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More than 220 women gathered from Nov. 4-6 in Ocea

More than 220 women gathered from Nov. 4-6 in Ocean City, Md., for the Chesapeake Conference’s 2022 women’s ministries retreat, “Unleashed: #CrazyFaith.”

Pre-registrations for the event sold out and attendance during the weekend reached max capacity.

“I’m happy that people responded well and that women are happy to be together,” says Anastacia Ferguson-Bansie, Chesapeake Conference women’s ministries field director.

The retreat featured messages from Deeann Bragaw, women’s ministries director for the North American Division. Additional breakout sessions were held in English and Spanish on a number of topics. Carmen Esposito, a guidance counselor at Spencerville Adventist Academy, served as the Spanish keynote speaker.

Ferguson-Bansie says that the seminar on dealing with infertility and pregnancy loss seemed to resonate with many attendees, noting statistics that say that 1 in 4 women will have pregnancy struggles.

An unexpected highlight was the retreat’s positive impact on hotel staff. According to Ferguson-Bansie, several hotel staff members reported that they were moved by the presentations and the kindness of the attendees, many of whom offered to pray with them. One female staff member even chose to stay and attend the presentations after her shift.

Ferguson-Bansie says she hopes attendees left the retreat reminded of the power of the ministry of presence. “Hold on to the measure of faith that God has given you and put that faith into action, whether it’s in your home, your family, or your church,” she says.

The 2023 retreat will be held Oct. 27-29 at the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, Pa.

Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee (EXCOM)

Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee (EXCOM) members met at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center from Oct. 28-30 for a retreat focused on vision and strategic planning.

The EXCOM retreat, held every five years at the beginning of each quinquennium, is an essential part of forming the conference’s five-year strategic plan, which also includes gathering feedback from constituents such as pastors, teachers, department directors and church members.

During the retreat, EXCOM members participated in several analytical exercises reflecting on the conference’s current strengths and weaknesses. Discussions were also held about potential opportunities for the conference to expand its mission and impact over the next five years.

The retreat was marked by a “strong spiritual focus,” says Andre Hastick, executive secretary. Devotional messages highlighted relevant biblical principles, and prayer time was set aside to invite God to guide the discussions.

EXCOM members also participated in team-building exercises and toured the retreat center facilities.

Over the next few months, the secretariat department will continue to gather feedback from additional conference constituents. Once all the data is collected, the conference is expected to release its five-year strategic plan early next year.

The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee vote

The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee voted to appoint Tom Boggess as the conference’s association secretary and planned giving and trust services director.

Boggess has worked in the department for the last six years, serving as the trust services field representative and assistant director. Boggess fills the position previously held by Sean Robinson, who recently accepted a position at Hope Channel International.

In addition to his experience in trust services, Boggess brings an extensive background in pastoral ministry to his new position. Boggess served as the pastor of the Martinsburg (W.Va.) church for 18 years and, until recently, pastored the Prince Frederick (Md.) church part-time. Boggess previously worked for over 10 years as a pastor in the Potomac Conference.

“Chesapeake is blessed to have Elder Boggess serve in this important position,” says Jerry Lutz, Chesapeake Conference president. “As an experienced pastor here in Chesapeake and field representative for wills and trusts, having worked closely with the outgoing association secretary on these and other related matters, Tom will provide solid, spiritual leadership and careful management of the business affairs of the association.”

Boggess says he is excited to work more closely with churches and schools in his new role as association secretary. “The conference has been growing, and so there’s been a lot more activity in buying and selling,” he says. “I think that’s going to continue, and [more churches] are going to be in the process of wanting to buy, and we want to be ready to help them do that.”

The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee rece

The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee recently approved a reconfiguration of the conference’s youth, young adult and children’s ministries departments and elected two new directors.

The committee appointed Kenia Reyes de Leon as youth and young adult ministries director and Shawn Paris as camp ministries and missions director. Ann Reynolds will now serve exclusively as the children’s ministries director.

Reyes de Leon and Paris will begin their new roles on Dec. 1.

“This is an exciting and important moment of change for Chesapeake, especially for those in the age category of zero through young adult,” says Jerry Lutz, Chesapeake Conference president. “The combined experience, unique skill sets and spiritual gifts of these three directors will be the catalyst for the growth and expansion of their respective ministries. While honoring the many positive accomplishments and blessings of the past, they will lead the way forward, working together in the advancement of children’s, youth, young adult, and family ministries in our conference.”

Sean Robinson will soon be taking up new responsib

Sean Robinson will soon be taking up new responsibilities at Hope Channel, where he will act as vice president for marketing and development.

Robinson has served at Chesapeake Conference as the association secretary and director for planned giving and trust services since 2016.

Robinson says he has made “many wonderful memories” during his years at Chesapeake Conference, noting that his “greatest memories are those made with the Chesapeake family who have become my dear friends.” He reports he has greatly enjoyed working with many pastors, churches and schools.

Robinson says he is looking forward to new challenges at Hope Channel, a global television network with almost 80 channels and a subsidiary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In particular, Robinson says he is looking forward to “being part of a team tasked with sharing the gospel with people who have yet to hear about Jesus Christ and His deep love for them.”

Conference colleagues said farewell to Robinson during a luncheon at the conference headquarters on Oct. 26.

“It is with mixed feelings that we bid farewell to Elder Robinson as he takes up his new responsibilities at Hope Channel,” says Jerry Lutz, Chesapeake Conference president. “On one hand, he will be greatly missed for the outstanding leadership and administrative care he provided the Chesapeake Association for the past seven years. On the other hand, the Hope Channel will now be the recipient of his considerable professional abilities and skills by which we have been blessed, and have enjoyed, in our conference.”

7th and 8th-grade students from Mt. Aetna Adventis

7th and 8th-grade students from Mt. Aetna Adventist School headed south for a history study tour through North and South Carolina from Oct. 16-21.

Students visited noteworthy historical sites and museums such as the McCloud Plantation, Fort Moultrie, USS Yorktown, Tyron Palace, Roanoke Island and Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The trip is part of the school’s ongoing emphasis on providing students with hands-on learning experiences beyond the classroom. The southern history study tour is one of four tours the school rotates through every other year for students in grades 5-8. Other study tours include trips to Boston, Philadelphia and Williamsburg, Va.

According to Rod Kerbs, school principal, the annual trips are important because they help students experience history on a tangible level, noting that visiting a historical site in person goes beyond what students can learn through a YouTube video. “It’s different to be able to feel it and smell it and taste it,” he says. “[History] comes alive.”

Kerbs says this year’s study tour also provided an opportunity to address spiritual issues. Glen Milam, Mt. Aetna Retreat Center director, served as the trip’s tour guide and wove the theme of the Great Controversy throughout the week as students learned about some of America’s most significant human conflicts. Kerbs adds that when students learn about the sacrifice of previous generations of Americans, they can begin to appreciate God’s sacrifice for them on deeper levels.

A week-long evangelistic series got underway at th

A week-long evangelistic series got underway at the Frederick (Md.) Spanish church on Oct. 8 with lots of celebration, as 26 people were baptized during the opening night meeting. Church leaders expect an additional 10-15 baptisms when the series ends on Oct. 15.

The baptisms result from months of preparation and evangelistic efforts in the church district, which also includes the Canaan (Frederick, Md.) Spanish, Hagerstown (Md.) Spanish, and Martinsburg (W.Va.) Spanish churches.

“I cannot describe it,” says Kelvis Romero, district pastor. “The Holy Spirit was feeling so powerful and there was just joy.”

The week of district-wide evangelistic meetings has featured nightly sermons from Jose Espositio, assistant to the president for evangelism at the Columbia Union. Before the meetings, evangelistic series were held separately at each church from Oct. 1-8. Speakers for these local series included Esposito, Ruben Ramos, Columbia Union vice president for multilingual ministries, and Orlando Rosales, Chesapeake Conference Hispanic Ministries director.

Romero says those baptized include children who’ve studied with their parents, individuals who’ve gone through Bible studies and participated in small groups and former Adventists who’ve been away from the Church for many years. One of those baptized included a former Pentecostal minister who had come to accept the Adventist message.

Romero says each congregation is working deliberately to ensure that new members are well-supported in their new church families, noting that baptism isn’t the end of the discipleship journey. Each new member will be adopted by a church leader who will act as a mentor and spiritual guide.

“We don’t want people to come to our church and feel lonely,” Romero says. “We want people to feel loved in our church.”

Maryland Men of Faith hosted its annual one-day re

Maryland Men of Faith hosted its annual one-day retreat on Oct. 1, bringing together approximately 120 men for a day of fellowship and inspiration at the Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md.

Maryland Men of Faith is a lay-run organization founded by men who aim to promote positive male relationships and encourage men to be better husbands, fathers, sons and leaders in their local churches. Chesapeake Conference supports Maryland Men of Faith programs, and Eli Rojas, Chesapeake Conference men’s ministries director, serves on the leadership board.

For the past few years, retreat organizers have taken phrases of an Ellen White quote from p. 57 of her book, “Education,” as inspiration for the annual themes. This year’s theme was “True to Duty,” and Dee Casper, director of CORE Evangelism for Pennsylvania Conference, served as the keynote speaker. Casper challenged attendees to seek greater resolve in their spiritual lives.

In addition to two general sessions, attendees chose from among five breakout seminars on topics such as leadership, relationships and prophecy. Seminar speakers for the event were Rojas, Jim Howard, Lael Caesar, Matthew Piersanti and Akeem James.

According to John Rengifo, Maryland Men of Faith board chair and lead pastor of the Ellicott City (Md.) church, the event’s atmosphere was full of positive energy and camaraderie.

“One of the things I loved to hear was the singing,” Rengifo says. “It’s just all male voices, and no one cares what it sounds like. Everyone just belts it out.”

Rengifo says he hopes the men left this year’s retreat more encouraged and committed in their personal walk with Jesus and better equipped to navigate life’s challenges. He says he prays attendees will use their influence to serve as intentional and courageous witnesses for Christ.

Over 400 Pathfinders from more than 20 clubs trave

Over 400 Pathfinders from more than 20 clubs traveled to Hagerstown, Md., for Chesapeake Conference’s 2022 Pathfinder Classoree from Sept. 23-25.

The annual event provides an opportunity for Pathfinders to earn honors by learning new skills from instructors whose expertise may not be available in their local congregation. This year’s classoree offered 35 classes on subjects including peacemaking, basic first aid, CPR certification and camping skills.

“The advantage of the classoree is mainly for the smaller clubs, or clubs that may be larger but don’t have enough instructors,” says Carl Rodriguez, Chesapeake Conference youth director. Rodriguez adds that 40% of the classwork for the Pathfinder year is completed during the event.

In addition to the activity courses, the classoree featured a full-uniform general session on Sabbath afternoon and an induction service on Saturday night. Josue Felciano, associate pastor for the Hagerstown church, spoke during the Sabbath general session on the importance of prayer and Bible-reading, telling Pathfinders, “the only way to know God’s will is to spend time in His Word.”

Nearly 100 Pathfinders made their way to the front of the Highland View Academy church sanctuary during Felciano’s altar call appeal at the conclusion of his message.

Rodriguez says witnessing the aisles fill with young people committing themselves to spend more time with Jesus is a powerful reminder of what Pathfinders is all about. “Pathfinders isn’t just a fun activity,” he says. “It’s also part of your spiritual growth and discipleship.”

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