Blue Mountain Academy

Sometimes one seemingly ordinary change can transform life on multiple levels. For Alan Diaz, it started with a move to Pennsylvania’s Blue Mountain Academy (BMA). Here, his limited view of ministry was transformed into the realization of a lifelong calling.

This fall marks a remarkable milestone for Blue Mountain Academy (BMA)—70 years since the school first opened its doors to students in 1955. Today, BMA is a fully accredited, co-educational boarding school with students from across Pennsylvania and around the world.

Reading Junior Academy (RJA) educators understand that students need to know God and not just hear about Him. “Following God is a personal relationship,” shares RJA teacher Jennifer Pettengill (pictured with students). “The only way to know God is to spend time with Him, being in His Word and prayer, and sharing that with others.”

How did you spend spring break? At Blue Mountain Academy (BMA), 74 students and staff chose to impact the world. Divided into three groups, they headed in different directions with one mission: to serve God by making a difference in the lives of others.

For nearly 20 months, the Pennsylvania Conference prayerfully planned an ambitious evangelistic outreach to the Philippines, working closely with the Southern Asia-Pacific Division and the South-Central Luzon Conference.

From a young age, Kai Nicholson attended church with his dad and stepmom. However, he struggled to find a personal connection with God. The idea of faith seemed distant, and he wrestled with doubts about God's existence. 

“Every new school year provides us with the opportunity for a 10-month-long evangelistic experience,” shares Burney Culpepper, principal. “Our most important goal is that each of our students develop a close growing relationship with Jesus and learn to share the joy they have found with others.

Isaac Sosa wasn’t happy when his parents told him he would be going to Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) for his junior year of high school. “As a kid who had all the freedom in the world at home, when my parents told me that I was coming here, I was very upset,” he remembers. “I thought, I’m going to have all these rules and restrictions put on me, so why would I want to be in a place like that?”