image by Walinton Mosquera/IAD

Nearly 200 Seventh-day Adventists gathered in Colombia's Adventist University this week to witness the official reorganization of the church into two unions or regions and to elect new leaders to head the growing membership in Colombia.

July 15, 2010 - Medellin, Colombia...[Sarai Fierro/IAD Staff]

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colombia officially split into two unions, or regions, during a special ceremony held July 12-13 at Colombia Adventist University church in Medellin, Colombia.

The Colombian Union Conference, which was established in 1989, was divided into the South Colombia Union Mission and the North Colombian Union Conference. Top administrators of the Inter-American Division (IAD), based in Miami, Florida, were present at the ceremony.

"The reorganization [of these unions] should be done with the strong purpose of facilitating the gospel throughout the territory" said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America. "This is not to create another position for someone to be president, it is to facilitate the work, so that God's people can move further."

Nearly 200 local church leaders and delegates gathered to witness the ceremony and to elect new church leaders.

The split came after plans were drawn more than three years ago to organize another region that could cater to the fast-growing capital city of Bogota. Bogota is the most populated city in the country with 7 million.

Pastor Leito said that while there were many challenges for the split, everything was led by the Lord. "If it had not been for divine intervention this would have been possible," he said.

Leaders also took a moment to express gratitude to the ministers representing each region in Colombia as well as jointly committed to continue service to God in the mission of the church.

"God wants to do much more than to divide a union and He is willing to give us the latter rain," said Dr. Elie Henry, executive secretary of the church in Inter-America. "What we need is the power of the Holy Spirit."

Newly elected leaders for the South Colombia Union Mission, headquartered in Bogota, Colombia were Eliseo Bustamante as president, and German Perez as secretary/treasurer. Department leaders included: Juan Caicedo Solis, family ministries director and evangelist, Hector Julio Arias as education director and ministerial secretary; Roberto Carvajal as youth ministries and stewardship director; Aicardo Arias, personal ministries director.

The South Colombia Union Mission has more than 122,000 church members and 460 churches and congregations.

Newly elected leaders for the North Colombia Union Conference, headquartered in Medellin, Colombia, included Edgar Redondo as president, Mario Villegas as secretary, and Dubiel Quintero as treasurer. Department leaders elected included: Diego Doria, stewarship director; Gustavo Perez, personal ministries, family life and Sabbath school director; Gamaliel Florez education, youth ministries and communication director; Mario Villegas, health ministries director; and Alvaro Nino, religious liberty director.

The North Colombia Union Conference has more than 143,000 church members and some 706 churches and congregations.

image by Walinton Mosquera/IAD

Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America spoke to church leaders in Colombia during the special ceremony and encouraged leaders to continue their commitment to the mission of the church as they continue share the gospel.

Other church leaders were elected to serve in several of the local conferences and mission fields.