.’” Today, that’s online.

“By being intentional and strategic, we can improve our digital curb appeal and encourage more people to encounter, and possibly embrace, our message,” added Domm.

For example, 74,000 people Google “Bible study” each month. The name “Jesus” is Googled 1,500,000 times per month, and “Adventist” 18,000 times per month.*

“People are literally Googling for God, but not finding our messages of Hope and Wholeness. We can no longer ignore the potential of this vast online mission field of people that already wants what we have to offer — an audience we may never otherwise meet!” said Amy Prindle, lead content strategist, Center for Online Evangelism. This is a significant ministry opportunity, if Adventist websites can rank higher in the search results Google displays for these search terms

“I believe the next Great Awakening will be a digital one. This is our generation’s Great Commission,” Domm said.

With some education, said Domm, every ministry can invest the time to implement these valuable techniques. This is your chance to learn insider information (for FREE) and use it for the gospel.

* Data pulled from keyword research tools Keyword Planner (Google Ads), Ubersuggest and Keywords Everywhere.

Direct download here: SDAdata.blog/SEOguidebook

Landing page with additional resources: SDAdata.org/seo

Subscribe to the Digital Evangelism Strategies Newsletter: SDAdata.org/subscribe

Follow Digital Evangelism Strategies on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Jefferson City Mayor Thanks Iowa-Missouri Conference for Disaster Relief Efforts

On Sabbath, June 8, Jefferson City mayor Carrie Tergin stopped by the 2019 Iowa-Missouri Camp Meeting in Centralia, Missouri, to express her thanks for recent disaster relief efforts Adventists have undertaken in and around the city.

“On behalf of Jefferson City, we appreciate each and every one of you,” she said. “We will rebuild. We will be stronger.”

Joining her were Jody Dickhaut, the Iowa-Missouri Conference’s Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) coordinator for Missouri, and Jeremy Redman, pastor of Capital West Christian Church in Jefferson City. CWCC donated space to the city to warehouse disaster relief supplies and serve as the distribution center for community members to receive supplies and resources.

Tornadoes tore through the Jefferson City community on May 22, impacting 729 homes — 161 were destroyed while an additional 235 sustained major damage. Thankfully, no lives were lost.

In addition to the tornado, the area has also been heavily impacted by flooding. ACS DR volunteers, along with other federal, state, and local agencies, opened resource centers for affected residents in the days following the events.

Approximately $8,000 was collected during camp meeting that will be used for disaster relief efforts in the Jefferson City area and other parts of Iowa and Missouri that have been impacted by disasters. The youth department at camp meeting also assembled 250 flood buckets that will be distributed to impacted residents in these areas.

“We’re so grateful for those who have volunteered around our conference,” said Robert Wagley, executive secretary. He also thanked Tergin and Redman for the opportunity to serve together in the Jefferson City community.

Watch the disaster update and remarks from Mayor Tergin below.

— Randy Harmdierks is communication director for the Iowa-Missouri Conference; the original article appeared on the Iowa-Mission Conference website on June 20, 2019.

Faith For Today to Begin Search for New Speaker/Director

Dear Friend,

I am so blessed! April 2019 was my fifteenth anniversary with Faith For Today. July 2019 marks 45 years of ministry for me. What a blessing it has been for me to do work I love for a God I adore.

Not long ago I asked the Faith For Today Executive Committee to start the process of transitioning the ministry for new leadership. Per my request, a search to identify prospective candidates to lead this ministry will soon be underway. While no time table has been set, it is my prayer that this historic ministry will be well positioned for continued service for the Master.

Thank you for your strong support of this unique ministry through the years. Your belief in us as we conduct “first contact” ministry to secular men and women has inspired our entire team. But your support will be especially crucial as Faith For Today makes yet another leadership transition.

Please keep us in your prayers as the search begins. While this is obviously not the first time the 69-year-old ministry has transitioned leadership, it is still crucial that we find God’s candidate for this position. As always, I am confident He will not only lead this search, but will continue to guide Faith For Today until His return.

In His Service,

Mike Tucker

Speaker/Director, Faith For Today

Faith For Today FAQs

Why is Mike Tucker leaving Faith For Today?

He would like to retire, and will do so sometime in the future. We are honoring his request and working to have a smooth transition. The timeline has not been determined.

Will Tucker still be on Lifestyle Magazine?

Yes, he will continue to host Lifestyle Magazine for the foreseeable future. There are currently no plans to remove him. There are no plans to cancel Lifestyle Magazine.

Will he continue to do Mad About Marriage?

Yes, he will still continue to do Mad About Marriage Seminars, even into his retirement. He will also continue to be with Canyon Creek Project for the foreseeable future.

Will Faith For Today be moving?

There are no foreseeable plans for the ministry to move.

Who will be the next speaker/director for Faith For Today?

We do not know who will be the next Faith For Today speaker/director, but when that information is available it will be announced.