New Jersey Conference | Seventh-day Adventist Church

Lake Nelson Adventist Academy Eighth-Grader ‘Partners for Eternity’ With Neighbor

Jaslyn and Ms Kelly Kelly participate in Lake Nelson Academy's Partrership for Eternity

Story by Jaslyn Valverde

For the last couple of years, I’ve been participating in Partnership for Eternity. Since 2006, this program has been helping cultivate relationships between mentors and students at Seventh-day Adventist academies and elementary schools. The goal of the program is for students and mentors to create relationships and experience the blessing of service together. It has also been created to help retired individuals connect more with youth by build- ing relationships and learning from each other.

The Pierced Hands, Feet and Ears

Editorial by Stephen Lee

“I Will Go: Making Disciples” is the overarching theme that we pray will motivate every member in the New Jersey Conference. One may ask, “How am I to accomplish or even attempt such a feat?” or “What’s in it for me?”

In order to find the answers, we need to explore what Jesus meant when He gave us this command. How did He accomplish it? He not only taught through His words, but through His life of servitude. What was in it for Him? That is more difficult to answer, if not impossible to understand with our finite estimation. He allowed the ungrateful human race to ultimately reject Him by piercing His hands and feet and nailing them to the cross.

New Jersey Conference Celebrates Departmental Directors

For the next quinquennium, the New Jersey Conference leadership team is comprised of (pictured top row, left to right) Wilman Polanco, Anthony Ponterio Jr., Jean-Michel Etienne, Carl Rodriguez, Eduardo Monteiro, Carlos J. Torres, Daniel Cabezas, (bottom row, left to right) Mario Thorp, Elisa Maragoto, Cinthia Portanova, Treasurer Carlos Portanova, President Jorge Aguero, Executive Secretary Stephen Lee, Amalia Aguero, Juliana Marson and Samuel Jerome.

New Opportunities

In Philippians 3:14, the apostle Paul writes, “Forgetting those things which are behind” (NKJV), a concept that can be applied to us spiritually and also by looking at the occurrences of the past year.

New Youth Director Joins New Jersey Conference

Story by Cinthia Portonova

The New Jersey Conference welcomes Carl Rodriguez to serve as the new youth director. With many years of Youth Ministries experience under his belt, Rodriguez has worked as a teacher, pastor, camporee director and conference youth and young adult director. He most recently served as the Youth and Young Adult Ministries director for the Chesapeake Conference.

Rodriguez is currently a candidate for a Doctorate in Ministry in Urban Ministries from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary (Mich.), and already holds a Master of Divinity from the same institution. He also has a Master of Business Administration from Frostburg State University (Md.).