In December 2023, Pastor Miguel Crespo, president of the New York Conference, was appointed Volunteer Chaplain Director for the Atlantic Union. His vision was to establish teams of volunteer or lay chaplains throughout the Atlantic Union to provide spiritual and emotional support to individuals in crisis.
To achieve this goal, Pastor Crespo assembled a team, appointing Lay Pastor Shervin Evans as the Coordinator of Chaplaincy Ministries for the New York Conference and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Adjodha-Evans, as the curriculum advisor. Together, they founded the Adventist Lay Chaplains Association (ALCA), which trains and credentials individuals who are not ordained pastors or clergy to support people with their spiritual and emotional well-being.
The first training and graduation session for ALCA took place from October 11-13, 2024, at the New York Conference headquarters in Syracuse, NY. Fifty participants from the Greater New York Conference (GNYC), Northeast Conference (NEC), and New York Conference participated in the level-one training led by Derrick Lea, the director of Adventist Community Services of the North America Division (NAD). Participants were trained to be the hands, arms, and hearts of Christ for individuals in crisis. Those who completed the level one training received a certificate of completion in individual crisis intervention from the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation Inc. (ICISF) and an ALCA badge, ID, and certificate.
The Adventist Lay Chaplains Association believes in a continuum of learning for its chaplains.
