Every February at Portland Adventist Academy, courageous students who desire to share about their personal walk with God are invited to speak for Student Week of Worship.
This year, and for the first time ever, PAA students didn’t share on a stage facing a packed chapel with big lights and microphones. Instead, they spoke directly into either their phones or laptops to pre-record their message. Talented student musicians also recorded music from the comfort of their bedrooms.
It was PAA’s first ever virtual Student Week of Worship.*
We are so proud of our speakers and musicians: Jonah Reyes, Andrea Rinza, Ulani Brown, Oscar Rinza, Krisyln Clouse, Ximena Ruiz, Liz Struntz, Jacob Schmid, and Sergey Bobrishev (who spoke at Sunnyside church for a small in-person evening vespers). If you recognize a name here, please be sure to thank them!
Hidden blessings are abundant in these trying times. Relatives and friends out of state can now watch our students as they express their faith. And you can, too. We encourage you to make some time to watch. See the world from the eyes and hearts of our young people. May you be fed and filled with a peace and understanding of our loving God and why you are so important to Him.
*Why virtual? At this time, Oregon’s pandemic protocol will not allow group gatherings of more than 10 per room on school campuses. That means announcement assemblies, chapel, and even lunch breaks have been completely reimagined. Now that students are back on campus, they meet in a small group in one home room where pre-recorded announcements and chapel messages are shared on a large screen.