I am proud to be a Black Adventist believer and deeply honored and humbled to have been selected as a delegate to the 62nd General Conference Session representing Oregon Conference and North Pacific Union. I express my sincere gratitude to those responsible for my selection.
Neither my wife, Tamala, nor I had attended GC Session before, so we were looking forward to the experience.
Even before being named a delegate, we had planned to attend because our singing group, Les Chanticleers — an a cappella ensemble primarily performing Negro spirituals for more than 50 years — had been chosen to perform. We had submitted five songs for audition the previous spring, and the song selected for the session was “I’ll Never Turn Back No More.”
Being chosen as a delegate was the icing on the cake. The powerful message of this song reminds us that once we commit ourselves to God’s way, we must continue to press forward, fulfilling the Great Commission.
Attending the 62nd GC Session helped me realize that, beyond the U.S., we are truly a global church — reflective of every nation, kindred and tongue, and especially of the people of color who make up the largest portion of our worldwide membership.
While a student at Oakwood College — now Oakwood University — I served as a student missionary to South Korea. Meeting people from South Korea, Jamaica, the Philippines, China, Peru, Austria, Ghana and beyond while witnessing the Parade of Nations gave me a foretaste of the harmony we will share in Heaven.
The theme of GC Session, “I Will Go,” is simple yet powerful — a call to fulfill the Great Commission of Matt. 28:19–20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Coupled with Matt. 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come,” these scriptures embody our call to mission and service: to go and evangelize the world.
It was a joy to witness the selection of Erton Köhler as the 18th world church president. I was immediately impressed by his mission-minded focus and, like me, that he is a man of color.
I believe that his appointment is critical to our church’s mission — God-ordained for where we are now and for what He is calling us to do as a collective body of believers.
I also took note of the process: the GC secretary speaks the first Sabbath, and the president speaks the last Sabbath. Köhler, having held both offices, was uniquely positioned to emphasize our mission focus from both Sabbaths, bookending the session with clarity and purpose.
Being engulfed by the mass choir singing “We Have this Hope,” accompanied by the orchestra amid that great throng of people was a feeling I will not soon forget.
The theme, “I Will Go,” should strongly resonate in the hearts and minds of every Adventist believer, inspiring renewed earnestness and urgency as we labor together to fulfill the Great Commission.
Full Circle
Leadership — and, more importantly, God-inspired leadership — is crucial to the task of evangelism before us. As a proud Oakwood alumnus, I see how this God-ordained institution has shaped many of the church’s leaders who followed the university’s admonition to “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve.”
I remember reading in A Place Called Oakwood, a compilation of Ellen G. White’s counsels and writings about the school, that she was convinced the Lord had chosen this site to prepare Black students as workers in His vineyard. To witness that vision alive today is deeply moving.
Seeing this embodied in the leadership of my fellow Oakwood alumni fills me with joy and pride. Among them are the current North American Division president, two union presidents and countless others serving as regional and state conference presidents and in other key roles.
This Oakwood connection is especially meaningful to me because it was there that I met Tamala. Like me, she served as a student missionary and dedicated her life to mission service, including teaching at elementary schools on both coasts.
Throughout my upbringing as an Adventist believer, I have had the opportunity to serve in many roles: Sabbath School teacher for cradle roll, primary and adults; Sabbath School superintendent; Pathfinder counselor and leader; deacon; Missionary Volunteers and Adventist Youth leader; elder and church nominating committee member.
Serving as a delegate helped me come full circle, showing how vital every role of leadership participation is to the mission and growth of the Adventist Church. It was an honor to serve in this capacity, and I believe that only in Heaven will we fully see the harvest of our collective labor in God’s vineyard as we reach souls for His kingdom.
