News Articles

Mile High Academy and Local Community Join Together to Honor Student

January 17, 2020 | Highlands Ranch, Colorado | Karrie Meyers, with reporting from the NAD Office of Communication

UPDATED Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, 10:05 p.m. ET

Mile High Academy (MHA), local Denver, Colorado, churches, and the community have joined together as they honor the life of one of their students who passed away. Mya Pena was killed after she left school on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. A candlelight vigil was held Thursday at the academy.

“We ask our community to lift up the parents of the student, the Mile High Academy students and staff, our pastors and the counselors in prayer as we continue to grieve together,” said Lonnie Hetterle, Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) education superintendent.

On January 15, Mile High Academy’s administration issued a statement. “It is with profound sadness that Mile High Academy confirms the loss of one of our students. Our hearts go out to this family. We want the family to know that they are in our thoughts and prayers,” read the statement in part.

MHA is working closely with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department as they continue to investigate the tragedy. In the released statement Mile High Academy shared that it will have grief counselors and pastors on hand to help students, staff, and families with this loss.

“Prayers for our students and staff are appreciated. Thank you for respecting the privacy of our school community at this time,” the statement continued.

Ed Barnett, RMC president, visited the Seventh-day Adventist school on Wednesday and Thursday. “Our hearts hurt for the parents and family of our student who is no longer with us,” Barnett said. “The way the Mile High Academy students, staff, and local churches have come together speaks volumes to just how closely connected this community is, especially in times of sadness. We also want to say thank you to the counselors and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance during this time. Please continue to pray for all involved.”

Services for Pena were held Monday, January 20, at 1:30 p.m. at LifeSource Adventist Fellowship in Denver.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with funeral and family expenses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/mya-pena-funeral-funds. For questions regarding additional ways to support Mile High Academy, please contact Jamie Frain, Mile High Academy’s interim principal, at jfrain@milehighacademy.org; or 303-744-1069.

— The original story was posted on Jan. 16, 2020.

“One Plus One to the Power of the Holy Spirit = Amazing Things”

A series of meaningful worship moments — from a message of surrender to the Holy Spirit and an altar call to an impromptu congregational singing of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” — set the stage for the treasurer’s report on the final day of the 2024 NAD Year-End Meeting. As she took the stage on Monday, November 4, NAD treasurer and chief financial officer Judy R. Glass continued the focus on God as our source of strength and provider. “It’s amazing to see what the Holy Spirit is already doing in this room,” she stated.

On Day Three of the North American Division Year-End Meeting, Ministries Share Reports, World Church Leadership Present Initiatives

The North American Division Year-End Meeting resumed for the second day of general business sessions (and third day of YEM) on a clear and crisp Sunday morning after attendees and guests took a day for Sabbath rest and worship. The November 3 morning session primarily focused on the report of NAD executive secretary Kyoshin Ahn, who shared statistics about the current state of church growth and the make-up of its membership.

2024 NAD Year-End Meeting Video and News Coverage

Welcome to the video stream and news coverage from the 2024 North American Division Year-End Meeting! Once the NAD Year-End Meeting begins on Nov. 1, 2024, you can watch below — and check out links to written news coverage and YEM reports as they become available.

To the West, the North, the East, and the South: A Report on the Early Mission Work in the North American Division

Kyoshin Ahn, secretary for the North American Division, presented his report during the third day of the 2024 year-end meeting (YEM). The first part of his report was summarized in a separate article. The second part of Ahn’s report was focused on missions within the NAD, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Adventist missions.

Seeing the Mission Field as It Actually Is

Kyoshin Ahn, executive secretary for the North American Division, presented his report to kick off day three of the division’s 2024 year-end meeting. To begin, he read the list of everyone in the departments of the secretariat, thanking the team for their service and their contributions to the report.