Pennsylvania Conference

Pastor Gabriel Montalvo, Hispanic coordinator for the Pennsylvania Conference unexpectedly passed away October 1. The Pennsylvania Conference issued the following statement.

Dear PA Conference Family:

It is with deep sorrow and personal sadness that I share with you the news that Pastor Gabriel Montalvo has unexpectedly passed away to his rest in Jesus early this Sabbath morning.

Brief conversations with his son this morning gave me these early details. He had been at home recovering from double knee replacement surgery these last few weeks. He suffered a heart attack at home and was transported to a local Philadelphia hospital. Once at the hospital, he suffered another heart attack in the Emergency room of the hospital, and the medical staff were not able to revive him.

Sherwood (Woody) D. Pangborn, Columbia Union Conference publishing director from 1979 to 1991, passed away August 4 in Lansing, Mich.

Pangborn attended Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md., and was then drafted into the U.S. Army in 1956. He started his denominational career canvassing for the Potomac Conference, and in 1962 became assistant publishing director. From 1964 to 1978 he worked in several publishing positions across Asia and the United States, including one with the Pennsylvania conference.

In 1978 he accepted a call to the Columbia Union, where he served as associate publishing director. In 1979 he became publishing director. After retiring in 1991, he served as a pastor at the Chesapeake Conference’s Providence (Md.) church for seven years.

Pangborn is survived by his wife of 60 years, Pam Pangborn, and his children: Sherwood (Judy) Pangborn, Jr., Jim (fiancé Linda Collins) Pangborn and Ethel (Viki Lorraine) Pangborn.

A celebration honoring his life will be held at Chesapeake Conference's New Hope church at 12350 Hall Shop Road in Fulton, Md, Saturday, October 1 at 4 p.m. A reception will follow.

Statement from the Pennsylvania Conference

Thursday night at approximately 9:15 pm a fire was spotted in one of the barns that a local farmer uses to store his equipment and some bales of hay on the campus of Blue Mountain Academy (BMA), Hamburg, Pa. Due to the dry summer and a recent heat wave that made matters worse, it appears a spontaneous combustion occurred, causing the fire.

Very quickly local volunteer fire departments were dispatched and brought the fire under control. At no time were any of our students at risk, as the barn is a one quarter mile from campus. A special thank you goes out the men and women of the local fire departments that braved extreme heat to extinguish the fire.

By Tamaria L. Kulemeka

Tamyra Horst, founder of the Pennsylvania Conference’s Princess Tea events, grew up a shy, fearful girl into an insecure teen and young woman. “I didn’t believe in myself or have any confidence at all,” Horst says. “But God loved me. And His love and learning to believe that He loved me and had a plan, began changing me.”

Her experiences and support system—encouraging women who cheered her on—coupled with working with other women who had battled similar issues inspired Horst to help others.

Horst started organizing teen conferences, tackling relevant teen topics that pointed them to God. Since that time, Horst has written numerous resources for teen ministries and hosted many Princess Teas. Horst has witnessed girls grow into teens and then women, some of whom she has had the opportunity to share in their success. One of the greatest joys through this process has been working with her own niece, Kaleigh, who helped her produce the first princess devotional booklet; Kaleigh, who was 7 at the time, illustrated the booklet. Now 9, Kaleigh can’t wait until she and her aunt write more books together.

Read these articles from the September 2016 Visitor:

For more than five years, the Pennsylvania Conference has hosted regional robotics events at Blue Mountain Academy in Hamburg. The FIRST LEGO League and Adventist Robotics League provide opportunities for all young people to experience exciting “real-world” applications while upholding the values and integrity of a well-rounded Adventist education. Schools from the Pennsylvania Conference, as well as from Ohio, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts have participated. The teams come together to show off their God-given talents, as well as interact with other like-minded young people in a fun, energetic and encouraging environment. Teams work together to build the robot, have fun, help others when needed, to find answers and embrace the spirit of learning, rather than the spirit of winning.