Story by Tamyra Horst
“Believing in the Lord was one thing; getting to know Him though has been life-changing,” shares Amanda Stevens. “I am not the same person that I was even three months ago. I have yielded my life fully to Jesus. And I love Him. I love reading the Bible and doing Bible studies. I love being around other believers and seeing His light shining through them. And I love that the Lord has provided me with a church family.”
Story by Walter Cardenas
Perhaps some think of “the church” as simply the building where they worship. That term has taken on new meaning as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A building is not necessary for ministry to take place. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has found new and innovative ways to worship and reach out to others through phone calls, Zoom meetings and social media.
The Spanish-speaking members in Mountain View Conference’s territory have had many different needs. Local pastors and members have purchased groceries and offered financial assistance for those who have lost jobs. Volunteers have also taken them grocery shopping and have served as translators at doctor’s appointments.
Story by Heidi Shoemaker
Story by Darren Wilkins
Spring Valley Academy (SVA) elementary students noticed a few new faces in their classrooms at the beginning of the 2020–21 school year.
Former fifth- and sixth-grade teacher, Emily Cowell, took the third- and fourth-grade position after the passing of former teacher Kimberly Orr, while Michele O’Geare moved from her first- and second-grade posi- tion to fill the ELL/reading specialist role vacated by Michelle Church.
Story by Heidi Wetmore
Spencerville Adventist Academy (SAA) is pleased to welcome two new educators for the 2020–2021 school year. Laura Steinert joins SAA’s high school teaching staff in the capacity of English teacher. Her name might sound familiar to SAA families because Steinert began her teaching career at SAA during the 1999–2000 school year.
Story by New Jersey Conference Staff
Peggy Filossaint, the new associate pastor of New Jersey Conference's Maranatha French church in Newark, is a New Jersey native. A graduate of Garden State Academy and Bowie State University (Md.), she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting.
Filossaint worked as an accountant for 16 years before starting her own accounting business in Hagerstown, Md. Three years later, God called her into ministry.
In August 2019, she enrolled in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University (Mich.), where she is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry. In November 2019, she was ordained as an elder at The Grace Place (Ind.).
Story by Tiffany Doss
In 2010, Gavin Simpson, now a member of the Harrisonburg (Va.) church, embarked on a life-changing journey of faith as a missionary. Over the last decade, through Eleventh-Hour Laborers, a nonprofit ministering to the less reached regions of the world, he has worked in India, Nepal, Myanmar, and, most recently, Cuba. “We work in-person with the local churches,” he explains. “We train Bible workers and members to do effective community evangelism and outreach. Our Bible workers in Cuba baptized more than 300 individuals last year.”
Story by LaTasha Hewitt
The men of the Metropolitan church in Hyattsville, Md., recently led a march in Washington, D.C., to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in May by the hands of police officers. Led by Pastor Trevor Kinlock, the initial group of 25 swelled to about 1,000, as hundreds of people joined them. The march became one of the largest in D.C., and garnered the attention of various news outlets such as CBS, CNN and FOX.
