Hartford Christian Academy
Hartford Christian Academy
Alumni Association Newsletter
December 2006
A Ministry of Farmington Avenue Baptist Church * 155 Mountain Road * West Hartford, CT 06107
FABC BUILDING NEWS
We would ask that you continue to pray for our building plans. We have been able to begin building a road back to our property from Farmington Avenue.
HCA CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
Below is a list of some special dates this year at HCA.
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December 19, Christmas Concert, 7:30 p.m. |
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February 23-24, CACS Basketball Tournament |
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March 2, Sports Banquet, 6:00 p.m. |
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April 5, Spring Concert, 7:30 p.m. |
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May 17-18, Spring Play |
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June 1, Graduation, 7:30 p.m. |
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June 7, Awards Program, 7:30 p.m. |
To see all the dates, go to the yearly calendar. To see the current monthly calendar, go to the Weekly Bulletin; that page has a link to the current month’s calendar.
KEEP IN TOUCH
We have enjoyed hearing from many of you. We want to continue sharing information, but we need your help.
Please let us know if you move. Ladies, please let us know your new last name if you get married. Please let us know your correct email address (especially if it changes). Please keep us updated often on your personal and/or family news.
You can easily keep us updated by emailing either the school at academy@fabap.net or Leigh Keener at lkeener_hca@yahoo.com. (Please note the new email address.) Please help us by putting your year of graduation on all correspondence. We love to receive pictures of you and your family. If you send them via email, please send them in .jpg or .gif format. We will be emailing our newsletters in the future to as many people as possible. If we don’t have your email, please send us a quick email.
A WORD FROM DR.
"C"
It is a joy to greet you this summer as, in the quietness of the summer, I once again look forward to the pleasant sounds of students returning to school. I trust that the Lord has given your family a wonderful summer so far and that you will continue to enjoy some quality family time together building memories that will last a lifetime.
Speaking of building memories, having had time to reflect on our 30th anniversary year, I am full of gratitude for the opportunities our students had this past year and the academic and spiritual growth our students were able to experience this year. From orientation camp to athletic competition, student leadership conference, Heritage Days, Fine arts competition on both state and national level, field trips, and daily instruction in the classroom culminating with field day, class trips and senior graduation, we were able to package many events into a great school year which just flew by.
As I look ahead to my fourth year here as HCA principal, I’m eager to see how the Lord will use our teachers to touch the lives of HCA students in the fall. As I look over the list of faculty and staff, I’m deeply grateful for the commitment of our folks here to give of their lives to nurture young people in the ways of the Lord. I know that we have great challenges ahead, but with those challenges also come great opportunities.
Although we remain a small school, we believe that the Lord has given us a unique opportunity here in the Hartford area to impact quality Christian servant leaders for the years ahead. A recent article I read reminded me that, although in our society often size is the measure of success, in a Christian setting, what counts is not size, but service. We look forward to serving you in many ways and in whetting the appetites of our students to sharpening their academic, athletic, and fine arts skills for the Lord’s service.
We are praying for your family this summer, and thank you for your prayers as we diligently prepare for our thirty-first year of the ministry of Christian education. Enjoy the joy and beauty of the summer season.
"That...I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27b
ALUMNI UPDATES
1984 – Jenise Paradiso Sileo lives in Farmington, Illinois, with her husband (Pat), her two children - Nicole (9) and Peter (11) - and their Shitzu, Frodo. Pat is a minister at the First Presbyterian Church, and Jenise is working at the public library as the librarian and also working at the local chiropractor’s office.
1987 – Tammy Ey Mills and her husband, David, welcomed their third child into their lives on September 14, 2006. Martin Johannes Mills weighed 10 lbs. 10 oz. He joins sisters Katrina (three-and-one-half years old) and Madeline (one-and-one-half years old).
1988
- Regina Ross Coleman is CEO and president of Apados LLC, which is
"a multi-service organization that provides an array of comprehensive
services and
technical supports to organizations in the public and private sector."
(Quotation taken from their website.)
1995 – Mark DeJesus was married to Melissa Norige on August 11, 2006. Mark plans to do more traveling in his evangelistic ministry, though the couple will still be living in Manchester. Congratulations, Mark and Melissa, on your recent wedding!
1995 – Dean Thibodeau recently finished officer training for the Air National Guard. He was just commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 09/15/06, and he is beginning Undergraduate Pilot Training this month at Vance AFB in Enid, OK. Also, he and his wife, Keri, had their third child on 12/09/05. Madison Sydney Grace Thibodeau joins brothers Hunter and Tanner. Please be praying for the family as they move.
1999
– Kelly Quinn Slama and her husband, Dan, live in South Carolina. Kelly
is a stay-at-home mom, and Dan works for Bosch, while pursuing a degree in
engineering. He will graduate this coming May. Their daughter Lauren, who will
turn three years old at the end of October, will be joined in mid-March by a new
little sibli
ng.
Congratulations, Dan and Kelly!
2002 – Leah Petrizzo Sutherland married Joe Sutherland on June 10, 2006, at Truth Baptist Church in South Windsor, Connecticut. They will be living in Greenville, South Carolina, while Joe works on his master’s degree in church history. Leah is working at a marketing company called IMI.
ALUMNI UPDATES
JUNE 3, 2006
Did you miss our
get-together at the end of the school year last year? We had a great time! With
alumni, spouses, children, friends, staff,
and
special guests, we had
thirty-eight in attendance. Our chefs put out a great feast for our brunch.
We had a great time of fellowship
– before, during, and after the meal! We saw some people we had
not seen in many years, and we were able to renew old friendships and make some
new friends, too. We were happy that most of last year’s faculty was able to
join us, as well as some special guests we invited. As a tribute to Miss
Shearer, who left HCA after many years of service, we presented her with a
memory box filled with letters from many of our graduates.
We also took some time to honor
Pastor Jones for his twenty-six years of leadership at FABC and HCA. Pastor Bim
Rowley and Pastor Joseph McNally joined us to share their gratitude with Pastor
Jones. Pastor Jones also took some time to talk about the building program.
Pastor Jones came here in August of 1980, and we are grateful for his strong
consistent leadership that has helped HCA to stand strong and to continue to
train young people to serve God.
We have many more pictures that were taken that day; some are below, and the rest are on a separate page. We were able to get one group shot before people started to scatter. Here are the representative of the Classes of 1978, 1979, and 1981 - our second, third, and fifth graduating classes.
ALUMNI UPDATES
NEWS
FROM THE 2006
LUNCHEON
During
our luncheon last June, we shared some news that came in to us after the April
2006 newsletter went out. Here are those news clips. (I have adjusted some ages
to account for the four months that have passed since then.)
Our Deepest Sympathy goes to the family of Al Pensiero, who went home to be with the Lord on May 16, 2006. Mr. Pensiero served with the Connecticut Army National Guard for over 40 years, though the students at HCA knew him best for driving on field trips and helping to paint or build things for the school.
Wendy Burhoe Gick, ‘84 - Sonny Gick
(Wendy’s husband) was activated to Kosovo the first of August. He will be away
for 16-18 months. Please keep their family in
your prayers.
Beverly Jones Dorey, ‘85 - Beverly lives
in Wilmington, NC, with her husband, Bryon, and their son, Gareth William, who
is 23 months old.
Angela DiPietro Coy, ‘95 - Angela DiPietro Coy (1995)
and Ryan Coy welcomed TWINS into the world on 10/11/06. Joshua Ryan was
5lbs5oz and 18.5inches and Jenna Rose was 3lbs 13 oz and 17 inches.
Robert Stevens, ‘96 - Averie Ann Stevens was born on
May 30, 2006, at 5:16 p.m. She weighed 8lbs. 5oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.
Jadon is 24 months old and a very proud big brother.
Steven Karimeddini, ‘00 - Steven’s wife, Eden, gave
birth to a beautiful baby girl on April 13, 2006. They named her Olyvia
Marie; she was 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. 
Amy Jones Hegreness, ’00 - Amy graduated from BJU with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s in Special Education-Learning Disabilities. She is currently teaching in a special ed resource classroom at Midway Elementary in Anderson, SC. Her husband, Ryan, is getting his masters at Clemson.
Class of 2006 – our 30th Graduating Class! Keep them in your prayers.
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Dr. Gary Jones - Pastor of FABC since August 1980. The HCA Alumni Association wants to thank you for twenty-six years of leadership at HCA and FABC!
MORE PICTURES FROM THE LUNCHEON
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CAN YOU HELP US?
Can you help us with some alumni addresses? We have found our alumni and their families to be the best source of updates on those who have forgotten to keep us updated. Please email us if you know how to contact any of these people listed below. Thank you.
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LET'S GET TOGETHER
We have set aside Saturday, June 2, 2007, for our next get-together. We will be making plans in the next few months and would love your input. Please let us know if you have any ideas for the next get-together. You can email HCA at academy@fabap.net, or send an email to Leigh Keener at lkeener_hca@yahoo.com. If you were unable to come last year, plan to be here on June 2.
THE FABC/HCA MINISTRY
Our Leaders ~
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Gary Jones, Pastor of FABC and HCA |
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Josh Hummel, Music Pastor |
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Mark Cronemeyer, HCA Administrator |
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Brian Jones, Youth/Children's Ministry Director and HCA Athletic Director |
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M.R. Terelmes, Minister of Finance |
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Herb Jones, Sunday School/Maintenance |
Our Phone Numbers ~
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Church - 860-521-8380 |
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School - 860-521-5476 |
Our Web Sites ~
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www.hartfordchristian.org |
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www.fabap.net |
WELCOME, PASTOR HUMMEL
Pastor
Josh Hummel has joined the FABC staff as our new music pastor. If you haven’t
met him yet, we would like to introduce you to him.
Josh Hummel’s parents were from Pennsylvania. They moved to South Carolina to be near BJU and then to North Carolina to work at the Wilds. Josh Hummel attended Bethany Christian School for his elementary and junior high years, and then he went to Bravard High School. After high school, he went to Bob Jones University, where he met Trista Sesch. Josh and Trista married on December 13, 2002. Pastor Hummel earned his Bachelor’s Degree in church music with a piano proficiency. He earned his Master’s Degree from BJU in Dramatic Production, during which time he also taught freshman speech. His sister graduated last May with a degree in Dramatic Production.
Before coming to FABC at the end of August, Josh and Trista Hummel traveled through Europe on a summer musical missions trip. In just ten weeks, they visited Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Lithuania, and Poland. The team gave one to three concerts per day and stayed mostly with families in the church; at other times, the group stayed at the church where they ministered.
Pastor Hummel brings a lot of excitement to the high school choir. For his first year, his goals are to pump up the students’ ability to read music and to love music; he wants them to realize that the Lord is pleased with them using their talents; and he wants them to give the best two concerts they can this year. For the spring concert, he will be using a piece he wrote.
In the coming years, he wants to pump up the repertoire of the choir each year and to get the students involved in the community. He would also like to have a choral clinic with a different clinician each year and to get the students involved in some type of community outreach.
In closing, Pastor Hummel wanted to share with us his life verse: Hebrews 11:5b - "he had this testimony, that he pleased God." May it be the desire of our hearts to have that same testimony.
LATE-BREAKING ALUMNI NEWS
1999 - Nate Petersen was ordained on November 19, 2006, at Adirondack Baptist Church in Gloversville, NY. He is now an assistant pastor under the leadership of Pastor Brian Norman, who was here 1999-2001.
2003 - Jessica Fafard is finishing up her senior year at Northland Baptist Bible College. She will be receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching. Jessie was engaged to Matthew Paul Blain of Springfield, Massachusetts, on December 23, 2005; they will marry on June 2, 2007, at Faith Baptist Church in Palmer, Massachusetts. Matthew is attending NBBC also as a pastoral studies student and desires to serve as a youth pastor. They are waiting on God's leading on where they will serve Him.
