Oregon Conference Administration Transition Initiates Wave of Change

In May 2023, Randy Hill, Oregon Conference assistant to the president, announced his election as Pacific Union Conference vice president for youth. This appointment comes after Hill's 18 years of ministry in Oregon as pastor, associate director for youth ministries and assistant to the president.

Hill is beloved in Oregon for his deep care for people, attention to detail and can-do attitude. In addition to his responsibilities in pastoral placement, he was Gladstone Camp Meeting administrative coordinator in 2022 and 2023. He’ll be remembered in Oregon as the campground coordinator who helped bring Hope Valley to life at the height of the wildfire crisis of 2020.

Spurred by Hill’s transition, Oregon Conference Executive Committee asked Jonathan Russell to be the next assistant to the president. Formerly Sunnyside Church lead pastor, Russell joined the Oregon Conference communications team at the beginning of 2018, and has been hard at work ever since, reframing communications to meet the ever-changing needs of the modern world.

In his new role, Russell will be vital to the work of pastoral placement and recruitment. In addition, he will build on the momentum Hill initiated in creating better organization of Gladstone Camp Meeting planning.

With Russell’s new appointment, the assistant to the president for communication position was opened, leading to a search for a candidate who would fill the role that Russell, in many ways, created. Filling that role next is Juan Pacheco.

Pacheco has served as Hillsboro Spanish Church lead pastor for the past six years. He first arrived in Oregon Conference back in 2007, and has served as a local church pastor at 14 Oregon Conference churches.

With a deep and active passion for creative ministry and practical discipleship, Pacheco was ordained as an elder himself in his home country of Bolivia at a very young age. He has already begun to apply that same sense of mission as he transitions to leading the conference communications team.

All three of these transitions were finalized in August 2023.