Pastor Andre Weston was joined by his wife, Nicole, on November 5 as he was ordained to the gospel ministry at the Kurtistown Samoan church. The event was the culmination of the Big Island’s yearly convocation. In celebration of God’s calling on Pastor Andre’s life, the special service was attended by many other ordained pastors who serve across the Hawaiian Islands. Even a few special relatives and friends from the island of Jamaica and the mainland were present, as well as friends from the local Hilo community.
Pastor Andre has a desire to reach hearts with the same simple message of the Savior’s love that he received as a child. God has opened doors for him to faithfully serve in both unique and traditional ways.
The service began with Mark Watanabe, an elder of the Hilo church, giving a biographical sketch of Pastor Andre’s life. He then relayed messages from many of the elders Pastor Andre previously served alongside; they took the time to write encouraging notes confirming Pastor Andre’s call to ministry and adding words of hope and advice. Hawaii Conference President Erik VanDenburgh shared an inspiring message of what it means to be called by God, and Ministerial Director Jay Warren challenged Pastor Andre to live to the fullest of his sacred calling.
The entire service was wreathed in beautiful music; Nicole even joined a trio to sing the compelling message of “Lord, I’m Available to You.” A slide show displayed memories of Pastor Andre and Nicole’s ministry so far. In the end, Pastor Andre humbly recounted with thanks all of those who have stood beside him in service to the Lord, giving special mention to his wife, Nicole. More music was led by pastor-in-training Matthias Bernard. Elder Ben Supit, Hawaii Conference treasurer, closed with prayer. Following the service, a wonderful reception dinner was presented to all the guests.
Pastor Andre’s family was brought into the Adventist Church during his growing-up years. The beautiful simplicity of Jesus’s love and soon coming touched his tender heart. In his teenage years, Andre continued to be expressive about his faith. He was known in high school as the quiet kid and the religious kid, and he easily made friendships from every segment of the public high school social spectrum. After attending Andrews University, he met Nicole in Maryland, where he felt the call to ministry while completing his master’s degree in public communications. They were married and began a new life together while Andre completed his Master of Divinity at the seminary at Andrews University. Andre and Nicole have served in the Gulf States Conference in both Florida and Mississippi. They joined the team in Hawaii in 2020, where he has served as the lead pastor of the Hilo and Puna congregations.
Pastor Andre has a desire to reach hearts with the same simple message of the Savior’s love that he received as a child. God has opened doors for him to faithfully serve in both unique and traditional ways. He has participated in weekly prayer-walking through communities, community clean ups, summer camp, Pathfinders, academy ministry, and evangelistic campaigns. He listens, connects, and values people as the precious souls that Christ came to save.
Elder Andre Weston’s signature verse is found in Exodus 14:14, which says, “The Lord will fight for you, while you keep silent” (NASB).
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By Jana VanDenburgh
