Lake Union President Ken Denslow presents the President's Report at the November 20, 2024, Executive Committee. [Photos by Katie Fellows]
Debbie Michel
November 21, 2024On Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, the Lake Union executive committee convened in Berrien Springs, Michigan for the last of three meetings held annually.
The 37-member committee includes representatives from the five conferences who are tasked with helping to develop and direct the work of the church in the Great Lakes region. Members include local conference administrators, church employees, lay leaders, as well as the presidents of Andrews University and UChicago Medicine AdventHealth.
As president of the Lake Union, Ken Denslow chairs the meeting, which is focused on the day-to-day work, as well as the long-term strategies for fulfilling the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
North American Division Undersecretary Jorge A. Ramirez was a special guest and he encouraged the group to continuing planting seeds for mission, reflecting on how Jesus touched his life when he was a 15-year-old.
In the president’s report Denslow said he was excited to partner with the South Peru Union Mission over the next five years. He introduced the mission’s Executive Secretary Fari Choque and updated the group on a Maranatha project to build a church in Peru in January. Plans are also underway to build parsonages. More details on this project will be forthcoming in the coming weeks.
During the year-end meeting, Elden Ramirez, executive secretary and ministerial and evangelism director, presented a report, celebrating key milestones and advancing the vision for evangelism across the union.
For the first time in over 15 years, the Lake Union membership has surpassed the 80,000s, reaching 90,287 by the close of the third quarter of 2025. Ramirez expressed gratitude for this significant growth, describing it as a blessing and a testament to the faithfulness of members and local churches in fulfilling the gospel commission.
A particularly heartwarming highlight of the report was the recognition of the union’s demographic diversity. While 50% of the Lake Union membership is under the age of 59, 2.04% of members are in their 90s or older, a representation of the legacy and faithfulness of the Church’s elders. Ramirez reflected, “These members are our parents and grandparents, a testament to God’s sustaining grace. We are blessed to have them among us, and we pray for their continued health and longevity.”
The report also reflected ongoing efforts to enhance congregational health through attendance tracking. Since the Lake Union began encouraging conferences to take attendance in 2023, more than half of its churches, 56.6% are now regularly reporting attendance, providing a clearer picture of congregational vitality. Ramirez also highlighted the spiritual growth seen across the Union, with a total of 1,170 baptisms reported up to the third quarter of 2024.
Ramirez also shared updates on the Pentecost 2025 initiative. The Lake Union is one of the leading unions in the North American Division, not in competition with other sister unions, but by achieving a high percentage of participation among its own churches and schools. Nearly 400 Lake Union institutions, an impressive portion of its total, are engaged in the initiative. This reflects the Union’s strong commitment to working collaboratively within its territory to advance the gospel. Over $2.6 million has been budgeted for these efforts, with $1 million subsidized by the NAD to empower participating churches.
To support this initiative, the Lake Union will host a Pentecost 2025 evangelism training on December 6-7, 2024, at the West Central Church in Oak Park, Illinois. The event will feature breakout sessions led by the Voice of Prophecy, It Is Written, NAD Ministerial and Evangelism Departments and Seventh-day Theological Seminary at Andrews University, with Carlton Byrd as the keynote speaker.
Two candidates from the Illinois Conference were approved for ordination: Rodney Balmes and Felipe Soares.
Tithe is $63.6 million, down (3.73%) compared to September YTD 2023. This decrease is primarily due to extraordinary tithe received by Illinois Conference during the first quarter of 2023 in the amount of $2.6 million. Tithe equalized for special gifts given in 2023 indicates finances which are 0.20% positive.
Total income is $11.5 million, which is under budget by $137,000. This is due to weighted budget YTD ahead of actual income. At year-end, total income is expected to be ahead of budget due to conservative budgeting at 95% of 2023 total income.
Total expenses $10.9 million, under budget by $1 million due to program expenses and travel, all lower than budget.
Operating YTD gain for September 2024 was $497,000. The union has a full year break-even budget.
Treasurer Glynn Scott remarked, “We are thankful for God’s blessings upon the members of the Lake Union, which in turn result in blessings that are applied to mission and ministry that happens across our Union and beyond.”
More highlights from the meeting, including reports from UChicago Medicine AdventHealth and Andrews University, are planned for next week’s newsletter.
Debbie Michel serves as Lake Union Communication director and Lake Union Herald editor.
