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Pastor's Resources 
Dear Pastors:
As you know, the next General Conference Session will take place on June 24 through July 4, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia. Several of you have asked if there may be conference help for those of you wishing to attend these meetings, at least the public ones. You can thank Reggie, as he has been setting aside funds since the last GC in St. Louis in 2005 (by the way, it appears we may be the only conference in our Union that has been doing that and may be able to help the pastors wishing to go – so, kudos to Reggie). Here’s, then, what we have been able to come up with.
- Any pastor wishing to attend the GC in Atlanta will have $600 plus one year of their continuing education, or $240, unless they have already spent those funds. So, the total may be as much as $840.
- Any pastors going must show proof that they attended at least one of the two weekends of the GC session.
- Any pastor wishing to attend the GC in Atlanta needs to make his own arrangements for hotel, meals, etc.
- In order for this to happen, we have cancelled the August pastors’ retreat, so next year we will meet on February 4, here at the office, for a combined pastors/teachers meeting, and then during camp meeting, but not in August.
I hope this is helpful and that many of you will choose to and plan to attend this event which, as you know, happens once every five years and is a chance to see Adventists from every part of the world and enjoy the fellowship that takes place among this large family of God.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please let me know.
Claudio Consuegra, M.S., CFLE
Year of Pastoral Evangelism
Dear pastor,
By now you have probably heard something about the 2009 Year of Evangelism. The initial vision, voted at the North American Division Year-End meetings last November, included 21 suggestions for the year of pastoral evangelism. The objective was not to bring more burdens to very busy pastors but to pull resources and catch a vision for what we could do together, as the richest division in the world.
Your conference may have already caught this vision and made definite plans to affect the field. I have trained hundreds of pastors at Southern and now at the Seminary in the last 15 years, and have always shared with them that the most influential individual in Adventist congregations is still the minister.
You are key to this incredibly bold initiative. It will take thousands of real miracles for God to mobilize us to the point that we can reach, and baptize, 100,000 souls next year. I'm sure you're asking God to show you and your people what He would want you to do to reach the lost in your district.
So, here is an update of what's going on.
A promotional DVD has been played at most camp meetings already this summer. You can see it in our new website, www.yearofevangelism.org. You could probably play it for church some Sabbath. The Steering Committee thought best to postpone production of a second DVD, a resource DVD for pastors, until this fall. In the meantime, you can access some of the resources at the website.
If you already know the dates and place where you'll be holding evangelistic meetings next year, please go to the website to register the fact. We hope to see the number of pastors, leaders, and others doing direct evangelism increase and thus build momentum. In addition, this would give Prayer Warriors the opportunity to know for whom to pray. We'd like to see those names increase every month.
You may have also heard about the NAD Ministries Convention in Myrtle Beach, SC, January 18-21. Please check the website, www.comeseegotell.org, to learn about registration, speakers, and workshops. For the first time, pastors will be invited to the convention, typically dedicated for church departmental leaders. Over 40 workshops were created by pastors and leaders thinking of the practical challenges of church evangelism. I hope some of you can take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
I never tire of reading about Caleb, who at the age of 85, said to Joshua, "Give me this mountain." The toughest job is the one Caleb wanted. Not because he was unusually strong, or smart, or resourceful. But because he strongly believed in a God that was all that. May we also say to God, "Lord, give me this district, or city, or community, for your name's sake! Do it now and not later. I want to finish what You gave me to do; and go home with You. Be pleased to let me take all those whom I've come to know and love to live with you forever."
Blessings to all.
Ron E. M. Clouzet
NAD Ministerial Association Secretary
Vacation Processing
Please mail or e-mail your vacation request to Elder Tom Lemon at least thirty (30) days before you plan to take vacation time off. When you are gone and the conference office doesn’t know it, it doesn’t look that good for either party. We need to do our best to be responsible. Even during the holidays we need to know if you are in or out and if out, who is covering your churches.
Safety Items
All the forms and instructions necessary for creating your comprehensive church safety plan are provided to here. Please be sure to follow the instructions so that your church will be in compliance on all safety measures. >>More
Reminder: Report Member Deaths to Conference
Please remember to report the deaths of church members to the trust services department at the conference office. The sooner we discover that someone has an estate trust with the conference the better. It's always a joy to present a check to a church when someone has left some or even all of their estate to their local church.Also, an obituary submission form is downloadable for submission to the Outlook Magazine. Send this form to the communication department.
Survey of Members: Demographics, Involvement, Giving Practices and Attitudes
• Report.pdf
• Power Point Report
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