Church leaders continue commitment to revival and reformation initiative

October 29, 2012 – Tegucigalpa, Honduras…Libna Stevens/IAD

Day two of Inter-America’s church business meetings transitioned into a renewed commitment among top Seventh-day Adventist leaders to continue fostering spiritual revival and reformation throughout their territories during the coming months and years. The meetings are taking place in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Top Seventh-day Adventist leaders pray together as the Inter-American Division Year-End Committee Meetings take place in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Image by Libna Stevens

Rosa Taylor Banks, associate secretary for the Adventist world church, spoke to the committee of more than 120 church administrators before leaders got down to church business. She reminded leaders to steer clear from what dishonors God.

“As leaders, you may be facing many challenges in your personal life, but you must cling to God,” Banks said.

“Don’t let the devil borrow your tongue, for he will have you saying anything you would never have thought of saying. Don’t let him borrow your mind, your hands, nor your feet, or you will find yourself in places you wouldn’t otherwise be,” she said. Banks also led a 10-minute session of prayer during worship.

Committee members prayed together and read the day’s designated Bible passage, Joshua 9, in keeping with the church’s world-wide initiative Revived By His Word—reading one chapter of the Bible every day.

Several items voted included newly appointed leaders, the renaming of several church regions, the adoption of recent church statements and more.

Rosa Taylor Banks, associate secretary for the Adventist World Church encouraged church leaders to steer clear from dishonoring God. Image by Libna Stevens.

Newly appointed
Church leaders voted to appoint Erwin Gonzalez as the new publishing ministries director for the church in Inter-America. Gonzalez was voted as associate publishing ministries director earlier this year and will replace Pastor Mirto Presentacion who will retire at the end of the year.

Also, voted as treasurer of the church in South Colombia is Jenny Calderon, who fills the vacancy left after the death of German Perez last month.

Name change
The recently organized South Mexican Union, headquartered in Chiapas, Mexico, was renamed Chiapas Mexican Union. The name change is due to a standard norm at the General Conference that when a new organization surges, the old name cannot be used for five years for statistical purposes and to not cause confusion, explained Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America.

In addition, the Venezuela Antilles Union has been renamed the West Venezuela Union. The Aruba Mission and the Curacao and Bonaire Conference which belonged to the Venezuela Antilles Union will become attached fields overseen by the Inter-American Division.

Change of status
Committee members voted to recommend that union missions with more than five years of existence work on upgrading to union conference status before the end of 2015. The four union missions include: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti and West Venezuela.

Also voted were for unions to perform a study of all its local fields with more than five years of existence to upgrade from mission to conference status by the May 2013.

Among the statements adopted by committee included new edition of the Seventh-day Adventist Response to Same-Sex Unions—A Reaffirmation of Christian Marriage, Seventh-day Adventist Position—Statement of Homosexuality,  and Statement on Church Polity, Procedures, and Resolution of Disagreements in the Light of Recent Union Actions on Ministerial Ordination.

Church business meetings are scheduled to continue through Oct. 30, 2012.

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