News

Al and Bonnie Navarro

Story by Tamyra Horst

The Navarros retired earlier this year—Al from the Hope Channel and Bonnie from the Pacific Union Conference—and joined the Pennsylvania Conference Planned Giving team. However, they are beginning their retirement a little bit differently than the norm of vacationing and spending time with grandchildren.

The Highlanders rehearse on the court before a Washington Wizards game.

Story by Lori Zerne

Students from Highland View Academy (HVA) recently shared their talents at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., home to the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals.

The Highlanders, HVA’s elite choral group, sang the national anthem to open a Boston Celtics vs. Wizards game. The school earned this opportunity by submitting an audition video. David Niño, HVA’s music director, says the excitement of the performance “engaged and motivated students” for months.

Stacey Gibbs, a composer and arranger of spirituals, shows the TA chorale a different arrangement to one of his songs.

Story by Salena Featherstone

The Takoma Academy (TA) chorale and camerata is a vocal group consisting of 85 students ranging from grades 9–12. They seek to achieve excellence in all aspects of music—from performance, literacy and technical skill to music history and music in worship and ministry.

Alex Partyka prays at a Maryland Men of Faith Event. Photo by Marlon Ming

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

Alex Partyka grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but stopped attending during a span of 12–13 years of partying that included almost daily drug highs. Toward the end of this time, he realized he wanted to change his life, but didn’t know how and prayed about it.

He says this prayer resulted in a 30-day jail sentence when new evidence was introduced in a re-opened 15-year-old fireworks case thought to be closed.

school photo by GotCredit via Flickr.jpg

Story by Thomas Macomber

The Versacare Foundation recently awarded $1,159,000 in grant funding to Adventist Education, including $920,000 to 118 primary and secondary schools across the United States and Canada in support of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

The STEM grant program is open to every NAD conference or church sponsored primary or secondary school and provides funding in three categories:
• $5,000 for smaller schools of 3 classrooms or less;
• $10,000 for larger schools of 4 or more classrooms and 12-year schools;
• $10,000 for senior academies.

Composer Allen Foster, who is a member of the Ebenezer church, and has four hymns in the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, recently passed.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Composer and musician Allen E. Foster, a longtime member of Allegheny East Conference's Ebenezer church in Philadelphia, recently passed after battling an illness. Foster started playing the piano at Ebenezer at the age of 14 and became the choir’s accompanist at 16.

Jeremy Garlock, pictured baptizing a student, believes Adventist education is an important tool for impacting the lives of children and sharing the gospel with families who are not yet attending church.

Story by Tamyra Horst

Jeremy Garlock has accepted the invitation by the Pennsylvania Conference Executive Committee to serve as vice president for Education. Garlock joined the conference February 1. He most recently served as Superintendent of Education and associate Youth Ministries director for the New York Conference.

Story by Elizabeth Long

Kettering Brain & Spine is moving to a facility that offers a radically new approach to patient care. Kettering Adventist Health Network is celebrating the move with a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, April 11 at 1:30 p.m. Kettering Brain & Spine is located on the third floor of the Pavilion building at 3700 Southern Blvd. in Kettering, Ohio, across the street from Kettering Medical Center.