Herald covers in 2024. We began the year looking at the early pioneers and civic engagement, celebrated the comeback of an urban church, highlighted the expansions of early childhood centers, showcased camp meeting and summer camp ministries, spotlighted the new UChicago Medicine AdventHealth leadership, tracked the last impact of Pathfinder club ministry, marked the 150th anniversary of Andrews University and capped the year with women's ministries leaders reflecting on the goodness of God.
Debbie Michel
January 1, 2025Just a few short weeks after my baptism I was almost skipping through the corridors of 30 Rock, the famed Rockefeller Plaza skyscraper in New York City, overjoyed to have found the true Rock, Jesus. My usual “Good morning” was replaced with “Praise the Lord for another day!” Friends would gaze side-eyed, as if wondering what had possessed me. But this was no time for holding back. Here we were in the bustling business of telling bad news and I wanted my co-workers to experience the glorious hope found in the Good News.
As a television news producer, I discovered telling stories carries enormous power to shape public perceptions. For instance, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation on New Orleans, I recall helping to field hundreds of calls and emails from viewers offering jobs, homes, toys—you name it—anything their hearts could muster to aid the desperate people they saw on their screens. Such moments serve as a reminder that stories have the power to stir our emotions and ignite a collective empathy which transcends mere words.
One of the things I love the most about the book of Acts is the way the apostles share Jesus with other people. At times they use scriptural references and things like that, but most of the time they simply tell their stories. They share their own history and talk about what they’ve been through and seen, and that’s enough to make people around them stop and wonder about Jesus.
A prime example of this is the Apostle Paul. Starting in Acts 22, Paul is delivered to the authorities who are responsible for charging him and punishing him, but Paul shares his story with them, revealing truths about himself that wind up saving him (for the moment).
From there Paul continues to go from authority to authority, telling everyone about who he was before Christ and who he became. In doing so, he shared the love of Jesus with everyone and saw many people, even authorities, come to faith.
Paul’s witness is by extension the mission of the Lake Union Herald: Telling the Stories of What God is Doing in the Lives of His People.
We began 2024 looking at our early pioneers and how they actively sought to influence the world around them. We capped the year with our women’s ministries leaders giving God thanks for His goodness and love. In between, we celebrated the comeback of one of our urban churches, highlighted the growing needs of our early-childhood centers, showcased summer camp ministry and camp meetings, spotlighted the new leadership at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, tracked the lasting impact of Pathfinder club ministry and marked the 150th anniversary of Andrews University. And of course, stories abounded of how God continues to remake and reshape members lives, for His glory.
What’s ahead for 2025? We plan to tell more of your stories throughout the eight issues of the magazine, focusing on the following themes: Jan/Feb is devoted to the 80th anniversary of Lake Region Conference; March kicks-off our five-year focus on our partnership with Peru called “Project Amigo”; April delves into the rising trend of special education needs; May/June jumpstarts the summer camp and camp meeting season; July/August and September affords us the opportunity to explore two important entities— UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Health and Andrews University, respectively; October celebrates God’s creation; and we close the year featuring stories of the Union-wide evangelism campaign dubbed “Pentecost 2025.”
So, as we begin 2025, my question to you, dear reader, is this: What’s holding you back from sharing your own God-authored story? Is there something you or your church encountered that you think will encourage and inspire others in their walk with God? Your experiences are worth sharing, because, in sharing these stories, our faith is built up, the faith of those we are sharing with is built up, and God is glorified.
You may find more details on our writers guidelines at https://www.lakeunionherald.org/contributor-guidelines/writer-guidelines or reach out to us at herald@lakeunion.org.
