Grass-roots Group Urges Members to Write to Pacific Union Conference President, Committee
by AT News Team
One in Christ, a grass-roots group of Seventh-day Adventists, is urging church members to write Emails to the Pacific Union Conference president and executive committee members in support of ordination for women serving in pastoral ministry. The group would like to see a widespread expression of support for women in ministry prior to the next meeting of the governing committee on May 9.
The group's web site includes Email links to Pastor Richardo Graham, the union conference president, and to the members of the committee. A statement published on the web site say that the group "celebrates the long-standing commitment of the SECC [Southeastern California Conference] to full gender inclusiveness in ministry." It also says that the organization is "pleased that the Executive Committee of the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists … voted to support its 1995 call for the ordination of women" and is "disappointed that the North American Division has felt it necessary to reverse the action it took in the fall of 2011 to extend the responsibility of serving as a local conference president to persons who hold commissioned minister credentials."
One in Christ describes itself as "a campaign to mobilize [church] members … to urge and empower its leaders to immediately take the necessary steps that will result in the ordination of all qualified pastors without regard to gender." It sees a Bible mandate for its position in Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (NRSV) It sees itself standing in the Adventist heritge against slavery stated by Ellen G. White in her prophetic writings.
The One in Christ web site is located at www.one-in-Christ.com and includes a list of Seventh-day Adventist pastors, theologians and lay people who coordinate the group. There is also a significant collection of historic and Bible study materials on the topic.
