Potomac Conference

Story by Janel Haas Ware

After a three-year hiatus, Shenandoah Valley Academy’s (SVA) choir and orchestra hit the road for a tour of the Midwest during the 2021–22 academic year. For many students, this was their first music tour ever. Under the direction of Daniel Biaggi, music director, and Kelly Wiedemann, associate music director, the group set out bright and early on a Tuesday morning.

Story by Tamaria L. Kulemeka

Educators have embraced the new frontier of hybrid instruction and have adapted their classrooms in a way that would never have been conceived prior to the pandemic shutdown.

Unexplored Territory

Though Columbia Union Conference schools have returned to in-person learning, many of them continue to offer a virtual option for the unforeseen future.

Story by Debra Anderson

If the last two years have taught us anything, if we want to reach people—the churched and the unchurched—we must think outside the box to connect with individuals in hopes of fulfilling their spiritual needs. GracePoints does just that.

GracePoints is a weekly video cast hosted by Melvyn Warfield, senior pastor of Potomac Conference's Community Praise Center (CPC) in Alexandria, Va. A labor of love, GracePoints began as a way to connect with his church family during the pandemic, he says. Every Wednesday, he emails the church with a short message of encouragement and the GracePoints devotional.

The name GracePoints comes from Warfield’s love of talking about the grace of God, giving practical points every week to help people live out their faith and get to know Christ better.

Jorge Quintiana, pastor of the Virginia Beach (Va.) church

Story by Debra Anderson

It is not uncommon to find church leaders struggling to find ways to go beyond the premises of the church to minister. In the Potomac Conference, however, pastors, principals, teachers and office workers are being challenged to do just that—to extend themselves “Beyond the Walls.” For the last year, congregations around the conference have been intentional in living the gospel of Jesus by reaching out to help those in their local communities.