During its regular meeting on March 2, 2016, the North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) executive committee voted to formally invite Cesar De Leon to the position of vice president for Hispanic ministries. De Leon, who currently serves as ministerial and evangelism director for the Central California Conference, would also direct those additional duties for the NPUC. The NPUC position has been vacant since Ramon Canals began work for the world church following the 2015 General Conference Session. Please pray for De Leon and his wife, Carolann, as they consider accepting this invitation to the NPUC.
The committee also approved a plan to foster a mentoring relationship between Monte Church, NPUC native ministries director and Steve Huey, pastor of the All Nations Center in Wapato, Wash. Huey will continue in his current pastoral role, but also begin to train under Church for the next year or so until his retirement. The mentorship is intended to enable Huey to build strong relationships within native communities with Church’s guidance. NPUC leaders hope Huey will then be ready to assume the NPUC native ministries role once Church fully retires.
In other action, the committee approved the request of 10 pastors — eight within the Oregon Conference and two in Washington Conference — to voluntarily relinquish ordination credentials and accept instead commissioned minister credentials. Both conferences have recently voted to allow both ordained and commissioned ministers within their territories to fulfill the same responsibilities. This action acknowledges the wish of these pastors to be assigned the same credentials as female pastors under current world church policy. The pastors whose requests have been granted are:
Oregon Conference:
- Greg Brothers
- Chad Carlton
- Steve Lemke
- Tim Mayne
- David Smith
- Monte Torkelsen
- James Wibberding
- Lonnie Wibberding
Washington Conference
- John McLarty
- Mark Pekar
