On July 24, approximately 800 delegates met at the Oakwood University Church for their Fifth Quinquennial Session.
After the devotional by Elder Roger Bernard, President, Central States Conference, the delegates began addressing the business of the day. They voted to take the unprecedented step of suspending the rules to allow for the submission of up to three names for the office of Conference President.
The Nominating Committee brought three names and after the votes were cast, Elder Benjamin Jones was re-elected for a second term as President. President Jones—who is the 8th President in the 76 year history of the conference—has served South Central for 51 years.
The delegates then addressed the other 2 administrative positions. They elected Dr. Vandeon Griffin, the Associate Youth Director for the North American Division and who had served previously as a Pastor and a departmental director for the conference, as Executive Secretary. They then re-elected Mrs. Sonja M. Crayton as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer.
Included in the business of the day were some major constitutional changes—
including the meeting of the Nominating Committee in advance of the conference session and the removal of term limits for all Conference elected officials other than the President and the Executive Secretary.
Below is the list of the departmental leaders and the Executive Committee elected by the constituency:
Adventist Community Services
Barbara Barnes (Co-director)
Lillie Buckingham (Co-director)
Adventist Youth Ministries
Bryant Stewart
Adventist Youth Ministries Associate
Gabriel Agramonte
Church Ministries & Mission Development
Furman Fordham II
Church Ministries & Mission Development Associate
Jeffrey Watson
Communications & Public Relations
Roger R. Wade
Family Health Education Services (FHES)/ Publishing
Dimitri Scavella
Education Superintendent
Dr. Summer Wood
Ministerial
Kennedy Luckett
Ministerial Associates
Dr. Toussaint Williams
Pastor Cristian Borbon
Dr. Izean Celeve
Multicultural Ministries
Cristian Borbon
National Service Organization (NSO)
Bryant Stewart
Executive Committee:
- Benjamin Jones, Jr. – President
- Dr. Vandeon Griffin – Executive Secretary
- Sonja Crayton – Chief Financial Officer
- Debleaire Snell-N AL
- Malcolm Taylor-N AL
- Jennifer Patterson-N AL
- Benita Mosley-C AL
- Leroy Abrahams-C AL
- Dr. William Abernathy-AL
- Antonio Tinsley-FL
- Jacques Francois-KY
- Jimeshia Smith-MS
- Mark Hyde-MS
- Michael Mickens-MS
- Colibri Jenkins-MS
- Renita Bonds-E TN
- Cory Bean-Mid TN
- Tina Carriger-Mid TN
- Cory Jackson-W TN
- Darrell Thomas-W TN
- Julia Rioz-Multi
- Dr. Leslie Pollard-Institutional
- Roger Wade-Dept
- Peter Hunter
- George Seay
We wish President Jones and his team God’s blessings as they lead His people in this quinquennium.