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.

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.

Read these articles from the April 2019 Visitor:

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.

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.