Since August 2023 Judy R. Glass has been serving as treasurer/CFO of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Glass is well known across the Mid-America territory for her service in academies and at AdventSource. During the NAD Educators Convention LouAnn Howard, MAUC director of education, sat down with Glass for a short conversation.
Howard: It’s good to be able to talk to people from “home.” That’s the best. So what are three words to describe Judy Glass?
Glass: Three words is not very much, but I think three words I would use are helpful, caring and hardworking. I think those are three important words. I like to help people; I want to help them with their budgets, their financial needs. I just find great joy here in doing that. And I care about the people I work with and those we’re serving.
What does it mean to you to be the treasurer of the North American Division?
This is a big responsibility…to be the treasurer for the North American Division and to care for the funds that God has entrusted to our church to serve and to minister. So I feel the responsibility for that. I also see the potential and the things that we can do to work better and work smarter. I believe strongly in women in ministry. So I’m excited to be able to be in a leadership role. And I’m hoping that it will open the doors for other positions and other women within the church. And I think also of the women who have come before me and on whose shoulders I stand. I think of Debra Brill. I think of Elaine Hagele who was the Mid-America Union treasurer for a number of years. And the things that I’ve learned from them and the influence they’ve been on my life as mentors.
What excites you most about what’s happening financially in the North American Division?
It is amazing how God has blessed us with our tithe and our faithful donors through the years. Even during COVID when we weren’t sure if we were going to have a downturn. God didn’t let that happen. We had more money coming in. And I think the exciting thing about that is that we can look for more possibilities of how we can do ministry and how we can share and reach the different people through evangelism, through our schools, through all the different channels that we have going. Different departments are doing so many exciting projects. It’s great to see that happening and to have the resources to do that and to figure out how to use them best so we can make our dollars go further. And we’re very thankful for the generosity of the believers in our churches.
What are some of the challenges you’re facing?
We are facing challenges with finding people to come and work for the church—finding treasurers for our different conferences, finding pastors, finding teachers. You are aware, as the education superintendent in Mid-America, how difficult sometimes it is to fill some of those vacancies. And, you know, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has a long history of service and ministering and it is a great organization to work for. But somehow our college students, our academy students, are not currently seeing that. I’m hoping we can help them see that this is a viable career and it is a valuable career. You know, it’s not all about the dollars and cents. It’s about what you do and how you serve and how you make a difference in people’s lives. It’s the little things that really make a big difference in people’s lives.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us right now?
I’ve got a lot to learn and I’m very appreciative of the support of our division team, our unions and conferences, and the members. I’ve talked with so many people and everyone has just been so supportive of me and this journey. I’m very appreciative of this and I covet their prayers.
This is not something I could do on my own. I need the support of everyone and your prayers.
Thank you for taking a few minutes with us. We pray that God will bless your ministry abundantly.
Video of interview
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j9pjImg-faxiyxgRJ0_njAlLNBAB6bQJ/view?usp=sharing
