IAD Executive Committee Takes Important Actions During Urgent Online Meeting

Church leaders voted in administrative position in the Panama Union Mission

March 8, 2024 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Top Seventh-day Adventist Church administrators from throughout the Inter-American Division were summoned for a brief executive committee meeting this week to vote to fill in an administrative position and adjust authorized meetings for the year.

IAD Executive Committee members voted for Jose Smith to serve as the executive secretary of the Panama Union Mission. Smith has been serving as the treasurer of the Panama Union and will function in both positions, said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD, as he led the Mar. 6 online meeting.

“I can assure you that we prefer to have three administrators in each union because it provides more balance in administration, more voices in the decision making,” said Pastor Henry. The position became vacant recently because of the retirement of Carlos Saldaña.

“As we have discussed with you in our previous committee meeting, the plan is to hold off union mission administrative appointments so close to next year’s General Conference session, but because of the retirement decision that came up, we are meeting today,” explained Pastor Henry.

The secretary-treasurer position for Pastor Smith means more responsibilities, but church leaders are more than confident with the decision, Pastor Henry said. “Jose Smith is not only willing but very able to do so.”

Pastor José De Gracia, president of the Panama Union, praised the committed service of Smith throughout his vast church service and assured committee members that there is a hard working team in both treasury and secretariat overseeing the church work in the country.

“Pastor Smith knows very well the work in secretariat because he has served in that position on several occasions in local fields before,” said De Gracia. “We are thankful that the Panama Union can continue advancing and contributing to the Division as required and how we like to do so in a punctual and efficient way.”

The Panama Union Mission oversees 602 churches and congregations organized in four conferences and two missions with 106,176 church members.

Executive committee members voted the appointment of Smith with an effective date of Mar. 1, 2024.

The online meeting saw specific votes for church workers and church property sale in a region as well as new dates and change of dates for authorized meetings this year.

Authorized meetings adjusted for 2024 included among others:

• Alive in Jesus Sabbath School Lesson curriculum training – March 11-13, (Miami, Florida)
• Literature Evangelist Congress for Mexico – April 15-18, (Cancun, Mexico)
• IAD Mid-year Executive Committee Meetings (without change) – May 6-7 – (Miami, Florida)
• GAiN Global Conference – July 10-14 (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
• IAD Year-end Executive Committee Meetings – November 9-12 – (Montemorelos, Mexico)