Discipleship is most powerful when faith moves—shaping hearts within and transforming lives beyond the classroom. The world needs hope. And we have this hope in Jesus Christ—God’s greatest Gift to provide the solution that the world needs.
The Great Commission calls every believer to reflect the Son and share His love with the world. For students across the Atlantic Union, that calling is becoming a lived experience as they learn that shining their light is not simply an idea or concept, but a daily choice expressed through worship, service, and leadership. When young people discover that serving God can be both purposeful and intentional, they are compelled to say, “I will serve Thee because I love Thee. You have given life to me.”
At the same time, discipleship begins within—deep inside—through changed hearts and minds softened by the Holy Spirit’s influence. Before students can lead others, their own faith must be strengthened, nurtured, and grounded in Christ. Across our schools, this dual focus has become clear through initiatives that reach outward through service and mission, and others that are intentionally focused on in-reach experiences. All of God’s children are to “be taught by the Lord” (Isaiah 54:13, NIV), and both approaches are necessary to deepen our students’ spiritual lives.
This holistic vision reflects the mission of the Atlantic Union Conference Office of Education: to provide leadership and coordination for elementary schools and academies throughout the union territory by training students to lead, empowering them to serve, and inspiring them to be ready. Partnering with the North American Division’s Pentecost 2025 initiative further encouraged schools to embrace discipleship as both spiritual formation and active mission. Through these experiences, students are discovering that each one can reach one. Individually and collectively, they have an integral role in sharing the good news of the gospel.
The five profiles that follow offer a glimpse into this full picture of discipleship—stories of young people growing deeper in their faith while learning to show it tangibly in service to others. Together, they remind us that when students are trained to lead, empowered to serve, and inspired to be ready, mission becomes more than a program; it becomes a way of life.
Marlene Alvarez serves as vice president for the Atlantic Union Conference Office of Education.
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Greater New York Academy
WOODSIDE, NEW YORK | GRADES: 9-12
PASTORS AND STUDENTS ‘PARTNER WITH PURPOSE’
Greater New York Academy (GNYA) recently hosted pastors from the Greater New York Conference for “Partnering With Purpose,” a special event aimed at building stronger ties between churches and Adventist education.
Even with the winter weather, pastors came with energy and dedication, showing their strong support for students and Christian education. The day started with a look at the new gymnasium, then a campus tour led by student leaders. An uplifting chapel program and a shared meal gave everyone time to connect and reflect.
One of the best parts of the event was hearing students thank their teachers. They talked about feeling supported, challenged, and inspired every day, which showed how dedicated GNYA’s educators are.
Dr. Alanzo Smith, president of the Greater New York Conference, spoke about the purpose of Christian education and encouraged pastors to keep supporting Adventist schools in their churches. His words highlighted how important partnership is for the mission of Adventist education.
The Greater New York Conference thanks the principal, teachers, staff, and students of Greater New York Academy for their hard work and warm welcome at this event. Their dedication made the day meaningful for everyone who attended.
As pastors head back to their churches, we hope this event inspires them to keep supporting Seventh-day Adventist education. “Partnering With Purpose” shows our shared mission to help young people grow as leaders and serve others. By working together, we move forward with purpose.
Maria E. Thomas is the superintendent of schools for the Greater New York Conference.
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Kingsbury Seventh-day Adventist School
HUDSON FALLS, NEW YORK | GRADES: PREK-8
STUDENTS UTILIZE HOPE TO IMPACT HEARTS AND LIVES
Many people today feel like they have no hope, but as Seventh-day Adventists, we do. We want to share this hope with everyone around us, so Kingsbury Seventh-day Adventist School chose “Hope Reaching” as the theme for our Pentecost 2025 focus. We held three events: Hope Reaching Out, Hope Reaching You, and Hope Reaching Down.
Hope Reaching Out happens on the first Sabbath of every month. The Kingsbury church runs a food pantry, and church members deliver food to people waiting in their cars. Students, parents, and teachers also bring drinks, cookies, and friendly conversation to these families. During these visits, students invite them to our week of prayer, the Christmas program, and other church and school events.
Hope Reaching You was a week focused on spiritual growth, with Pastor Reynolds Rodriguez, the Youth Ministries director for the New York Conference, as our guest speaker. Students worked with him to plan and organize the week. Each night, students led songs, shared testimonies, welcomed everyone, and prayed. After this event, one young person said they wanted to be baptized.
Hope Reaching Down was the name of our Christmas program, organized and presented by the students (pictured). They shared the story of Jesus’ birth, the prophecies about the Messiah, and the events leading up to the Savior’s arrival. We invited neighbors, bus drivers, postal workers, food pantry families, friends, family, former church members, and many others—and many attended. After the program, we spent time talking and enjoying refreshments with our guests.
We prayed before, during, and after each event. We asked God to help those who needed to hear the gospel, for the Holy Spirit to work through our school to bring hope to our neighborhood, and for everyone who needs Jesus.
Alicia Biek is the teaching principal at Kingsbury school.
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Parkview Junior Academy
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK | GRADES: PREK-10
COLLECTIVE PRAYER FOSTERS FAITH AND UNITY
Every Friday after school, the Home and School leader at Parkview Junior Academy holds a 15-minute prayer session. A teacher or a chosen parent leads the session each week. Students, teachers, and church members can submit their prayer requests in a special prayer box. The coordinator gathers these requests and shares them with the students who are taking part, so they can pray for each one. During the session, students read a Bible verse and sing a worship song, which helps create a warm and uplifting atmosphere. This effort brings the school community together, encouraging compassion, faith, and support for one another.
Sathiyaseelan Raman is the principal at Parkview Junior Academy
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Pine Tree Academy
FREEPORT, MAINE | GRADES: K-12
STUDENTS DISPLAY FAITH AND PURPOSE THROUGH ART
From January 29 to 31, Pine Tree Academy hosted the Northern New England (NNEC) Art Clinic. Some 140 students, staff, and chaperones came together to learn, share, and worship our Creator. This year’s theme was the “Image of God.” Colossians 1:15-16 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (ESV).
The NNEC Art Clinic provides students with opportunities to explore their God-given creative gifts through various forms of art. We believe that, just as God’s image is seen in His creation, it can also be reflected in each student’s artwork.
Students chose from classes such as Acrylics, Watercolors, Woodworking, Pencil Drawing, Culinary Arts, Audio/Visual Operation, Costume Design, Embroidery and Felt Applique, Visual Presentation, Set Design, Clay Sculpture, Dress Design, and Furniture Making. Each student picked two classes to learn and practice diverse techniques and media. They used materials such as clay, food, wood, pencils, fabric, paint, thread, and cloth to make their projects.
Each day started with worship, including a song service led by Pine Tree Academy students and a message from Trevor Schlisner, NNEC Youth Ministries director. He shared an inspiring message about the life of Desmond Doss. As a young boy, Doss became enthralled by a picture of the Ten Commandments in his home. The picture depicted the tragedy of Cain’s sin, when he killed his brother Abel. This artwork and his experiences at home inspired Doss to commit his life to Christ and keep the commandments, including the Sabbath and the commandment not to kill another human being. Doss’ devotion to Christ and love for his fellow man motivated him to rescue over 70 fellow soldiers during the bloody Battle of Okinawa in World War II. His courage and faith in God earned him the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military honor. The Visual Arts, Costume, and Set Design classes portrayed Doss’ story (pictured above) and showed how he reflected God’s image through his actions and words.
In addition to the Visual Arts production, the event culminated with a Sabbath afternoon art gallery. Students, staff, and families enjoyed walking through and seeing the hard work of both students and instructors on display. The NNEC Art Clinic was a success because it demonstrated the beauty of our God and His image in His children.
Mark T. Bugbee is the superintendent of schools for the Northern New England Conference.
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Worcester Seventh-day Adventist School
WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS | GRADES: PREK-8
STUDENTS USE CREATIVITY TO SHARE LOVE IN TANGIBLE WAYS
The Southern New England Conference Education Department encouraged all our schools to join the North American Division’s Pentecost 2025 initiative, and five schools accepted the challenge.
Between spring and fall of 2025, students organized a variety of programs. These included Week of Prayer activities, Vacation Bible Schools, writing encouraging letters to church members who couldn’t leave their homes, leading morning worship for parents during drop-off, making Christmas cards for people in the community, visiting nursing home residents, and other activities to show care and love for their local communities and school family.
One activity that stood out to me was the Agape Feast hosted by Worcester school for the local community (pictured). Principal Liola Mathieson worked with all 30 students, another teacher, and a teacher’s aide to plan the event. The school board and members of the Airport Drive church also helped support the event.
The students made all the plans and decorated the fellowship hall for the event. They arranged the tables in the shape of a cross and created colorful placemats. Tan stood for Jesus’ hands and feet, purple for His role as King of Heaven and Earth, and red for the blood He shed for everyone. Side tables with yellow and blue placemats represented angels.
After a short program by the students and staff, everyone helped pack care bags for people experiencing homelessness. Working together in an assembly line, they packed over 200 bags for those without a place to sleep at night. Each family at the Agape Feast took some bags home to hand out over the next few days.
We are very proud of the great work the students did and their efforts to help those in need. Well done, Worcester school!
Brian Allison is the associate superintendent of schools for the Southern New England Conference.
