First Filipino Church Conducts Health Expo
T
he First Filipino church (FFSDAC) in Plainfield recently held their second Health Expo under the coordination of Margie Magbanua, FFSDAC health director. Forty church volunteers prepared activities for 42 adult guests and 40 children. Another 50 school-aged children benefited from the event, receiving free backpacks full of school supplies. Officer Johnson, from the local Police Department, and Lieutenant Nieves and his division crew from the city’s Fire Department, were among the community members who attended. Esther Dasilva, a public health office nurse, offered a sugar and cholesterol check. Representatives Michelle and Debbie Norek also attended and educated the crowd on the benefits program for women, infants and children (WIC). The young adults and youth of the church facilitated the Kid’s Health Expo station. They also put together backpacks with school supplies for children. The church provided a nutrition booth, a healthy juicing booth, a massage booth, and they offered free blood sugar, blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) checks, water therapy, physical fitness, breast cancer awareness, men’s health awareness, stroke
Member Rex Jardiniano donates blood during the FFSDAC Health Expo.
awareness, diabetes awareness information, CPR demo and much more. They also hosted a prayer booth where they prayed with the guests.
Leadership Summit Gathers 350 at Lake Nelson Church
N
ew Jersey Conference leaders from local churches had an opportunity to develop their leadership skills during the fourth Adventist Leadership Summit.
Celeste Ryan Blyden preaches at the Adventist Leadership Summit about leaders facing crisis.
More than 350 leaders filled the seats at Lake Nelson church to worship, learn and have fellowship with other leaders from various churches. This year’s speakers included: Columbia Union vice presidents Celeste Ryan Blyden and Frank Bondurant; Andre Ascalon, a New Jersey Conference pastor; Paul Richard Goodridge, a pastor from the Oakwood University church (Ala.); and Paulo Macena, youth director from the New Jersey Conference and organizer of the event. Evelyn Roque, one of the young leaders who attended the event, says, “The Leadership Summit is a great event! We are able to worship and learn together. We are also able to acquire knowledge from great and experienced speakers. In the New Jersey Conference, we deal with people from different ages, cultures and backgrounds, therefore obtaining the right set of skills is crucial.” Macena concludes, “Leaders left the summit inspired and motivated to become better leaders and continue to follow in Jesus’ steps—the greatest Leader of all.”
New Jersey News is published in the Visitor by the New Jersey Conference n 2303 Brunswick Ave., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 392-7131 n njcsda.org n President, José H. Cortés n Communication Director, Paulo Macena
26 | VISITOR December 2016