Written by: Anaya Parker
This summer, two Southern Adventist University alumni joined the pastoral staff of the Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists. Orlando Hernandez, Jr., the new pastor of Group Life & Connect, and Devon Howard, the new director of worship, said they are both excited about the possibilities for growth at the church.
Hernandez graduated from Southern in 1998, but he said, over the past 27 years, his hope has been to return to the Collegedale area. He and his wife, Sonia, along with their three children, Orlando III, Isaac and Isabel, moved here from Florida, where Hernandez served as senior pastor at Kress Memorial Church.
“It’s a lot of change, but it’s amazing,” said Hernandez. “I love it. People are awesome. They’re great. They’ve embraced us.”
Hernandez said he is enthusiastic about how he can help those in the community build genuine relationships with Jesus. He said that a relationship with God doesn’t require a past in the church, but it does need a personal experience.
He said his ultimate goal is to share the love of Jesus and attract people to Christ, whether that’s through Connect, post-collegiate ministry or however God leads.
As the new director of worship, Howard expressed a desire to minister to people through his area of expertise. He graduated from Southern in 2003 as a music major with an emphasis in organ performance and a minor in biblical languages. He later earned his doctorate in music arts from Arizona State University.
“I was a theology major here at Southern for a while,” Howard said, “but I finally realized music was where my passion, especially for ministry, was.”
Before coming to Southern, he worked at Southwestern Adventist University as chair of the music department and director of keyboard and theory studies, as well as the director of worship and arts at Kettering Adventist Church.
Howard enjoys the sport of floorball, a Scandinavian version of hockey he learned while at Southwestern. He mainly dedicates his time to music, as he is part of the minority of organists worldwide. He loves the university’s culture of music, and he admires the beautiful instruments stored on Southern’s campus.
When asked why the worship experience is important to him, Howard said, “I want this to feel like a place that people can be part of and can opt-in and get an authentic experience. The [Southern] community is full of great people and amazing potential resources, so it’s exciting.”
Howard hopes to engage students and the community more in the worship and music services. He is eager to find meaningful ways to worship through music, such as through a choir or reading poetry.
“Worship really, in many ways, begins when you hit the parking lot, and it doesn’t end until you leave,” said Howard.
Both Hernandez and Howard said they are dedicated to enhancing the worship experience at the Collegedale Church for people to feel connected with God and others. Although they come from different areas of church ministry, they share the same goal.
As Hernandez said, “The biggest goal is to be able to share Jesus with people.”
