At the 107th regular session of the Minnesota Conference Constituency, held April 29 in a suburb of Minneapolis, delegates reelected without dissent each of their administrative officers. Thomas L. Lemon, president of the Mid-America Union, chaired the session and introduced the reinstalled leadership team as follows:
President: D. Edward Barnett; vice president for administration: Justin Lyons; vice president for finance: Reggie Leach.
Besides the election of officers, delegates also adopted a set of restated articles of Incorporation and By-Laws. One effect is to empower the Conference Executive Committee to appoint departmental directors. Another outcome is combining into one entity the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Minnesota Conference Association of Seventh-day Adventists.
The session also passed two resolutions regarding issues often discussed among Seventh-day Adventists. The statements are as follows:
It was voted, “While we support the ordination of women, we will not recommend any woman for ordination until the North American Division of the General Conference’s policy allows it.”
It was voted, “We affirm and support the General Conference’s current ‘Guidelines on Abortion’ and Statement on Birth Control, i.e. ‘Birth Control: A Seventh-day Adventist Statement of consensus.’”
The session ended with the singing of “We Have This Hope.”
~by Martin Weber, Mid-America Union communication director (with Carol Lyons of the Minnesota Conference)
