I praise God for the Central States Conference who took a shot on me years ago. From the moment I set foot in the territory, I have been shown nothing but love. Thank you to my administrators for allowing me to be me, for supporting my ideas and for giving me the mentorship that allowed me to grow. Thank you to my fellow pastors for the camaraderie, laughs and even difficult talks. Thank you to my youth and young adults for the great moments, for helping me grow and for forcing me to push the envelope each year. I believe there is nowhere in the Adventist Church like Central States—where we are truly family.

I also want to thank the Mid-America Union Conference for their support. Not only was I supported as a pastor, but also in my role as youth director. I want to especially thank Elder Gil Webb for the words of wisdom and Elder Roger Wade, who in a short time was a great resource and support for youth ministry. To all of my fellow youth directors, I will miss working with you, but I am confident you will do great things together.

This is a bittersweet moment, as my family loves and will miss our CSC and MAUC family. But we look forward to seeing what God has in store for us moving forward.

Continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for you. God Bless.

Kory Douglas is former youth director for the Central States Conference. He is transitioning to serve at Oakwood University as senior associate chaplain.