The 59th General Conference Session has not been without
excitement, drama and surprises.
With the new GC President elected, both incumbents for the GC and the NAD have been voted out of office. It was predictable, but many would not go on record until the final votes were taken.
The question of the week many are asking is “Who is Dan Jackson, the new NAD president, and where did he come from?”
The message from this session was one of change:
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Change for a new direction for the GC.
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Change for a new direction for the NAD.
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Change for more recognition for women in ministry (ordination of deaconesses).
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Change for more participation for the youth and young adults in the church.
One item that got a resounding NO vote was the one on recognizing the rights for consenting adults to marry with the underline message of sanctioning homosexual marriage.
This was a good session even with the long process of updating the Church Manual.The SDA Church is still God’s remnant church, and the passion of its members to defend the faith and press forward with its mission is without question.
Alphonso McCarthy is the NPUC vice president for regional affairs and writes from the GC Session in Atlanta, Ga.