Allegheny East Conference

Ryan Comeau, associate pastor at Hagerstown, accepts an award for the Christ Con project. Photo by Brian Tagalog

Story by V. Michelle Bernard / Photos by Brian Tagalog

One of the highlights of Transformation Evangelism, Columbia Union Conference’s recent event for pastors in Columbia, Md., included the awarding of $20,500 to young adult evangelism projects planned and run by local young adults.

A committee comprised of young adults chose the three finalists prior to the event. Conference attendees voted on Monday evening, determing the prize amounts for each project.

Alex Partyka and Tony Williams are photographed by Brad Barnwell

Story by Edwin Manuel Garcia / Feature photo by Brad Barnwell

Alex Partyka grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but stopped attending for 12–13 years, when partying got the best of him, including almost daily drug highs. He realized he wanted to change his life, but didn’t know how, so he prayed about it. He says his prayers resulted in a miracle involving a 30-day jail sentence.

Calvary church Prison Ministries team

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The Prison Ministries team at Allegheny East Conference's Calvary church in Newport News, Va., partnered with its youth mentoring ministry to play chess at the Newport News Juvenile Detention Center this past fall. The activity was part of the “Play Chess, Change Lives” initiative, an interactive outreach program founded by Don Roberts of WAVY TV, an NBC affiliate in Newport News. The program is designed to engage young men and women in critical thinking. “Our hope is for the young residents to use the skills learned from the game to make better life choices,” shares Rudy Ortega, elder and outreach coordinator at Calvary.