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A passion for Christian community

A passion for Christian community

Jessica and Anthony Thomas serve as examples of the many Messiah alumni dedicated to service 

Each day, countless Messiah College alumni impact the world in positive ways and strive to live out Christ’s direction to serve others. Perhaps it’s a personal connection to serve, an interest in a social issue, or a strong desire to live out their faith.  No matter the reason, many lives have been impacted by Messiah graduates.

One example of alumni devoted to service is Young Alumni Achievement award-winners Jessica (Debrah) ’08 and Anthony Thomas ’06. 

Beyond their daily jobs with the Council on Foreign Relations and New York University, respectively, the pair dedicate much of their spare time helping others in their New York City community and beyond.  From volunteering with their churches crisis mission where they and others in the church help those facing varying types of personal crisis, to their work with larger organizations such as Charity:Water, among other organizations, Anthony and Jessica credit their Christian faith, passion for social justice and their interest in giving back as the driving factors for their desire to serve. 

“We like to identify areas we really care about and see if there something we can do to help beyond our monetary gifts,” says Anthony. 

For Jessica and Anthony, a combined interest in social justice is the link between many of their volunteer efforts.  “The more we realize what we’ve been given,” says Anthony, “and the ability we have to make to make a difference, makes us question why we wouldn’t serve.”

The same can be said for the large alumni population who seek to continue cultivating the service relationship they honed during college. 

“At Messiah we came to think about service in a more intentional way. From day one you are challenged to think about how you can give back and how you can serve. For Jessica and I, it became a more natural way of thinking and we tried to embody that at Messiah and beyond,” said Anthony. He also adds, “Other people’s examples challenge and inspire us. Knowing so many people from Messiah who are living out that mission as well serves as an incredible example.”

Erin Bray '10

Anthony Thomas '06

Anthony works at New York University Law School and is co-founder of KNO Clothing.

Jessica (Debrah) Thomas '08

Jessica works with members at the Council on Foreign Relations.