Elders Garth Gabriel and Julius Everett Headline Leadership Change in Lake Region

The acceptance of the call to Oakwood University by former President, Dr. R. Clifford Jones triggered a change in the leadership of the Lake Region Conference. Dr. Jones, who previously taught at Andrews Theological Seminar for many years prior to being elected the President of Lake Region, returned to academia as the Dean of the School of Religion at Oakwood University. He began his service to Oakwood on July 1.

Constitutionally, that elevated the Lake Region Executive Secretary, Elder Garth Gabriel, to the position of Acting President. Elder Gabriel, a native of Trinidad, was elected Conference Secretary on May 20, 2018. He is a graduate of Atlantic Union College and has served in the Lake Region Conference for nearly 25 years. A former singer with The Heritage Singers, Elder Gabriel and his wife of 42 years, Rosita, have 4 children and 4 grandchildren.

Elder Gabriel’s acceptance of this new position meant that there was a vacancy in the administrative team in Lake Region. It became especially necessary to address this vacancy as another member of the Administrative team, Treasurer Yvonne Collins, accepted a call to the Regional Conference Retirement Plan Office, where she will begin serving as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer on September 1.

The Lake Region Conference Executive Committee recently voted to appoint Elder Julius Everett, Sr. as Assistant to the Acting President. In that role, he will assume the responsibilities that Elder Gabriel had as Executive Secretary.

Elder Everett is a native of Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Shiloh SDA Church. He is a graduate of Andrews University and has served in the Lake Region Conference for 21 years as a Pastor in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. He currently serves as the Pastor of the Stratford Memorial Church in Chicago.

He and his wife, Dr. Regina Spears-Everett are the parents of 6 children.

May the Lord bless these leaders in their new areas of ministry in the kingdom of God.