L to R: Carmelo Mercado, vice president for multicultural ministries; Elden Ramirez, executive secretary; Ken Denslow, president; and Glynn Scott, treasurer. [Photos by Katie Fellows]
Debbie Michel
March 13, 2025The 37-member committee includes representatives from five conferences tasked with overseeing church initiatives in the Great Lakes region. Committee members include local conference administrators, church employees, lay leaders and the presidents of Andrews University and UChicago Medicine AdventHealth.
Lake Union President Ken Denslow chaired the meeting, addressing both daily operations and long-term strategies for fulfilling the Seventh-day Adventist Church's mission. This marked Denslow’s final meeting as chair, as he is set to retire in April.
Key actions included the election of Lake Union Executive Secretary Elden Ramirez as the incoming president and the appointment of Ron Whitehead as the full-time youth director.
Additional highlights from the meeting:
Ken Denslow’s devotional was based on Ezekiel 37, focusing on themes of revival and unity. Denslow referred to Ezekiel's vision of a valley of dry bones, symbolizing renewal and revival through divine intervention. He emphasized the importance of seeking spiritual revival in the church.
A video presentation provided an update on Project Amigo and the recent mission trip to Peru, conducted in partnership with Maranatha International, which included constructing a new church.
Executive Secretary Elden Ramirez reported that membership within the Lake Union Conference totaled 90,809 at the beginning of 2025. Churches and schools across the Lake Union continue active involvement in outreach and evangelism.
The North American Division’s (NAD) Pentecost 2025 initiative, which initially aimed for 3,000 evangelistic events, has expanded to over 5,225 planned initiatives across the division. Total funding for these initiatives amounts to $41,584,770, with $15,593,550 provided by the NAD.
Within the Lake Union, 503 evangelistic initiatives are scheduled for 2025, representing an 86% participation rate from local churches and schools. These initiatives have a total budget of $3.6 million, including $1.4 million contributed by the NAD.
Lake Union Treasurer Glynn Scott reported the following financial information:
Tithe was $91.6 million, a 3.72% decrease compared to December 2023. This decrease is attributed to extraordinary one-time tithe contributions received in 2023. After adjusting for these special contributions, the decrease in tithe was 1.01%.
Total income reached $16.7 million, exceeding budget expectations by $590,000 due to higher general and investment income.
Expenses amounted to $16.1 million, under budget by $207,000 due to lower-than-expected program costs, salaries and travel expenses.
The operating gain for December 2024 was $668,000.
Scott noted appreciation for the continued financial contributions from Lake Union members, emphasizing the impact of these resources on the conference's mission and ministry initiatives.
Debbie Michel is Lake Union Herald editor
