NPUC 2010 General Conference Session Delegates
The following 21 individuals have been elected as voting delegates to represent the North Pacific Union at this summer's General Conference session in Atlanta, Georgia:
- Kami Borg, WA Conference lay member
- Bonnie Bowman, ID Conference teacher
- Ken Crawford, AK Conference president
- Colin Dunbar, UC Conference pastor
- Ruth Farnsworth, AK Conference lay member
- Robert Folkenberg Jr., UC Conference president
- Judy Fowler,* MT Conference lay member
- John Freedman, WA Conference president
- Ervin Furne, ID Conference pastor
- Kathy Hernandez, OR Conference lay member
- John Loor Jr., MT Conference president
- Stephen McPherson, ID Conference president
- Gary Parks, OR Conference pastor
- Bryce Pascoe, NPUC executive secretary
- Al Reimche, OR Conference president
- Mark Remboldt, NPUC treasurer
- Bill Roberts, WA Conference pastor
- Alvaro Sauza, MT Conference pastor
- Conrad Thomas, UC Conference lay member
- Max Torkelsen II,* NPUC president
- Andre Wang, OR Conference lay member
While other individuals may attend the session from the Northwest, the above elected delegates are the only ones with voting privileges.
* Also a member of the General Conference nominating committee.
Missions Matter Even in Tight Economic Times
While NPUC membership shows decade-high growth, 2009 tithe figures reflect current economic realities for many Adventists. Totals for 2009 dipped nearly 2 percent compared with 2008 figures. Adventists are not alone — Protestant churches are on average experiencing a 7 percent drop in their budgets, according to a recent Barna Group survey.
Max Torkelsen, NPUC president, issued this statement: "We are thankful for the generosity of our church members in the Northwest, who in spite of economic challenges, contributed more than $83 million dollars of tithe to the Lord's work last year. But we are seriously re-evaluating every program and function to be efficient and mission focused. Along with local conference leadership teams we are prayerfully adjusting 2010 budgets to reflect tithe trends while maintaining conference subsidies and evangelism funding at current or greater levels. Our God-given mission, and the centerpiece of our recovery strategy, is to grow. As Dan Serns, NPUC Ministerial director, aptly puts it, 'We should see how MANY can be saved even more than how MUCH can be saved.'" NPUC trends in the past several years seem to bear this philosophy out. The 2009 membership accessions of 2,941 are the highest in more than a decade.
Wilkens Peddle to Peace
Carl and Teresa Wilkens left their positions at Milo Adventist Academy in January 2008 to respond to increasing demands across the country for presentations stemming from his experiences in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In September they began Peddling to Peace, planning to bicycle to schools across the country to raise awareness of their passion for peaceful solutions to worldwide conflicts. Read their updated blogs, see photos and watch videos of their journey at their Web site: worldoutsidemyshoes.org.
Operationreconnect.org
Here's a new Web site launched earlier this year by Mike Jones to offer resources for individuals and churches wanting to reach inactive and former members.
An author, former pastor, and editor of Insight, Jones speaks and writes not only about reconnecting with missing members, but also about how to make local churches more user friendly and welcoming to visitors.
Operationreconnect.org features helpful books, DVDs and plans to offer a continuing stream of ideas, perhaps even yours.
Blog Panel
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Teresa and Carl Wilkens (center on recumbent bicycles) share their Peddle to Peace experience with Wenatchee (Wash.) High School students.
