 |
|
|
Vern Alger's biography is not available yet. You may contact him at 269-473-8200. (Back to Top) Gary BurnsGary Burns is the director of communication and director of native ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Lake Union Headquarters. He is also the editor of the Lake Union Herald. Burns is a graduate of Columbia Union College, and received his masters in Religious Education from Andrews University. Burns was one of the first TV health reporters in 1978, launching two series, “Stay Well,” and “Our Chemical World,” on WKEF-TV, an NBC affiliate in Dayton, Ohio, while working as producer for KMC-TV, a health education network at Kettering Medical Center. In 1980, Burns established Life International Productions, a commercial television production company, advertising agency, and recording studio in South Florida. Years of producing commercials, special events, and syndicated programs took its toll on his spiritual health, and he resigned his position as CEO and left the world of media in 1984. After taking an 18-month sabbatical, Burns entered full-time ministry in 1985 at the prompting of his mentor, Walter Wright. His ministry, initiated and sustained by prayer, has focused on young people and their families as a pastor in the Ohio Conference; youth pastor at Pioneer Memorial Church in Michigan; pastor of the Dakota Adventist Academy Church; and coordinator for youth and young adult ministries, and camp director for the Dakota Conference. Burns has served with the North American Division Prayer Ministries team, directing Teen Prayer Conferences since 1995. He has been associated with the National Prayer Committee, the Denominational Prayer Leaders Network, and the National Day of Prayer. After coordinating a number of mission trips with REACH, International, a children’s relief and educational ministry that cares for approximately 26,000 children around the world, Burns presently serves as its vice president. In addition, he recently co-founded the Shae Foundation, along with filmmaker Terry Benedict, to help people discover their creative gifts and use them to make a positive difference in the global community. He is actively involved in training young people to that end as an instructor in video production and digital media at Andrews University. Gary and Maryann have been married for 34 years and live in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in a house full of young people and guitars. They have three children: Josie, a senior at Andrews University studying English and Communication; Tyler, a sophomore at Andrews University studying Photography and Design; and Ryan, a sophomore at Great Lakes Adventist Academy. (Back to Top) Douglas L. GreggBorn in Topeka, Kansas, and raised in Africa, Douglas "Doug" Gregg has served as associate treasurer of the Lake Union Conference since 1997. He was invited to that position from the same position in the Indiana Conference where he had served for almost 18 years. Prior to his work in treasury, Gregg served more than nine years in Adventist Book Centers in the Wisconsin and Southern New England conferences. Following his elementary education in Africa and high school graduation from Kingsway College, Gregg earned his bachelor's degree in business from Andrews University in 1970 and was registered as a certified public accountant by the State of Indiana in 1982. Gregg is married to Faith (Boelter) Gregg of Wausau, Wisconsin, and the couple have two grown daughters, Wendy Ronto and Amber Radivojevic, and five grandchildren. (Back to Top) Rodney A. Grove In 2003, Rodney A. Grove joined the Lake Union Conference staff as the executive secretary. He came from the Oklahoma Conference, where he served for the previous ten years as conference president. He has also served the church membership as a pastor, conference departmental director, academy business manager, and administrator. His work began in the Columbia Union followed by the Southern and Southwestern unions. Grove is married to Rose Anne (Wright) Grove, who is his teammate in ministry. They have two children, Randy of Baltimore and Renee of Oklahoma City. Twin three-year-old grandsons make their lives complete. To relax, Grove enjoys taking mission trips. Vacation time will likely find him as a speaker or builder in another part of the world. These have given him the opportunity to learn of other cultures and get a broader picture of our church and the world in which we live. (Back to Top) Harvey P. KilsbyBorn in Hawaii, Kilsby graduated from Hawaiian Mission Academy (HS '63), Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (BS '68 Accounting/Economics), and Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA (MBA '81 Management). After several years working in computer programming and financial systems design in the commercial sector and with the U. S. Army in Germany, Kilsby accepted a call to the Lake Union Conference as an assistant treasurer in 1974. He served in that capacity until 1981 when he was elected to serve as the director of Lake Union Conference Information Systems Service. He has been re-elected six times and continues to serve in that capacity. Under his guidance, the Lake Union Information Systems Service has developed, distributed, and supports software (LUCIS Software) used by a large percentage of the Seventh-day Adventist conferences in the North American Division as well as many Adventist churches, schools, and other Adventist organizations. Kilsby serves on several North American Division committees relating to not-for-profit accounting and financial systems software specifically as it relates to the Adventist Church. He was also instrumental in the development of a world accounting standard for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Harvey is married to Marcia Ann (Fellows) Kilsby. Marcia is Chair of the Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department and CLS Program Director at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA, positions she has held since 1984. They have one adult son: Jasen. (Back to Top) Don Livesay Don Livesay accepted the invitation to become the Lake Union Conference president on December 2, 2008. Livesay has a broad experience in ministry and administration. Until joining the ministry team at the Lake Union, Livesay served since 2001 as president of the Oregon Conference, filling that position after serving four years as its vice president for administration. Beginning his pastoral ministry in Knoxville, Tenn., in 1973, Livesay then attended the Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University, completing his M.Div. in 1976. After serving as pastor and academy chaplain in Georgia, Livesay was youth director for the Georgia-Cumberland and Northern California conferences, stew-ardship director for the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, and assistant to the president for communication in the Georgia-Cumberland and Oregon conferences. Livesay is married to Barbara Cook. Barbara Livesay has 21 years teaching experience in grades 1-12, and served as academy principal for ten years. The Livesays have two daughters, Christina Livesay Henry and Stephanie Livesay Larsen, both of Loma Linda Univerisity, Loma Linda, Calif. Livesay's interests include Barbara, family, granddaughter, home, travel, computers, basic construction and repair, wood working, auto repair. (Back to Top) James Martz James Martz' biography is not available yet. You may contact him at 269-473-8200. (Back to Top) Carmelo MercadoCarmelo Mercado was born and raised in the Catholic faith in New York City to parents who originally were from Puerto Rico. In 1965, his mother discovered and was baptized in the Adventist faith and then led her family to begin to study the Bible as well. Three years later, Mercado made his decision to be baptized in the Adventist faith. In 1971, Mercado came to Andrews University to begin his premed studies. In 1974, he decided to take a year off from his studies and go to Bolivia as a student missionary to pastor a small church in the Beni province. There he felt the call of God to become a minister instead of a physician. He graduated from Andrews in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and that same fall enrolled in the Master of Divinity program, from which he graduated in 1979. Mercado began pastoring in the Indiana conference in Hammond Indiana. In 1980, he received from It Is Written a request for Bible information from a family who lived in East Chicago, Indiana. He gave the family Bible studies and baptized the mother, father, and their daughter, Rosanne, in the Adventist faith. In 1986, he married Rosanne, who currently works as an occupational therapist at St. Joseph hospital in South Bend, Indiana. Mercado had the oportunity to serve his entire pastoral ministry in Indiana, pastoring in cities like Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, Richmond, Connersville, New Castle, Indianapolis, Brownsburg, Martinsville, and Fort Wayne. He also served as Hispanic coordinator for the Indiana conference for five years and also served as NET '98 Hispanic coordinator in 1998. In 2004, he was first appointed by the Lake Union Executive committee to serve in his current role as general vice president and was elected to the same position at the Lake Union Constituency meeting in 2006. Mercado is also Hispanic Ministries Director for the Lake Union. (Back to Top) Sean Parker Sean Parker was born in upstate New York and raised in Vermont. He attended Adventist schools from third grade through college. Parker received a B.S. in Computer Science from Atlantic Union College in 1992. Recently, he completed an M.S. in Computer Science from Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts. Parker worked for 12 years for his alma mater, Atlantic Union College, and held various positions including programmer, network administrator, and director of information technology. In Fall 2004, he joined the Lake Union Conference Information Systems (LUCIS) development team and is currently the associate director. Parker has been married to Eva (Bleuer) Parker for 15 years. They have one daughter and two sons. (Back to Top) Glynn C.W. Scott
Glynn C.W. Scott has served in the Lake Union Conference since 2000 as associate treasurer and then as treasurer from 2003 to the present time. Prior to serving in the Lake Union, Glynn was secretary/treasury for the Bermuda Conference from 1997 to 1998 and treasurer for 1999. Prior to the Bermuda Conference, Glynn served as an auditor for Coopers & Lybrand, Price Waterhouse and financial analysis for Fidelity Investments (Boston). Glynn holds a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Atlantic Union College. He is married to Donna-Mae (Young) Scott, and they have two boys, Glenn Jr. and Clifton. (Back to Top) Royce SnymanRoyce Snyman was born in Colorado into a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist/pastor's family. During some of his early years he lived with his family in South Africa and then in Kenya, in eastern Africa. Upon returning to the United States he spent most of his growing up years in Southern California. From 1973-74 he spent a year as a student missionary on the pacific island of Palau. Snyman graduated from Pacific Union College and then came to the Michigan Conference in 1977, and spent one year as a ministerial intern in the Pontiac church. Snyman graduated from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, in 1980. He spent the next 13 years in pastoral ministry serving the Plymouth and Belleville churches in the Detroit Metropolitan area, and then the Kalamazoo church. In 1993, Snyman became the Personal Ministries and Adult Sabbath School director for the Michigan Conference, and Conference Disaster Response coordinator. In 2001 his job assignment was modified to include the position of associate director of the Ministerial Department, coordinating evangelism along with continuing to be the director of Personal Ministries. He currently serves Adventist Disaster Response as a senior national consultant. Snyman currently serves the Lake Union as Adventist Community Services and Disaster Response coordinator. Royce has been involved with Disaster Response for 14 years, including being a national consultant for Adventist Community Services Disaster Response. The disasters that he has assisted with include Hurricanes Floyd, Katrina, and Rita, and the wind storms which hit southern Michigan in 2001. He is the vice president of the Michigan Volunteer Agencies Active in Disaster (MIVOAD) and helped to start the TriVOAD serving the three counties of the Detroit Metropolitan area. Snyman is married to his wife of 30 years, Laurie. They have one daughter, Kristen, who is a Physical Therapist in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Kevin Harvey.(Back to Top) Garry SuddsGarry Sudds is the director of education for the Lake Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has a bachelor's degree from Atlantic Union College and a masters of science in Education from Iona College. In addition, he has taken graduate work in Administration and Supervision from Colorado University, the University of Arkansas, and Andrews University. Garry is in the process of completing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Andrews University. During his career in Adventist education, Garry has been an assistant boys' dean, principal, chaplain/Bible teacher, associate superintendent, and superintendent of schools in the New Jersey, Lake Union, and Rocky Mountain conferences. He has been married to his wife Joanna for 37 years, and feels that he has been blessed abundantly because "My wife loves me, my children respect me, and my 12-year-old Schnauzer still goes crazy every time I walk in the door." The only legacy he hopes to be remembered for is: "This man was a very close friend of Jesus." (Back to Top) J. Richard Terrell J. Richard Terrell's biography is not available yet. You may contact him at 269-473-8200. (Back to Top) Ron Whitehead Ron Whitehead has served in four North American Division (NAD) union headquarters as a local pastor, conference youth director, and church ministries director. He also served the NAD as associate youth director and led four International Pathfinder Camporees. Whitehead currently serves Kingdom-building efforts in the following ways: Assistant to the President of Andrews University for Spiritual Life, Executive Director for the Center for Youth Evangelism, Assistant Professor for Youth Ministry, Lake Union Conference Youth Ministries Coordinator. Whitehead is married to Betty Lou (Becker) Whitehead. Together they have three adult children: Stacy, Heidi, and Ryan. Whitehead's hobbies include, but are not limited to, antique and classic cars, tournament ski boats, Christian drama like Passion plays, large events, and business/ministry "investments." His favorite Bible text is John 14:1-3 because it reminds him not to "sweat the small stuff" because we are all just passing through, and that soon he will be together with those he loves. (Back to Top) Modified : March, 31, 2009 [ Back ] | | ||
|
© Copyright 2006
|