Additional Adventist officers elected for international roles

Dutch delegate protests lack of women in group

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Edwin Manuel Garcia/ANN

Delegates of the General Conference Session on Monday appointed 25 officers to serve as secretaries and treasurers in the 13 international regions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The appointees included just one woman, which drew strong protest from a European delegate who tried unsuccessfully to persuade hundreds of voters to reject the nominees, saying the list "worries me greatly," because it was dominated by men.

"I believe that in a church where 60 percent of the population consists of women, there should be a representation in the leadership," said delegate Jurrien Den Hollander of the church's Trans-European region.

Although the delegate's statement was received by applause on three occasions, his motion to reject the list and send it back to committee was soundly defeated.

The officers were chosen by delegates of their respective regions during caucus meetings held throughout the Georgia World Congress Center on Monday -- just hours after division presidents were selected. The recommended names were then turned over to the General Conference Nominating Committee, which in turn presented the list to the full body of delegates for a vote.

Following is a list of the world regions and the officers who were selected to serve in each of them for the next five years.

East-Central Africa

Secretary: Nathaniel M. Walemba, vice chancellor of the University of Eastern Africa in Kenya.

Treasurer: Jerome Habimana, who is currently assistant to the region's treasurer.

Euro-Africa

Secretary: Gabriel E. Maurer, the incumbent.

Treasurer: Norbert Zens, who works in the General Conference Auditing Service in Germany.

Euro-Asia

Secretary: Vladimir A. Krupskyi, president of the Ukrainian Union.

A treasurer is yet to be selected.

Inter-America

Secretary: Elie Henry, a vice president of the region.

Treasurer: Filiberto M. Verduzco, the incumbent.

North America

Secretary: G. Alexander Bryant, the incumbent.

Treasurer: G. Thomas Evans, the incumbent.

Northern Asia-Pacific

Secretary: Akeri Suzuki, the incumbent.

Treasurer: Kenneth Osborn, associate treasurer for North America.

South America

Secretary: Magdiel Perez, the region's acting secretary.

Treasurer: Marlon de Souza Lopes, director of Novo Tempo, the Hope television channel in Brazil.

South Pacific

Secretary: Lawrence P. Tanabose, the incumbent.

Treasurer: Rodney G. Brady, the incumbent.

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean

Secretary: Solomon Maphosa, the incumbent.

Treasurer: Goodwell Nthani, the incumbent.

Southern Asia

Secretary: Gordon Christo, the incumbent.

Treasurer: G. S. Robert Clive, the incumbent.

Southern Asia-Pacific

Secretary: Saw Samuel, a department director in the church's Southeast Asia Union Mission

Treasurer: Keith Heinrich, the incumbent.

Trans-Europe

Secretary: Audrey Andersson, a commissioned minister who is secretary of Swedish Union of Churches Conference and the only woman who received a position.

Treasurer: Johann E. Johannsson, the incumbent.

West-Central Africa

Secretary: Onaolapo Ajibade, the incumbent.

Treasurer: Emmanuel S. D. Manu, the incumbent.

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