July 26, 2005 Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States …. [Gary Burns/ANN Staff]
Leaders of the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a five-state Adventist church region, are assisting with developments in the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a local church administrative area. A special constituency meeting was held July 24 at which Lake Union leaders helped explain to members and pastors decisions that led to major leadership and employment changes in the Lake Region.
“Please pray for your church, for the Lake Region Conference, and for all who are involved,” said Pastors George C. Bryant, acting Lake Region president, and Walter L. Wright, president of the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, in a statement.
The meeting followed a call by 20 percent of the churches in the Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The special session, initially called to elect a new regional church president, came after an audit revealed irregularities in the Lake Region’s operations.
Constitutional provisions prevented the election of a new president at the specially called constituency session. Constituents voted to have the constitution and bylaws committee review the process for electing a president and bring a recommendation back to delegates at a future session.
An internal investigation continues into alleged financial issues in the Lake Region Conference. Participants in the special constituency meeting heard administrative decisions made by the Conference’s executive committee, a result of the initial investigation.
It was announced that the Lake Region Conference executive committee has relieved one officer, Pastor Hugo Gambetta, vice president and director of multilingual ministries, of his position, and removed him from his ministerial duties. Regional church treasurer Pastor Leroy B. Hampton resigned after he was placed on a leave of absence. Three other financial employees of the Lake Region Conference also left church employment.
Four local church pastors, Ciro Aviles, Jose Osmin Hernandex, William Rojas and Alfredo Solis, were each placed on a leave of absence, pending further action by church leaders.
Following the loss of these church employees, Pastor Carmelo Mercado, a general vice president of the parent Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, was assigned to provide assistance to the Lake Region Conference.
It is the profound intent of church leadership to be transparent in the interest of all concerned, Pastors Wright and Bryant said.
The Lake Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was organized in 1945 and operates out of Chicago, Illinois. Its territory includes churches in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The office operates 109 churches, which are houses of worship for 27,541 members. It also operates eight schools and one youth camp. The conference administration provides local congregations with pastoral resources. In addition, it provides support for various ministry initiatives through departmental directors, assistants, and area coordinators.
Copyright © 2005 by Adventist News Network.
