Jonathan Gantt

Our third pastor, Jonathan Gantt, Pastor for Youth & Young Adult Ministries at Sligo Church, remembers the connections he made at Washington Adventist University. He had visited other universities looking for the right school to help him achieve his goal of becoming an academy Bible teacher, but he ultimately felt that WAU was the place to be. The community appealed to him; the thought-provoking conversations, counsel, and guidance he received from his professors helped to shape him. He also formed lifelong bonds with the people he met in the Religion department and on tours with the band and orchestra in the Music department. And when he fulfilled his dream of becoming a Bible teacher, he was ready, thanks to his experience at WAU. “It prepared me to deal with questions students would have, how to engage with the Bible and how to think about God… from a knowledge standpoint to practice. All of the same skills and knowledge that I learned that helped me as a teacher now help me as a pastor as well.”

Each of these graduates branched out towards their goal of serving others through ministry. Gathering new knowledge and experience out in the field, each of them returned to continue their ministry at Sligo SDA Church. In the same position as their former mentors and leaders, these pastors seek to continue the legacy of the close-knit relationship between Sligo and Washington Adventist University. They have elected to do so in new ways; Pastor Gantt has begun to work in conjunction with Chaplain Jason Dietz to connect WAU students to the Sligo Church community and Youth & Young Adult Ministries. Recently, this culminated in a joint weekend camping trip at Boonsboro. WAU students are invited to join GLOW (God Lighting Our World), the Young Adult church service that takes place in Sligo’s Memorial Chapel. Senior Pastor Barrientos currently serves as WAU faculty, teaching classes in the Religion department and encouraging students to engage their faith and community, “This is not just a place where you can get an academic degree. This is a place where [it is possible to create] the sort of spaces where people have opportunities to develop in a way that you would not at any other campus.” In these ways and many others, WAU alumni continue to foster the relationship between church and school.