SUD News, September 2010

Communication Department, Southern Asia Division

T P Kurian

Welcome Program for the Newly Elected Officers

The SUD Staff social committee had a felicitation program on August 8, 2010 at 7:00 pm to welcome the newly elected division officers.

Pastor Rathinaraj John, President

Dr. Gordon E Christo, Secretary

Pastor G S Robert Clive, Treasurer

 Dr. L F Lyngdoh gave a timely message for the leaders.  They were welcomed in the Indian traditional way with garlands and Dr. G Nageshwara Rao introduced them to the community. A special dedicatory prayer was offered by the ordained pastors. The newly elected officers responded to the community with short speeches. May the Lord bless the ministry of these officers to fulfill the purpose of their call to His work in Southern Asia Division.

Independence Day Program

The workers of Southern Asia Division headquarters along with their spouses and children gathered in front of the office to celebrate the 64rth Independence Day program on August 15, 2010.   Dr. M Wilson welcomed the audience and the guests, followed by Scripture reading and a prayer.  The color party of the pathfinders of Jeevan Jyothi Campus formed guard of honour and the chief guest Mr. Selvin Moorthy, SUD under treasurer, hoisted the national flag after which he gave a speech on democratic India and the struggle of our former national leaders to make India free from the British.  The program was organized by the staff social committee team under Dr. Nageshwara Rao.  It ended up with closing prayer.  A cultural presentation by the campus kids followed that was organized by Mr. Daniel Baranabas.

Farewell for Pastor William George who is retiring from the active service

On August 18^th Wednesday Social committee bid farewell to Pastor William George, Director, Special Ministry, who has put in 42 years of service to the organization. Mr. Selvin Moorthy narrated his own experience about Pastor William George and Pastor Clive awarded him certificate and Medallion from the ministerial department. Finally Pastor William Gerorge thanked everybody for organizing such a program.  A Synopsis of His service is given below:

After completion of junior studies at Spicer Memorial College Pr. William George started his career in the year 1968 as a pastor of three churches in Sankarankoil area, after that he was moved to karaikal, and then at the Trichy headquarter church.  After that he was transferred to Chengalpattu church where he started the school.  He is the founder of the school. Then he went back to SMC for higher studies, and then served as a pastor/evangelist in the South Tamil section.  Then he was appointed as a principal/pastor of Koilpatti school where he bought 5 acres of land. Then he moved to Vellore English/Tamil church pastor.

In 1980 he was transferred to Pondicherry main church for three years and he served  as a circle leader.  In 1984, he was promoted as a department director, then health temperance and stewardship director and served I year in the Lowry church in Karnataka.  Later he served as an executive secretary in the North Tamil Section.  Then he was called to South India union as a communication department director.  After that he was promoted as president of North Tamil Section. During his period the section became Conference of SIU, the first conference of SIU.  He conducted evangelistic crusades. He served in Maharashtra too.   In 1998 he was appointed as a Global Mission director of SUD. He served in various departments like Special ministries , Gospel outreach , Quiet Hour , independent ministry and deaf ministry. He is retiring as special ministry Director. God bless him in his retired life

Spicer College Celebrated Founders’ Day

August 28, 1942 was the day when classes were conducted for the first time on the present campus after Spicer College relocated to Pune from Bangalore.

This year the day was celebrated well, but comparatively on a low key academically, since August 28 fell on a Saturday and was sandwiched between two half working days.  Celebrations started as early as a week before the Day with a selection of football matches organized among boys as well as girls with the finals slotted for Sunday, the 29^th,  when an exhibition match between the college faculty and the school faculty was played as a bonus, with the college winning against the school scoring 2-0. All the religious programs on the Sabbath were geared to the theme of the Founders’ Day. A special Talent Night was organized on Saturday night and a special quiz based on the history of the college was held during the chapel period on Tuesday, August 31 for the students belonging to different programs in the college: Spicer Autonomous, Andrews University, Griggs University and Pune University programs.

A special vespers service was taken by “The Chariots” the prestigious singing group of the college and enthralled the church with their songs, skit and message. Sabbath  program was special too on the Founders Day. The  sermon entitled “Incredible Dream - Impossible Dream”  delivered by Dr Mohanraj Israel, Director of the EG White Centre of this college, who started  his sermon with the “Story of the Daffodil Principle” and  led the congregation through the annals of human history beginning with our forefathers who started this great journey of faith and whose names were immortalized in the book of Hebrews:  “Abel . . . Enoch . . . Noah . . . Abraham . . . Sarah . . . Jacob . . . Joseph . . . Moses . . . Joshua . . . David.  Different people, different stories, widely separated in time and space. Stories that span thousands of years.

But the climax of the service was the ardent and meaningful prayer of consecration and commitment offered in great solemnity by  Dr Devadas after he invited all the administrators to join him on the stage and reverently  led the congregation in the reading of the Litany of Praise and Commitment included below, followed by the singing of the great hymn with a great theme: “TO God Be the Glory, Great Things He Hath Done” : Dr Mohanraj then closed the service with his solo “To Dream the Impossible Dream”.       

Spicer will remain ever grateful to all the missionaries and visionaries - former presidents and professors who left the portals of their complacent homes and the pacific shores of their distant homelands, with their dedicated spouses (and many with young children), to embark on this unknown trail, purely in faith and love and helped in building this great institution, brick by brick : G G Lowry, I F Blue, E M Meleen,  O A Skau, L B Losey,  E W Pohlmann, M O Manley, C A Schutt,  I D Higgins, R E Rice, N O Matthews, W G Jenson, O O Mattison, O W Lang, R S Lowry, W F Zill, J W Ashlock, J D Braillesford, M D Campbell, F J Crump, H L Hooper, G R Jenson, W G Johnsson, P L Parker, C H Tidwell (Sr), L A Willis, Dan Jackson, R L Rowe, C E Roe, E L Nielson, R H Jones, H D Erickson, Gordon Buhler, Fred Nash, Charles Shultz, Robert Patton, Martin Kobialka, Horst Rolly, Marcus Kappel, Bert Trussel, Bud Lowry, D R Bankhead and many many more whose names are just beyond the memory, not forgetting those from the nearer lands and from the recent past: E G Fernando, Brian de Alwis, Chidozie Ibeneme, Patrick Manu, Michael Isiwele, etc. And Spicer certainly can never forget the hundreds of indigenous administrators, faculty and staff who formed the scaffold and served faithfully this great institution these past ninety-five years, not forgetting the thousands of students who left the portals of their alma mater after enriching it further with their presence, participation, and presents. Won’t it be a great sight to see them, at least the children and grandchildren of the older lot, five years hence when the college celebrates its centenary anniversary, hopefully as a university? Amen!    

SUD News July, 2010

T P Kurian

Communication Department

The updated list of church officers as they are elected at the 2010 World Church Session

President -- Ted N. C. Wilson
Secretary -- G. T. Ng
Treasurer -- Robert E. Lemon

General Vice President -- Delbert W. Baker
General Vice President -- Lowell C. Cooper
General Vice President -- Geoffrey G. Mbwana
General Vice President -- Armando Miranda
General Vice President -- Pardon K. Mwansa
General Vice President -- Michael L. Ryan
General Vice President -- Benjamin D. Schoun
General Vice President -- Ella S. Simmons
General Vice President -- Artur A. Stele

Undersecretary -- Homer W. Trecartin
Associate Secretary -- Rosa T. Banks
Associate Secretary -- Myron Iseminger
Associate Secretary -- Agustin Galicia
Associate Secretary -- John Thomas
Associate Secretary -- Harald Wollan

Undertreasurer -- Juan R. Prestol
Associate Treasurer -- George O. Egwakhe
Associate Treasurer -- Daisy J. Orion
Associate Treasurer -- Roy E. Ryan
Associate Treasurer -- J. Raymond Wahlen II

General Field Secretary -- Paul S. Brantley
General Field Secretary -- Gary D. Krause
General Field Secretary -- Angel Manuel Rodriguez
General Field Secretary -- Charles Sandefur
General Field Secretary -- Brad Thorp

World Divisions

East-Central Africa
President -- Blasious M. Ruguri
Secretary -- Nathaniel M. Walemba
Treasurer -- Jerome Habimana

Euro-Africa
President -- Bruno R. Vertallier
Secretary -- Gabriel E. Maurer
Treasurer -- Norbert Zens

Euro-Asia
President -- Guillermo E. Biaggi
Secretary -- Vladimir A. Krupskyi
Treasurer -- Brent B. Burdick

Inter-American
President -- Israel Leito
Secretary -- Elie Henry
Treasurer -- Filiberto M. Verduzco Avila

North American
President -- Daniel R. Jackson
Secretary -- G. Alexander Bryant
Treasurer -- G. Thomas Evans

Northern Asia-Pacific
President -- Jairyong Lee
Secretary -- Akeri Suzuki
Treasurer -- Kenneth W. Osborn

South American
President -- Erton C. Kohler
Secretary -- Magdiel Perez
Treasurer -- Marlon de Souza Lopes

South Pacific
President -- Barry D. Oliver
Secretary -- Lawrence P. Tanabose
Treasurer -- Rodney G. Brady

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean
President -- Paul S. Ratsara
Secretary -- Solomon Maphosa
Treasurer -- Goodwell Nthani

Southern Asia
President -- John Rathinaraj
Secretary -- Gordon E. Christo
Treasurer -- G. S. Robert Clive

Southern Asia-Pacific
President -- Alberto C. Gulfan Jr.
Secretary -- Saw Samuel
Treasurer -- Keith R. Heinrich

Trans-European
President -- Bertil A. Wiklander
Secretary -- Audrey Andersson
Treasurer -- Johann E. Johannsson

West-Central Africa
President -- Gilbert Wari
Secretary -- Onaolapo Ajibade
Treasurer -- Emmanuel S. D. Manu

General Conference Departments

Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries
Director -- Gary R. Councell
Associate Director -- Mario E. Ceballos

Auditing Service
Director -- Paul H. Douglas
Associate Director -- Gary B. Blood
Associate Director -- Christopher S. Garrity
Associate Director -- Daniel E. Herzel
Associate Director -- Mark S. Hyder
Associate Director -- Jeremy T. Smith
Associate Director for North America -- Robyn W. Kajiura
Associate Director for Trans Africa -- Furaha Mpozembizi
Associate Director for Trans America -- Roy Cortez
Associate Director for Trans Asia-Pacific -- Paul J. Edwards
Associate Director for Trans Euro-Asia -- Sandra C. Grice

Children's Ministries
Director -- Linda Koh
Associate Director -- Saustin K. Mfune

Communication

Director -- Williams Costa Jr.
Associate Director -- Andre Brink
Associate Director -- Garrett Caldwell

Education
Director -- Lisa M. Beardsley
Associate Director -- Hudson E. Kibuuka
Associate Director -- Mike Lekic
Associate Director -- Luis A. Schulz
Associate Director -- John Wesley Taylor, V

Family Ministries
Director -- Willie Oliver
Associate director -- Elaine Oliver

Health Ministries
Director -- Allan R. Handysides
Associate Director -- Fred Hardinge
Associate Director -- Kathleen H. K. Kuntaraf
Associate Director -- Peter N. Landless

Ministerial Association
Secretary -- Jerry Page
Associate Secretary -- Janet Page

Planned Giving and Trust Services
Director -- Thomas A. Kapusta
Associate Director -- Charles B. Simpson
Associate Director -- Wilfredo L. Sumagaysay

Public Affairs & Religious Liberty
Director -- John Graz
Associate Director -- Barry W. Bussey
Associate Director -- James D. Standish

Publishing
Director -- Howard F. Faigao
Associate Director -- Wilmar Hirle

Sabbath School and Personal Ministries
Director -- Jonathan Kuntaraf
Associate Director -- Gary B. Swanson

Stewardship
Director -- Erika F. Puni
Associate Director -- Mario Nino

Women's Ministries
Director -- Heather-Dawn Small
Associate Director -- Raquel C. Arrais

Youth
Director -- Gilbert R. Cangy
Associate Director -- Jonatan Tejel

General Conference Auditing Service Board

Ailton Dorl
Hyden G. I. Gittens
Elvira Grosu
Svetlana Kara
Jack L. Krogstad
Philip Maitanmi
Phillip Ndlovu
Yungsang Oh
Frensly Panneflek
Lotie Ragas-Blando
John Stanley
Evelyn Will
Vincent Zirimwabagabo
Ex Officio
Lowell C Cooper
Paul H Douglas
Robert E Lemon
G. T. Ng
Ted N. C. Wilson

SUD News from

Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center

June 28, 2010

By T P Kurian ANN

 

   

Pastor  John Rathinararaj was re elected as the President of  Southern Asia Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church   during the General Conference Session at Atlanta.

 A brief background

 Rathinaraj John was born in Kanyakumari at the southern tip of India on March 3, 1949. He attended a government school but moved to Spicer College where he worked his way through a degree in Religious Philosophy and a minor in Religious History, graduating in 1973. The South Tamil Section appointed him pastor of a high tithe-paying congregation and at the same time principal of a small boarding school. During the seven years he was there Pastor John established another two new churches and a day school.

The South Tamil Section ordained him to the gospel ministry in 1979 and posted him to one of the church’s largest day schools in Madurai where he again served as church pastor in addition to his responsibility as principal. Pastor John moved to Pondichery as principal of our largest school in 1983 but only for a year since he was elected president of the South Tamil Section in 1984, a position he held till 1993. After three years he responded to a call to serve as principal of the James Memorial Higher Secondary School in the pioneer Adventist community of Prakasapuram. During this time he completed an MA in History and a B.Ed., but his school administration days were over.

From 1996-1997 he served as president of the Karnataka Section and just a year later was elected president of the South India Union, which at that time included all of Kerala, Tamilnadu, and Karnataka. The membership grew under his leadership exceeding 80,000 members in over 1,000 churches, so in the year 2000 the Union was divided into three unions—East Central India, South Central India, and South East India. Pastor John moved from Bangalore to Chennai to the headquarters of the South East India Union serving as the president till 2005. At the General Conference Session in St Louis that year he was elected Secretary of the Southern Asia Division. Upon the resignation of Ron Watts last year, R John was nominated by an overwhelming majority to replace   Elder John’s wife Flora John coordinates the work of the Adventist Child India at the Division office. He has two married children, his son has a master’s degree in physiotherapy and is principal of a school; his daughter works at the Division Office. He has two grandchildren

 

Dr. Gorden E Christo was re elected as the Secretary  of the Southern Asia Division

A brief background

 Gordon Christo spent most of his life at Spicer College (Pune, India), having been born when his parents were stationed there, then spending four years as a student in high school, completing his DSLC, and ISC, followed by five years in college, earning the BLA and BTh degrees. Finally he and his wife spent 26 years on the faculty.  At various times, Dr Christo headed the department of Biblical Languages and the department of Religious Philosophy.  He also served as the Dean of the School of Religious studies, and Vice President for Academic Administration.  At Spicer, Gordon, at various times, also conducted the choir, served as youth pastor, coordinated social activities, and worked closely with the Spicerian and Oreodoxa publications.

Gordon Christo began his ministry in 1972 in the Calcutta church.  He later served in the Chandigarh and Ajmer churches, and then in Union evangelism till he obtained a visa for the Philippines where he completed his MA and MDiv degrees.  Before returning, he married Rosenita Moncayo with whom he had been singing in the PUC Ambassadors choir.

In 1986 Dr Christo was sponsored to Andrews University where he completed his PhD in Old Testament Studies.  Though he has written a number of articles for Church magazines and scholarly journals in the areas of Biblical studies, and contextualization, his passion is history of Adventism in India.

At the Division office Dr Christo has served as Director of Higher Education, Vice President, and Secretary of the Division.

Rose Christo serves at the Division office as coordinator for the Adventist Volunteer Centre, and editor of the Southern Asia Tidings.  They have two children.  Gerald teaches music at a school in Bangalore, and Cheryl works as an interior designer in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Pastor  G S Robert Clive was re elected as the Treasurer of the Southern Asia Division

 A brief background

 Ganta Solomon Robert Clive was born to Pioneer Adventist Parents on September 16, 1946 at Kesinapalli in Andhra Pradesh.  After his primary education in a Government School, he moved to Flaiz Adventist High School for his elementary and secondary education.  He graduated with majors in Bachelor of Business Management and Economics from Spicer College in 1969 and went on to obtain a Masters of Commerce degree from Pune University.  After which he began his denominational service as a school accountant in 1972. 

He served the church for 38 Years, as a School and Hospital Accountant, Section Treasurer, Union Assistant Treasurer, Union Treasurer, General Manager of OWPH, Under-Treasurer of Southern Asia Division and was elevated as the Division Treasurer in 2005.  He was re-elected to serve another term as the Treasurer of Southern Asia Division on June 28, 2010.  He was awarded the best Section Treasurer of the Division in 1984.  While serving as the Treasurer of Central India Union he conducted two Evangelistic Crusades, as a result two hundred and eleven (211) members were added to the church.  He was ordained to the Gospel Ministry, on November 18, 2000.

 

His wife Jayamani retired from active service after serving as a teacher in the Adventist Schools for 34 years.  He has three daughters who completed their undergraduate education – an Office Secretary, a Medical Doctor, and a BSc. Nurse.  He is blessed with three grandchildren. As the son of a pioneer Adventist Evangelist he is passionate about evangelism.  He always prioritizes resources to meet the primary goal of the Adventist Church which is to “Tell The World”.

 

 

• Wilson elected president of Seventh-day Adventist world church