Allegheny East Conference

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The conference’s Pathfinder Ministries Department recently hosted a Teen Leadership Training (TLT) retreat at the Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md. More than 30 TLT trainees, 14 TLT mentors and nine staff members gathered for a weekend of training and activities that included a bonfire vespers, indoor and outdoor games and team challenges.

Participants left inspired and equipped. “The program has encouraged me to adjust how I view myself and how I can be a part of spreading the three angels’ messages,” shares TLT trainee Zora Wills from Genesis church’s Jaguars club.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt 

At the age of 95, Meade C. Van Putten, former president of Allegheny East Conference (AEC), passed away February 27, 2022. Van Putten was a pastor in the Lake Region Conference from 1951–1962 and was ordained in 1956. He served as the secretary/treasurer of the Lake Region Conference from 1962–1971.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

A retirement and the pandemic inspired S. June and D. Robert Kennedy, seasoned authors and members of Allegheny East Conference's Emmanuel Worship Center in Alexandria, Va., to each add one more book to their publishing accomplishments.

June had recently retired when their son Robert III asked what she would do with all of
her “free” time. Initially she thought it might be a great opportunity to revise some of her earlier publications. Her son, however, encouraged her to find a new voice.

Their 12-year-old granddaughter, Britt, added, “I think you should write about how Pathfinders can be witnesses.”

Story by Tamaria Kulemeka

When Wayna Gray became principal of Allegheny East Conference's Dupont Park Adventist School (DPAS) in Washington, D.C., she was delighted with the positive qualities she found in the school’s programs, faculty and students. When she noticed students coming to school without lunch, however, she was concerned.

Teachers often gave students their own lunch and bought extra snacks for those who came without anything to eat, Gray recalls. In the past, lunches were provided at a cost to students. Now, due to the pandemic, students had to bring their own lunches, leaving some at a disadvantage.