Author Topic: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President  (Read 45002 times)

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Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #20 on: October 26, 2013, 06:22:51 PM »
Speaking of the vote to take place tomorrow in the Southeastern California Conference, a Corona Woman May Become First Adventist Conference Leader is the headline in the Press-Enterprise/PE.com article by David Olson.

He reviewed the church history including the 1990 and 1995 General Conference votes refusing to allow ordination of women pastors. He accurately reported the reaction from the General Conference when the Pacific Union Conference and "a Maryland-based East Coast conference" authorized the ordination of women pastors. "After the votes, the executive committee of the General Conference of the worldwide Adventist Church – the denomination’s top governing body – released a statement that 'the world Church does not recognize actions authorizing or implementing ministerial ordination without regard to gender.' They are 'serious mistakes' that 'weaken the fabric of Church life and operations by giving opportunity for other entities to follow this example in order to justify independence and autonomy in other matters rather than maintaining a mutual commitment to collective decision-making,' the statement says."

Olson also reported the remarks made by the president of the Southern California Conference that women pastors ought to be ordained despite the vote of the world church.  Read the whole article: Press-Enterprise/PE.com

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ltvvaughn

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #21 on: October 26, 2013, 08:28:33 PM »
They are wasting no time in escalating the rebellion.

LtV
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LindaRS

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #22 on: October 27, 2013, 01:17:12 PM »
From Ordination Truth:

Posted on October 27, 2013 by admin

Constituents of the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) voted today directly contradicting the global position of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA). The SDA Church does not accept Women’s Ordination or the placement of women in the conference presidency. But today, October 27, 2013, the SECC made Sandra E. Roberts its president. The vote occurred during the Quadrennial Constituency meeting held at the La Sierra University Church in Riverside, California. The SECC has been a subsection and interlocking unit of the world SDA Church.

The president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson phoned Pacific Union president Ricardo Graham Saturday evening and stated that such action, if voted, was out of policy, and that the General Conference would not recognize her as president. (SECC is part of the Pacific Union.) This information was shared with the delegates. During the meeting, several delegates spoke in opposition to the action and support of the world church. But eventually, the majority voted to elect Roberts.

Southeastern California Conference is a part of the 18 million member Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Church has been carefully organized as an interlocking community. Local members are joined in their local church congregation; these congregations are organized together as conferences; conferences are organized together into unions; unions are organized into divisions of the General Conference. The whole in combination make up one united Seventh-day Adventist Church.

SECC’s meeting was a conference constituency level meeting; the most authoritative administrative body of the Church is the General Conference session. Delegates gather together from round the globe for General Conference sessions every five years. The most recent session was in 2010 and the next in 2015. The meeting enables Spirit-led collective decision making.

In 1990 and 1995 General Conference sessions the Church rejected proposals to permit individual divisions, unions, or conferences (like SECC) to ordain women or appoint them to positions exercising authority over men. As a global organization connecting congregations in more than 220 nations, every subsection of the Church is committed to adhere to determinations offered in General Conference sessions. Unilateral contrary actions—such as that today voted by SECC—are disunifying in nature and prima facie evidence of direct opposition to the world church.

Voted action by 567 SECC delegates has now placed Ms. Roberts and SECC in exactly such a position.

What next? In just four days (Oct. 31) North American Division Year-end Meetings begin, where those gathered include the NAD conference presidents. But current Church Manual (p. 32) and current NAD Working Policy (E-60, p. 244) explicitly prohibit a woman from serving in this position. The North American Division will not be able to include Mrs. Roberts as a presidential participant in its meetings without joining itself to SECC in premeditated opposition toward the world church. All eyes will be on the North American Division and its president as it opens its Year-end Meeting.

The world church is watching the North American Division. After all, ultimately it was NAD’s change of Working Policy E-60 in 2010—and later recognition of its having exceeded its own authority—that led NAD President Dan Jackson to instruct NAD unions on January 31, 2012 concerning how to “move this matter forward” and “consider new approaches,”

    “The North American Division and its Unions and Conferences (as local circumstances permit) must become more intentional in the development of pathways to ministry for female pastors. We must also develop intentional methods of mentoring women who can take on executive leadership positions within our conferences. . . . We must continue to move this matter forward throughout the North American Division. . .” (See E-60 Letter, Dan Jackson, http://ordinationtruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/nadletterdanjackson-e60.pdf).

In the same letter, Jackson admitted that in adding the word “commissioned,” NAD had erred and indicated that the word “commissioned” would be removed from NAD Working Policy in the 2011-2012 edition. Thus, NAD Working Policy presently states that “a conference/mission president should be an ordained minister of experience.”

Ms. Roberts does not meet this requirement. Nevertheless, the NAD now has what they wanted—a woman in an executive position of leadership.

But, as much as some NAD officers might like to, the NAD—even president Jackson—cannot with impunity include Mrs. Roberts as a voting participant in the 2013 Year-end meeting in contradiction to NAD and GC Working Policy.

The NAD, already on precarious ground, claiming to respect and stand in harmony with the Church, now has opportunity to show itself part of the world church—by upholding the authorized practices of the world church.

The crisis which has been caused by the NAD has now landed again on their own door step. The global Adventist Church will have evidence whether or not the NAD officers shall demonstrate true respect for the sisterhood of Adventist churches round the world very soon now. On October 31, NAD shall either respect the world church and disallow Ms. Roberts’ participation in the Year-end Meeting, or, they will include her, in demonstration of a spirit of opposition to the world church.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah  10:23-24

Richard Myers

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #23 on: October 27, 2013, 02:09:39 PM »
It is a sad day for  God's church. Dan Jackson is the leader in the rebellion. He got what he wanted, now what will he do?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

ltvvaughn

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #24 on: October 27, 2013, 02:12:12 PM »
Now we'll see if the open, defiant rebellion extends to the NAD meetings.  I'm not too optimistic, but who knows what God might do!

LtV
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Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #25 on: October 27, 2013, 05:50:47 PM »
RELIGION: Corona’s Sandra Roberts makes Adventist history

Corona’s Sandra Roberts today became the first woman to lead a Seventh-day Adventist conference, a controversial move that the worldwide church says it will not recognize.

Roberts, who last year became one of the first women ordained as an Adventist minister in the United States, was elected president of the five-county, Riverside-based Southeastern California Conference to loud applause by a 72 to 28 percent margin at 12:15 p.m. at a meeting in Riverside. A conference is similar to a diocese.

The worldwide Adventist Church does not recognize the ordination of women. Ricardo Graham, president of the five-state Pacific Union Conference, to which the Southeast conference belongs, said worldwide Adventist General Conference president Ted Wilson called him Saturday night to say the election of Roberts “would put the Southeastern conference and Pacific Union Conference in direct confrontation with the General Conference and the world church.”


Source

“would put the Southeastern conference and Pacific Union Conference in direct confrontation with the General Conference and the world church.” He could have added, "and the NAD."

  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #26 on: October 27, 2013, 06:33:19 PM »
With the election of Sandra Roberts as usurped President of SECC, I have a question after reading this little paragraph quoted from PEBloggers online. They got it from the October 16, 2012 Executive Committee statement seen here.

Last year, the Pacific Union Conference became one of two Adventist union conferences to authorize the ordination of women. That prompted the executive committee of the worldwide church governing body to call the moves “serious mistakes” that undermine church unity.

Now that they continue to create serious mistakes, I ask the same question Elder Vaughn asked one year and 10 days ago:

The question now remains, what are the consequences of making a serious mistake?  If there are no consequences, the statement is not worth the paper it is written on.  It will be interesting to see where we go from here. 

LtV

What are the consequences to Ricardo Graham? To Daniel Jackson? And what will happen to the SECC?

Will the GC Executive Committee act on this or will a GC Session be called? 2015 is just under 2 years away. 
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

LindaRS

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #27 on: October 27, 2013, 06:37:03 PM »
From Advindicate:

Results of vote on Sandy Roberts' nomination to SECC president: 72% YES and 28% NO

Sandy Roberts' presidential nomination to Southeastern California Conference passed, 72 percent to 28 percent. Just prior to the voting process, Pacific Union Conference President Ricardo Graham said General Conference President Ted Wilson called him at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and asked him to pass on a statement to the delegates, which read, an election of a woman to conference president would not be recognized by the world church, and to elect a woman would be in direct confrontation with the world church.

There was an audible murmur of disapproval after Graham read the statement from GC President Wilson.

Senior pastor of the Loma Linda University Church Randy Roberts later expressed his disappointment that the GC president had not attended the meeting to convey the message himself, and stated that Wilson had put Graham in an awkward position, making Graham read that statement. There had been rumors GC President Wilson would be in attendance, but he was not.

Fritz Guy was chair of the committee who nominated Roberts. He published a book disparaging a literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation. He is currently a research professor in the religion department at La Sierra University, and was on the podium representing the nominating committee in their choice of Ms. Roberts.

It appeared President Graham was rushing ahead with the vote, without giving any chance for discussion, but right before Graham was about to push the vote through, various delegates began calling "point of order" as there had been no discussion yet. Graham stopped the voting process and recognized the individuals lining up at the microphones.

The initial comments focused on keeping unity within the world church, but soon shifted in favor of Roberts. Comments in favor of Roberts were met with loud applause and verbal affirmation.

One delegate from the Fontana, Calif., Seventh-day Adventist Church asked if there would be any consequences if the delegates voted Roberts in. Graham responded yes, but hesitated to say exactly what, but after a few moments said there was word individuals whose ordinations were not recognized by the world church would not be able to vote in certain situations.

Discussion continued until a delegate asked how much longer the discussion could go before a vote was taken. Graham indicated that a motion to cease discussion would need to be made.

After the next comment, a motion was made to end discussion. A two-thirds vote was needed and the motion passed.

The results of the vote flashed on the screen and the congregation rose to its feet with loud applause.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah  10:23-24

Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #28 on: October 27, 2013, 06:43:33 PM »
Quote
One delegate from the Fontana, Calif., Seventh-day Adventist Church asked if there would be any consequences if the delegates voted Roberts in. Graham responded yes, but hesitated to say exactly what, but after a few moments said there was word individuals whose ordinations were not recognized by the world church would not be able to vote in certain situations.

Hum. What does that mean? We probably do not yet know, but still - what does that mean?
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

LindaRS

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #29 on: October 27, 2013, 06:55:07 PM »
Conference presidents are delegates to the division meetings. She will not be allowed to vote as a delegate at the NAD meeting starting this week, unless the constituents at the meeting continue the rebellion and allow her to vote.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah  10:23-24

Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #30 on: October 27, 2013, 07:01:17 PM »
I see.

This is fast and furious. What a week this will be.
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

ltvvaughn

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #31 on: October 27, 2013, 08:06:36 PM »
It will be interesting to see where God leads Elder Wilson in all of this, especially if the NAD accepts the ordination of Roberts.

LtV
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Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #32 on: October 28, 2013, 05:48:39 AM »
From SECC website:




News Release

Posted on Oct 27 2013

 

 PRESS STATEMENT

For Immediate Release
Southeastern California Conference
October 27, 2013

For more information contact:
Enno Müller, interim communication director
enno.mueller@seccsda.org
951.509.2258


Sandra Roberts Elected President of Southeastern California Conference

On Sunday, October 27, 2013, delegates voted (72%-28%) to elect Sandra Roberts as president of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Roberts had served since 2004 as executive secretary of SECC. Previously, she worked as a teacher, chaplain, youth director, and pastor. She received her masters degree from Andrews University in 1984, and received a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2006 from Claremont School of Theology.

In her new role, Roberts took the opportunity to recognize the new conference officers and to thank the delegates for their involvement in the constituency session. In her address, she expressed her desire and challenged the audience to follow Jesus in the work that needs to be done throughout the territory of SECC.

Referring to the dusty feet that Jesus had during His time on earth, she said, “Following Him means that we are going to get our feet dirty with the dust of Southern California…We must do this without fear that differences will pull us apart. Christ will always be our anchor point.”

Delegates also elected five other key administrators. These included Jonathan Park, executive secretary; Verlon Strauss, treasurer; Elizer Sacay, vice president for Asian/Pacific Ministries; George King, vice president for Black Ministries; and Alberto Ingleton, vice president for Hispanic Ministries.

Prior to the election of Roberts, delegates had the opportunity to speak to the motion on the floor. Many delegates lined up to share their views. There were some opposing opinions, but most people expressed their support for Roberts as president.

Ricardo Graham, president of the Pacific Union Conference, reminded delegates that the General Conference does not endorse women’s ordination, and he passed on a message from Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the world church, clarifying that the election of a woman as president would not be recognized by the General Conference.

But Graham continued by stating that because delegates to the Pacific Union Special Session voted in 2012 to authorize the ordination of women, that the recommendation of the SECC nominating committee is in harmony with conference and union bylaws and policies.

Before dedicating the new officers, former President Gerald Penick was thanked for his years of service and received a standing ovation from delegates. Penick spoke to the delegates and gave farewell thoughts.

“May God bless us under this new leadership,” he said.

The Constituency Session began with worship. After music, prayer, and scripture, John Brunt, senior pastor of Azure Hills church, delivered a homily.

“God doesn’t play favorites,” he said. He challenged the attendees to trust God to lead the way.

Fifteen new churches and companies were voted into fellowship, members of the executive and bylaws committee were affirmed, and changes to the bylaws were brought into effect.

For one of the session reports, Rudy Carrillo, youth ministries director introduced Carmen Ibanez, director of Pine Springs Ranch. They presented the Pines Springs Ranch report with images of the damage caused by fire earlier this year, as well as a plan to rebuild the camp. Delegates approved a spending request to begin the rebuilding process.

After the officers affirmed that they would listen to their constituency, the session was closed with a benediction.


_________________________________________________ ___________________



Photo 1: Sandra Roberts, president of Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.


Photo 2: Sandra Roberts speaks to delegates after being elected president of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Behind her are the other elected administrators (l-r): George King, VP Black Ministries; Alberto Ingleton, VP Hispanic Ministries; Elizer Sacay, VP Asian/Pacific Ministries; Verlon Strauss, treasurer; and Jonathan Park, executive secretary.
Credit: Gerry Chudleigh

 

  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

ltvvaughn

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #33 on: October 28, 2013, 07:54:51 PM »
Graham states that this is against GC policy . . .

Quote
But Graham continued by stating that because delegates to the Pacific Union Special Session voted in 2012 to authorize the ordination of women, that the recommendation of the SECC nominating committee is in harmony with conference and union bylaws and policies.

So it's okay to violate a higher authority because another authority above you said it's permissible.  Isn't that the tail wagging the dog?  Not very good logic!

LtV
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Mimi

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colporteur

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #35 on: October 29, 2013, 07:31:51 PM »
 Mimi;

 If I'm not  mistaken the press news release you posted previously here leaves out Mrs. Robert's link with Spiritual Formation.

Here is an interesting excerpt from the link below  "Earned a Doctor of Ministry degree, with emphasis in spiritual formation, from the Claremont School of Theology; a Master of Arts degree in religious education from Andrews University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from Loma Linda University.

 http://seccsecretariat.adventistfaith.org/


Oh, I see Deb has already posted the same.
It's easier to slow a fast horse down than to get a dead one going.

Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #36 on: October 29, 2013, 08:43:27 PM »
NAD NewsPoints e-newsletter on Roberts' election: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=84ac041b8b705798057dab6f2&id=9413d90dc5

This appears strange. I am wondering if they feel they must announce this, tiptoeing to the front door, so to speak? Or as just another news item.
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Richard Myers

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #37 on: October 29, 2013, 09:33:16 PM »
Publishing the "event" in this manner gives influence to it. NAD is pleased with the action. If they were not, they would remain silent of they would publish and article written by the NAD president condemning the rebellious act.

We shall see what ANN publishes. As the voice of the General Conference we would expect silence or a rebuke. But, we could very well see an article such as the NAD's giving influence to the rebellion. Not all at the GC are standing on solid ground. There is a shaking taking place. Some will be shaken out.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Mimi

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Re: SECC Defies World Church, Nominates and Elects Roberts President
« Reply #38 on: October 29, 2013, 09:55:16 PM »
Publishing the "event" in this manner gives influence to it. NAD is pleased with the action.

It appears as if they are although I wish they weren't.


Quote
If they were not, they would remain silent or they would publish and article written by the NAD president condemning the rebellious act.

I pray that the events beginning this weekend would cause someone in NAD to condemn it and realize what they are doing! 

Quote
We shall see what ANN publishes. As the voice of the General Conference we would expect silence or a rebuke. But, we could very well see an article such as the NAD's giving influence to the rebellion. Not all at the GC are standing on solid ground. There is a shaking taking place. Some will be shaken out.

Yes.  :(  But we know it needs to happen.
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

Mimi

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  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89