Meet Dana Roberts

April 29, 2025

Meet Dana Roberts,


Alumnus and President of our First-ever Alumni Association

Aslan’s Voice caught up with Dana Roberts recently. Dana is an impressive child of God with a heart for serving the Lord and people, which all sparked at Dawn Treader, her safe space. Here’s what she had to say:


What was your experience like as a Dawn Treader student?
Looking back, I now see that my K-8th grade story at Dawn Treader was always part of God’s intricate design. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inner being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” My life was never random. God’s hands were shaping every step, even when I didn’t understand. At the age of five, while most children in public housing attended public schools, I woke up every morning, put on my uniform, and took the journey to Dawn Treader Christian School (DTCS).


There, I met Ms. Young, who greeted me each morning with a warm smile and kind words. But Dawn Treader was more than just a school—it was a sanctuary. The teachers weren’t just educators; they were united in purpose, committed to teaching both academics and the Word of God. They modeled love, faith, and unwavering commitment to the body of Christ. Their influence went far beyond the classroom. They built a community—a family. Inside those walls, I was safe.I loved DTCS school so much that I would cry if I had to miss a day.


I would lay under my covers at night, reading by flashlight, eager to return to that sacred space. As the years passed, my life outside of school continued, and in the eighth grade, a friend invited me to try out for the city’s recreation basketball league. I made the team that night. Every day after, I wore shorts under my skirt so I could practice layups during recess. That one invitation led to junior varsity, then varsity and finally a Division 1 scholarship. I believe my entire life story begins at DTCS and look how God's plan brought me back to my beginning!


Where did you attend college?
I attended Savannah State University in Savannah Georgia, this is where that one invitation from my Dawn Treader friend led me. I was the captain of my team and later Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, I believe that it was my destiny to attend Savannah State. I lived in Savannah for eight years in total and it was there, I would later have my daughter.


How did Dawn Treader prepare you for success as a student, athlete and professionally--and as a Christian making a difference in the world?


DTCS introduced me to Christ, I was taught to trust in Christ from an early age, that factor alone, is the key to every success in my life. I attended public high school in my sophomore year after 11 years of Christian Ed, the difference was obvious. I learned and was in fact challenged in my public education. However, the covering of Christ, throughout the building, over the faculty and staff, in the teaching, was not present, and that's the difference Christian Education makes.


What would you like to say to supporters of Dawn Treader?
As believers in Christ, we are called to discipleship, and the greatest gift is receiving Christ in your life and being taught to live a life that reflects the same. That begins with opportunity and exposure. Supporting DTCS means you are assisting in building the Kingdom of God. The key to achieving excellence begins with a strong foundation and Dawn Treader provides that opportunity. Pouring into our children, our future, ensures that they are skilled leaders ready to lead with Christ, in this world. That's the goal!

7 Things to know About Pastor Charles

April 29, 2025
1. He served as a corrections officer in Passaic County before joining Dawn Treader. 2. He is the father of four children, all girls. 3. He has been married for 25 years, and last month celebrated that milestone anniversary. 4. He is the founder of King of Kings Worship Ministries and City Impact in Paterson. 5. He is a traveling missionary, often serving people in the Dominican Republic. 6. He has served in ministry in Paterson for 30 years and has a heart for children, young adults and Christian education. 7. He names his dogs after characters from the Little Rascals. Bonus Fact: He will never shave his beard.

Meet Maria Rivera Jones

April 29, 2025
My prayer has always been "Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in His commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed." Psalm 112:1-2

Saved to Serve A Lesson from Narnia

April 29, 2025
In the early 1970s there was a group of Christians who gathered as a missional prayer group to help provide Christian Education for students of Paterson and Passaic who could not afford it. They purchased the current building, which had been abandoned for nearly 40 years in July 1977 with the school opening in September. The decision had been made to name the school Dawn Treader, borrowed from the CS Lewis book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of seven of the Chronicles of Narnia. Pastor Stan VanderKlay, of Northside Chapel CRC and ECUMP Board member, preached at the Sunrise service the day before the school opened and explained in his sermon the reason for this name. I quote from Stan’s message as recorded in his book Chains of Grace: “The Son of God was incarnated in Narnia as a large golden lion named Aslan, who had once offered himself to be slaughtered, but then came alive again to save the Narnians from the corruption of sin which had entered that world. Dawn Treader was a sailing ship on a royal mission to the East, toward Aslans’s country. Three children of our world were looking at a picture of that Viking-type, single sail ship with its dragon head and tail splashing through the waves when suddenly they began to get wet and then found themselves drawn into the real Narnian seas. Rescued by the Dawn Treader they spent more than a year on that mission having many adventures and learning much about life and faith. “Near the end they were directed to go to the side shore of the sea. Aslan met them there, opened a door in the sky which ushed them back into their real world and told them that there they would come to know him by a different name. Their voyage on the DT would help them learn how to live Christianly back at home. “Dawn Treaders are people of the Son” was our motto. In this living history lesson, in a mill where children once worked long, hard days weaving sild, brightness would now be woven into their lives, so that with Christ as the center of everything, their voyage in our Dawn Treader would, we prayed, empower them to live relevantly for Christ in the real world .” Jesus saves us to live in a relationship with God not just so we can go to heaven after we die, but so we can live out Christ’s mission while we live. We are “saved to serve.” Just like Aslan sent the children back to their world Jesus sends us out into His world to carry out his mission of “making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19 Our goal is to disciple each child at Dawn Treader to follow Jesus so they can then also make disciples. Thank you for all you do to help our students on their academic and Jesus- following journey.

Easter in Narnia?

By Robert Skead • April 4, 2025
Dawn Treader is named after the ship in the Chronicles of Narnia series. As such many of the books’ themes are also taught to our students via chapel messages and in the classroom. Easter is the perfect time to reflect on some of these themes—and on Aslan the mighty lion (Jesus). As you read the themes below, please think about your own childhood memories and how important these were (and are) to your spiritual growth. Christianity: The story uses allegorical elements, like the talking lion Aslan, to represent the Christian journey, suggesting that faith can be challenging but ultimately transformative. Growing Up and Selflessness: Eustace, a character who is initially selfish, undergoes a transformation, learning the value of companionship and helping others. His journey highlights how selfishness can lead to isolation, while selflessness can foster purpose and connection. Temptation: The characters encounter situations that test their moral compass, such as the temptation of greed or power. These moments highlight the importance of resisting temptation and making choices that align with one's values. The search for the divine: The story also explores the desire of human beings to grow in their character, to become better people, and of the search for the divine in this life, and the hope for something beautiful in the next. The Christmas and Easter connection: A life without Jesus (darkness) is best reflected by these lines from the book - “It is winter in Narnia,” said Mr. Tumnus, “and has been for ever so long…. always winter, but never Christmas.” How sad a world without Christmas would be. We rejoice because after Christmas we know there is Easter! When Aslan gave his life for Eustace’s sin on the slab, he broke the curse of “winter!” Jesus took our sin on the cross and broke the curse of death! Like Aslan, Jesus rose in real life to real life! That’s good news! May the peace of Christ be with you always as you journey with us on the Dawn Treader.