In the current session, held from 2 to 12 June 2025, students explored two key theological subjects: \u201cThe Gift of Prophecy and the Role of Church Pioneer Ellen White\u201d and \u201cThe History of Adventist Theology.\u201d These were led by Abner Hernandez, Assistant Professor of Church History, and Denis Kaiser, Associate Professor of Church History at Andrews University.<\/p>\n Hernandez guided students through the life, writings, and prophetic ministry of Ellen White, placing special emphasis on interpretative challenges and sound research methods. Kaiser delved into the historical development of the Adventist Church, focusing on the origins and evolution of its distinctive doctrines. Kaiser\u2019s emphasis on developing students\u2019 research and critical thinking skills in understanding doctrine was particularly well received, as was Hernandez\u2019s practical focus on equipping students to analyse prophetic texts with academic rigour.<\/p>\n Previous Session<\/strong><\/p>\n During a previous visit to Podkowa Le\u015bna, Poland, from 30 September to 9 October 2024, the current cohort\u2014which began their studies in 2022\u2014engaged in two in-depth theology courses taught by Ji\u0159\u00ed Moskala, PhD, Professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology and Dean of the Theological Seminary at Andrews University.<\/p>\n The session included intensive classes on the Pentateuch and the Book of Daniel, designed to equip students with tools for rigorous biblical interpretation and theological reflection. Moskala, a seasoned Adventist scholar, guided students through the content, emphasising historical context, linguistic insights, and exegetical methods.<\/p>\n \u201cProfessor Moskala revealed himself as a delightfully passionate theologian. You could see his joy in teaching\u2014we had to fight for our breaks because he was so committed to sharing his insights,\u201d said S\u0142awek Gor\u0105czkowski, a second-year student and Treasurer of the Eastern Conference of the Adventist Church in Poland.<\/p>\n Dr Adam Grze\u015bkowiak, the newly appointed Rector of the School of Theology and Humanities, also expressed his appreciation for Moskala\u2019s \u201cdedication and insightful lectures.\u201d<\/p>\n International Understanding and Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n The 2022 cohort is the second to take part in this academic collaboration, which began in 2016. The partnership provides affordable, high-quality Adventist education without requiring students to relocate to the United States, allowing them to remain actively involved in local ministry.<\/p>\n The 2022 cohort includes 24 students, most of whom are from the Baltic Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They represent a variety of countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Finland, Ukraine, the Philippines, Bulgaria, and Zimbabwe. Due to this international diversity, all classes are conducted in English, with simultaneous translation into Polish (on-site) and Russian (typically online) available to selected students. A live webcast further enhances accessibility, enabling remote participation from other Andrews University campuses.<\/p>\n Jonatan Ostrowski, a teacher at the \u201cKompas\u201d Primary School in Podkowa Le\u015bna, served as the English-Polish live interpreter. \u201cInterpreting is more than translating words. It includes tone, body language, visuals, and must happen in real time. That makes it quite demanding,\u201d he shared. \u201cYet it was a privilege to help translate such inspiring lectures… The content on the Pentateuch and Daniel showed me how solid our Adventist biblical foundation is,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n Students have expressed deep appreciation for the opportunity. Kristi Aluko, a student from Finland attending the session online, reflected on her journey, \u201cThe year 2022 was a leap of faith for me. Despite not having completed an undergraduate degree, I felt God\u2019s call to pursue a master\u2019s in theology. Amazingly, God arranged it so I could attend my first session with my two young children.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEach session deepened my understanding of God\u2019s love and gave me practical tools to lead and serve in my church,\u201d Aluko continued. \u201cStudying Scripture with an emphasis on historical context, exegesis, and original languages has completely transformed how I read the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n These academic gatherings offer not only intellectual growth but also rich spiritual nourishment. Studying Scripture in an environment of prayer, inquiry, and mutual support inspires students to serve with renewed dedication.<\/p>\n [Photos: courtesy of Daniel Kluska]<\/p>\n Lead picture: Students from the Class of 2022 pose for a group photo in front of the Palais, located on the campus of the Polish College of Theology and Humanities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Forming Adventist thinkers and servants<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1571,1576,7,1591],"tags":[82],"class_list":["post-23565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-educational-entities","category-leadership-development","category-news","category-poland","tag-poland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23565"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23601,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23565\/revisions\/23601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Picture-8-630.png\")
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