Lora Baker
Going into the meeting I simply thought I would get the chance to listen to people providing recap-style reports from the previous year. Perhaps I would learn a bit about the financial situation of the Lake Union, but I didn’t figure that I would gain much else from it. However, my experience proved to be substantially different than my expectations.
The Lake Union’s executive board meeting was so much more than numbers and related reports. While it did include costs, budgets and other types of overviews from our leaders at the Lake Union, it also included chances for the executive members to speak. I heard various members discuss what they’ve been doing in their own conferences and how God has helped them to make all things work. Some of the stories proved to be very impactful to me.
For example, the president of Indiana Conference Vic Van Schaik spoke about challenges they faced in finding a place for a group of people to hold worship services. God always provided a solution for them, even sometimes before they knew there was a problem. Another major story that impacted me was when Ron Whitehead from the Center for Youth Evangelism spoke about what was happening in preparation for the camporee being held in Gillette, Wyoming, this summer. Once again, God was working and blessing all those involved. I also thought it was a nice addition to have President Wesley Taylor from Andrews University come and talk about what is happening on the nearby university campus. I didn’t realize until afterward how much it meant to hear what was going on in all these aspects of our union.
After the meeting ended, I immediately rushed to tell my family and close friends how amazing it was and how much I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It truly was transformative.
Although I grew up in the Adventist church, I didn’t get a chance to see all that goes on in the Adventist world, or even just what happens within my own conference. Often, I’ve found myself wondering what it is that we are doing to progress the church and the mission of God, whether that be in helping others outside or inside the church. I loved that this meeting opened my eyes to a portion of what great things God has helped people in our union accomplish. I think it’s wonderful to include the ministry reports from our conferences with the financial and strategy reports. It truly is such a blessing to share our religious experiences with others and hear how God is working in the lives and through the leaders and members of our denomination.
Lora Baker just graduated from Andrews Academy and plans to study finance in college. She is a business intern at the Lake Union Conference.
