Post Tagged with: "Friendship Bible Church"

Alumni Spotlight: ACS Alumni, Former Students Making their Mark in College and Beyond

ACS is pleased to periodically recognize and congratulate several of its alumni and former students who are making their mark in college, in the working world, and in other endeavors, building on the strong educational and spiritual foundation they received during their years at ACS. The alumni spotlighted in this article are: Paul Jones (’15), Lydia Dice (’16), DJ Hitchner (’17), Jacob O’Brien (’19), and Devin Tridente (’22).  Profiles of many more ACS alumni can be found on the “Alumni News” page of the ACS website under “News and Events.”

Paul Jones (’15) and his wife, former ACS student Hunter Robinson, are expecting their second daughter later this year. Paul was the Middle School Bible teacher at ACS for the 2022-2023 school year and is the youth pastor at Friendship Bible Church in Egg Harbor Township. Paul is passionate about basketball and has his own business, Kingdom Courts, that provides basketball skills training. His business motto is: training the next generation of hoopers — glorify God — outwork everyone.

Lydia Dice (’16) has co-authored a new book with her mother, Lydia, entitled “Is There a Shark in the Pool?” about dealing with anxiety. According to Mrs. Dice, the Lord used Lydia’s Bible class at ACS to partner with the power of the Holy Spirit to place her on His path to healing from anxiety. The book is being published by Trilogy Publishing, which is affiliated with TBN. To pre-order the book, please email: sharkinthepool711@gmail.com. Lydia and her family also attended the “ACS Legacy Gala: An Evening with Comedian Jeff Allen” on May 12 at the Ocean City Tabernacle.

Dakota (DJ) Hitchner (’17) married Brendan Keller on June 21, 2023 at the Renault Winery in Egg Harbor City, NJ. DJ and Brendan met as fellow athletes while attending Cairn University. Celebrating with DJ as members of the wedding party were six ACS alumni or former students — Kaylee Redding Carolus (’13), Olivia Mack, Candace Winkel Menno (’16), Kate Newman, Ola Oguntuase (’19), and Carly Harper Witherow (’08). ACS Athletic Director Pam Hitchner was the matron of honor. DJ and Brendan will be living in Upper Township. For the past year, DJ has been teaching PE and health at the Belhaven Middle School in Linwood and coaching their girls basketball team. This fall, DJ will be coaching the ACS Varsity Girls Soccer Team.  Congratulations and may God bless you both!

Jacob O’Brien (’19), who has played on the Cairn University Men’s Soccer Team for the past four years, was recently accepted into a ministry outreach program with Missionary Athlete’s International (MAI) and is spending eight weeks this summer sharing his faith with young people at MAI soccer camps and clinics in Chicago and Brazil. Jake will be graduating in December 2023 with a degree in criminal justice and a minor in business.

Devin Tridente (’22) stopped by ACS on May 11 during the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Track Meet, held on the ACS campus. After graduating in June 2022, Devin took a gap year and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in California. He will be attending Regent University in the fall of 2023, where he will play on their D-1 Men’s Basketball Team. Devin plans to major in sports management and minor in business.

Alumni – We want to hear from you! Please send us news about how God is working in your life. Feel free to send photos as well. Email alumni news to: jmartin@acseht.org.

Teachers, Staff Excited for New School Year, Received Important In-Service Training

ACS teachers worked hard preparing their classrooms to be a warm, loving, and welcoming place for their students as the school year got underway on September 8. In late August, teachers and staff attended In-Service training and workshops where they had an opportunity to get acquainted, review school policies and procedures, and focus on this year’s spiritual development theme — “Deeply Rooted” — based on Jeremiah 17:7-8.

Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen welcomed and introduced the 17 new employees who have joined the ACS faculty/staff this year (pictured below left). The new employees are: Boys’ PE teacher Joshua Clark; 5th grade teacher Kaitlin D’aquilante; Spanish teacher Minelva Guevara; 2nd grade teacher Kristen Hockenberry; 3rd grade teacher Genevieve Huff; High School Bible teacher Pastor Urick Lewis; 2nd grade teacher Nayda Lorick; 1st grade teacher Lauren McCartney; 6th grade teacher Taylor McCreight; 3rd grade teacher Melissa Myers; Early Education Aide and Middle School/High School cooking teacher Jessica Shoemaker; Middle School Language Arts teacher Linda Stiteler; High School Bible, History, and Language Arts teacher Robin Tolg; Early Education Aide Michelle Wheeler; 4th grade teacher Kimberly Wroniuk; Event Coordinator Joshua Zimmer;  and Elementary Music Teacher Juliana Zimmer.  Oblen also introduced another nine faculty and staff members who transferred to new positions this year (pictured below right).

Members of the Parent-Teacher Fellowship provided a tasty taco-themed lunch on Monday. On Tuesday, members of the Board of Directors donated and served breakfast and Board member Pastor Chaz Wyckoff of Friendship Bible Church delivered the devotion focused on Romans 14:1-4.  Pastor Wyckoff urged the faculty and staff to strive for unity as part of the one body of Christ and to seek to glorify God in everything they do.

Each In-Service session began with worship led by Business Administrator Kelly Flynn, faculty member Amy Parker, Director of Choral and Instrumental Music Tim Rosie, and Facilities Director Bill Smallwood.  On Tuesday, Shawn Hyland of the Family Policy Alliance of NJ also gave an informative presentation on the status of legislation and curriculum in New Jersey that is infringing on religious beliefs and the Christian worldview and is promoting various political ideologies.

We’re ready for an exciting year of growing and learning.

ACS Hosting Simulcast of Promise Keepers Men’s Conference on July 16-17

Atlantic Christian School is hosting a simulcast of the Promise Keepers Men’s Conference on July 16 and 17 at its Egg Harbor Township campus, in partnership with Friendship Bible Church.

The Promise Keepers Men’s Conference is being simulcast from the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Some of the 13 featured speakers and worship leaders at the two-day conference will include Nick Vujicic, founder of Life Without Limbs and best-selling author of “Life Without Limits”; Jonathan Evans, former NFL fullback and chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks; Carter Conlon, Pastor of Times Square Church and host of “It’s Time to Pray”; and Tauren Wells, Grammy nominated worship leader, singer, and songwriter.

The conference simulcast will be held on Friday, July 16 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost to attend the conference simulcast is $20 and the school campus is located at 391 Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township. Handicapped parking is available.

CLICK HERE to register to attend the conference simulcast.

“We are very pleased to host this conference to provide a place for men throughout southern New Jersey to gather and be inspired by the Word of God as they hear bold messages about how to be godly leaders in their homes, in their churches, and in their communities,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen.

Friendship Bible Church Pastor John Quinn of Friendship Bible Church noted that the past year has been isolating for millions of men and that the brokenness in our culture has left many men confused about what godly manhood looks like.

“For any men who have been struggling with isolation, confusion, and a lost sense of purpose, this 2021 Men’s Conference will be a place of community, clarity, and restoration,” Pastor Quinn said. “We look forward to connecting with men from across our community to build relationships and brotherhood in Christ.”

According to Pastor Quinn, Promise Keepers challenges men to focus on seven promises: to honor Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit; to purse vital relationships with other men to strengthen the brothers as they seek to keep promises in their lives; to practice spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity; to build strong marriages and families through love, protection, and Biblical values; to serve others with integrity and pray for the leadership of their churches and our nation; to reach beyond racial and denominational barriers to build Biblical unity; and to reach the world with the Great Commission.

Servant’s Heart Award Recipients Recognized, Board Members Elected at May 17 ACS Association Annual Meeting

The 2021-2022 Board of Directors, including members elected at the May 17 Annual Meeting — Robert Barberio, Jim Gibbs, Eric Hoover, George Quinn, Deron Smith, and Charles Wyckoff.

Over 150 parents, faculty, and staff gathered on Monday, May 17 for the Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Christian School Association, listening to state of the school reports highlighting this year’s academic and financial progress, electing six members to the Board of Directors, and honoring several individuals and one church with the Servant’s Heart Award.

Board Chair Les Tomlinson opened the meeting with a devotion and then those in attendance broke into small groups for a time of prayer, many giving thanks to God for guiding, protecting, and blessing the school during this past school year.

Board Secretary Kris Jacoby then announced and introduced the recipients of the school’s annual Servant’s Heart Award.  In recognition of the school’s 50th anniversary, Jacoby first announced two special “Servant’s Heart Jubilee Awards.” The first Jubilee Award was presented to St. John’s by the Sea Reformed Episcopal Church in Ventnor, NJ, where Atlantic Christian held its first classes in 1971. Pastor Mike Blitz, current pastor of St. John’s by the Sea, accepted the award. The second Jubilee Award was presented in memory of the school’s founders, the late Reverend Howard Bach, pastor of St. John’s by the Sea, and Elizabeth Bach, the school’s first principal. Pastor Ron Bretherick, retired from St. John’s, who knew and worked with the Bachs, accepted the award on behalf of the Bach family.

Jacoby then announced the other recipients of the 2021 Servant’s Heart Award — Al Fry, who has worked for several years as a volunteer groundskeeper; Doug Pearson, former Chair of the ACS Board of Directors, who served for 9 years; Carrie Jorgenson, ACS parent and school nurse who met every challenge over this past school year addressing COVID-19 concerns from parents and staff; and Greg Louderback, an ACS grandparent, retired teacher, and IT specialist, who donates his knowledge and expertise each week to help our teachers integrate technology into their classrooms.

Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen touched on highlights from the past school year, referencing a 2020-2021 Annual Report Powerpoint that was displayed on a screen to the attendees.  Other administrators also spoke on various developments in their particular areas, including Early Education Director and Elementary Principal Gail Alford, Athletic Director Pam Hitchner, and Upper School Principal Meg McHale. Business Administrator Kelly Flynn and Board Treasurer Chris Loeb spoke on the financial state of the school.

Oblen said work is underway to renovate and open six new classrooms in the Annex Buildings across from the main school building to enable more students to attend ACS in the fall.  She also praised God for the way He provided for ACS this past year and a half to be able to deal with the challenges of COVID-19, allowing the school to remain open throughout the school year and providing the funding to purchase the health and safety items needed for our students, staff, and classrooms, including barriers on desks and lunchroom tables, temperature checkpoints, sanitation stations, and technology to enable remote learning, such as webcams, laptops, and Chromebooks.

DJ Schrag, chair of the Board’s Nominating Committee, announced the names of the six candidates running for the Board, and each nominee came forward to give heart-felt remarks before Association members participated in the election. The newly-elected members to the Board of Directors, who will oversee the governance and policies of the school, are: Robert Barberio, Jim Gibbs, Eric Hoover, George Quinn, Deron Smith, and Charles (Chaz) Wyckoff. With their election, the full complement of 12 members will begin their official term of service on July 1.

Notably, the election of ACS parent Deron Smith marks the third time in the school’s 50-year history that an ACS alumnus or former student will serve on the Board. He attended ACS from 1982-1989 when ACS leased space from Ocean City Baptist Church. Also noteworthy is the election of George Quinn, a former ACS teacher from 1980 to 1989, who is a Pastor at Friendship Bible Church in Egg Harbor Township.  School parents Jason Lewis, Doug Pearson, and Paul Vogel were also elected to serve on the Board’s Nominating Committee representing the Association.

A Q&A session at the end of the meeting gave the Association members an opportunity to pose questions about a variety of topics.