United Church of God, an International Association
General Conference of Elders Annual Meeting
May 1-3, 2010—Cincinnati, Ohio

GCE Sabbath services in Cincinnati, Ohio, began at 2 p.m. May 1. Attendance at the Holiday Inn was 457, mostly ministers and their wives and family members gathered for the annual General Conference of Elders. The Sabbath service lineup was as follows:

• Split sermon by Melvin Rhodes titled “Go Ye Therefore Into All the World.”
• Special music by the Ambassador Bible Center chorale.
• Split sermon by Darris McNeely titled “I Serve With Heroes.”

In the first split sermon, Mr. Rhodes showed how the Church of God grew around the world over the past half century as a result of the generous tithes and offerings of brethren in the United States. He said we need to recapture our sense of urgency of the past and follow the scriptural admonition to do this in our present time as well. In many ways, the stability of the U.S. economy drives the preaching of the gospel in other areas of the world. As the U.S. economy is seeing less stability than in decades past, we need to move quickly to preach the gospel around the world while we still can.

The Ambassador Bible Center chorale sang two numbers, directed by Kenneth Shoemaker.

In the second split sermon, Mr. McNeely explained that as we go into the world with the gospel, God brings us into contact with many people. On our journey, He creates a band of fellowship among the elect. Do we fully grasp the one idea that defines our lives within this brotherhood of fellowship? With that vision of the Kingdom of God firmly in our hearts, we can complete our great journey.

About 58 United Church of God congregations listened via telephone hookup, and there were a record-breaking 723 connections to the webcast (http://members.ucg.org/gce-sabbath-2010), both in English and Spanish.

GCE International Expo

The GCE International Expo was held Saturday night. The room was packed with ministers, wives and guests roaming through more than 20 international exhibits. Samples of various local delicacies, literature, music and dress were on display. The event, the first of its kind at the annual General Conference of Elders meeting, was very well attended.

GCE Business Meeting

Roy Holladay opened the meeting Sunday, May 2, at 9 a.m. and mentioned that there were 355 ministers and wives attending this year. He called on David Mills for the opening prayer and then thanked the GCE planning task force for all the work that has gone into preparing for the meetings.

After the minutes of last year were approved, Mr. Holladay announced the 20 new elders this year:

• Philip and Sarah Aust.
• Kevin and Deborah Call.
• Leroy and Laura Cole.
• Joe and Patricia Dobson.
• Osmonde Douglas.
• Barry and Carol Dubkowski.
• Mark Hampton.
• Stan and Denise Hopper.
• John Hull.
• David and Lisa Jackson.
• Hansel and Rachelle New.
• Musa (Moses) Meraba Nyaira and Rhodah.
• Edward and Shannon Oliver.
• John and Judy Pentlin Sr.
• Daniel and Linda Porteous.
• Marcos and Luty Rosales.
• Matthew and Leah Sieff.
• Ken and Krissie Thomson.
• Paul and Susan Vaughan.
• Mark and Kristine Vincen.

Ballot Results

The elders then balloted for Council members, plans and amendments. At the end of the day, the ballot results were announced by Secretary David Johnson.

Council members chosen for a three-year term were:

• Robert Berendt (international).
• Mike Blackwell.
• Mario Seiglie
• David Treybig.

Two men who had replaced resigning Council members were on the ballot to confirm their service for the rest of those terms. The GCE confirmed both Jim Franks (through 2012) David Baker (through 2011).

The Strategic Plan was ratified with 300 yes to 96 no. The Operation Plan was ratified with 292 yes to 100 no. The Budget was ratified with 279 yes to 120 no.

Amendments require a two-thirds majority to pass. Two amendments were not approved: “Amend Bylaw 7.5.3-Majorities Required for Passage” and “Amend Bylaw 8.6.2-Specific Responsibilities of the Council of Elders.” An amendment designed to fix scheduling difficulties for the amendment process passed (Amend Bylaw 12.2.2-Amendment Process).

Keynote, International Reports and Tribute

Victor Kubik gave the keynote address. The topic was reconciliation and fulfilling our mission—the urgency of going into all the world with the gospel. He concluded with 1 Corinthians:9:16For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!: “Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”

Then there were five GCE International Reports from Nigeria, Portugal, New Zealand, Canada and the British Isles.

Fred Kellers gave the report on Nigeria since Oludare Akinbo could not obtain a visa to come to the GCE. Mr. Kellers described the challenges of living in this country of approximately 150 million people. He told the story of a family who lost one daughter to illness and who feared for the life of another. When Mr. Kellers announced that she is now well, the news was greeted with a round of applause from the elders and wives.

Jorge de Campos presented the Portuguese report. Portuguese is spoken around the world, including Brazil with 200 million people. Mr. de Campos showed photos and video from his Spring Festival trip to visit scattered members in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking islands. A video showed faithful translator José Martins giving greetings to the elders. This was especially moving since Mr. Martins, who has been suffering from an incurable heart condition, died two weeks after Passover.

Art Verschoor reported on the United Church of God in New Zealand and the South Pacific. In New Zealand there are 145 brethren from 11 nationalities. There are also 2,615 Good News subscribers in New Zealand, along with 298 in Fiji, 202 in the Solomon Islands, as well as smaller numbers scattered throughout the South Pacific. Mr. Verschoor told the story of a man in Fiji who was sentenced to jail for eight years for a theft he committed before his conversion. This is very hard on his family, so he has asked for prayers for mercy at an upcoming review of his prison term.

Rainer Salomaa reported on Canada, the second largest country in the world in area and the 10th largest economy. Out of Canada’s 33.9 million people, 462 are members of the United Church of God, and attendance has been slowly growing. There are about 20,000 Good News subscribers in Canada. Mr. Salomaa mentioned that the average home in Vancouver, British Columbia, sells for $1 million, and pointed out that the Church in Canada does an amazing amount of work with about the same amount of money.

David Fenney reported on UCG-British Isles, since Peter Hawkins was not able to attend because of a back injury. Mr. Fenney reported on the multicultural demographics of the British Isles and highlighted various threats and opportunities facing the Church there. He also mentioned a meeting outside the UCG-British Isles office with the incumbent member of Parliament representing the area. The MP and staff asked about the Church and received copies of several pieces of literature. Mr. Fenney also mentioned that Google advertising has been effective in reaching new people in that area of the world.

After the international reports Gary Antion gave a special tribute to our deceased elders and wives from 2009-2010. Eight tributes this year included:

• Kitty Briscoe.
• Adghuel Lee Christopher.
• Jack Clune.
• June Jenkins.
• Gail Miller.
• Mauricio Pinto.
• June Steeves.
• Harold “Hal” Calvin Williams.

Mr. Antion also gave condolences to the Neff family, and explained that a full tribute for Maxine Neff will be given next year.

Afternoon Addresses

The Sunday afternoon session of the General Conference of Elders began at 2:05 p.m. Here is a synopsis of what took place:

Roy Holladay, interim president and GCE chairman, spoke for 40 minutes about prioritizing the work and the responsibility we face to make disciples of Christ and preach the gospel to all the world. He also gave more background about the recent administrative changes at the home office. Mr. Holladay continued with the promise that God will never leave us or forsake us, and that as we seek the will of the Father we will be blessed. It is the power of God that will accomplish all things.

Jason Lovelady, Church treasurer and operation manager for Financial Services, spent 20 minutes discussing the financial status of the Church. Our fixed costs, legacy costs and increasing insurance claims are a continual challenge to manage. This will be the first year in over a decade that we expect a decrease in income over the previous year.

Dennis Luker represented Ministerial Services. He expounded upon three of the biggest lessons he has learned from being in the ministry for 47 years: 1) to pray for the love of God more than anything else, 2) to cherish his wife and highly value her contribution, and 3) to trust Jesus Christ as the head of His Church.

Peter Eddington, interim operation manager for Media and Communications Services, showed some of the latest accomplishments of the Church’s media department. These included our most recent foray into broadcast television on five U.S. TV stations, what UCG is doing to make the most of social media opportunities (including Facebook, Twitter, blogging and YouTube), and finished with some of the more prominent challenges we face in our effort to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom in all the world.

The 2010 annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders was adjourned by the secretary at 4:10 p.m. Sunday afternoon and evening also included a question-and-answer session with the Council of Elders and operation managers and an “Ambassador Reception”—a ministerial/ABC mixer with lively entertainment by ABC students and alumni.

Monday Workshops

Monday, May 3, the elders and wives were able to attend three workshop sessions, chosen from the seven presentations:

• Ministers’ Wives’ International Experiences—Canada: Customs, Culture and Challenges (Linda Wasilkoff and Fern Berendt).
• Eastern Europe, Baltic States and Nordic Countries: Out From Behind the Curtain (Victor Kubik and Johnnie Lambert).
• East Africa: Safari Through East Africa (John Elliott and Tim Waddle).
• West Africa: A Church to Shepherd (Melvin Rhodes, Fred Kellers and Mark Mickelson).
• Ministers’ Wives’ International Experiences—East and West Africa (Diane Rhodes, Merrie Elliott and Valerie Waddle).
• United Youth Corps—Jordan: Preaching the Gospel in the Middle East (Doug Horchak).
• Italy: An Amazing Story (Carmelo Anastasi and Angelo Di Vita).

Peter Eddington and Mike Bennett

© 2010 United Church of God, an International Association