The Pacific Union Executive Committee voted on May 30 to fund a project that could redefine Adventist education in North America and beyond. It was number nine on the agenda: "Osborn Proposal."
The 15-page proposal, entitled "Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions: Our Imperative," by Norma and Richard Osborn. Norma is associate pastor for family ministries at the Pacific Union College church and her husband, Richard, is president of the college.
The proposal quoted a study by Christian researcher, George Barna, who found that the probability of a person making a permanent commitment to God between ages five and 13 is 32 percent, the probability of a person making that decision between ages 14 and 18 is four percent, and the chance of such a decision after age 18 is six percent. As George Barna says on a video shown during discussion of the proposal, "By and large, what you believe at the age of 13 is what you will die believing."
The Osborns propose using the PUC church as a test site to develop children's ministry methods and materials that will follow a philosophy voted by the NAD in 1996: "The denomination should adopt a systems approach to Christian education by broadening its scope to include all aspects of the church that touch the lives of its youth in such areas as Adventist schools, Sabbath school, Pathfinders, Adventist youth, Adventist junior youth, summer camps and other youth programs." There will also be an emphasis on helping parents raise their children to be spiritual champions. The complete "Osborn Proposal" is available online at administration.puconline.org.
The project will be funded by a $70,000 gift to the Pacific Union.
As they do every quarter, the executive committee approved requests for ordination to the ministry. From Arizona: George Garrick, Virgilio Huerta; Hawaii: Timothy Nelson, Stephan Keala Thompson; Northern California: Mark Blue (posthumously), Jon Griebel, Roy Ice, Shawn Paris, Pedro Trinidad; Southeastern California: Elias Molina, Jr., Ulisese Mataafa, Fred Self.
The committee also approved the Doctor of Ministry program for several pastors: Northern California: Arthur Branner, Eddie Heinrich, Timothy Judson; Southeastern California: Charles Wesley Knight.
Volunteers were approved as coordinators of three ministries for the Pacific Union: B.J. Warrren, Prison Ministries; Karen Martell, Prayer Ministries; Mike and Debbie Sulen, Singles Ministries.
Foreign missions did not go unnoticed. The executive committee voted about $5,000 each to help fund La Sierra Academy's mission trip to Baja, Calif.; the Napa church's mission trip to Belize; and Thunderbird Academy's mission trip to the Dominican Republic.
And they approved more than $800,000 in loans to the following churches and schools, subject to approval by local conferences: Fontana Spanish, $307,385; Ventura, $45,615; Cedar City, $113,750; Sparks, $135,000; Vallejo Central, $100,000; Monrovia Spanish, $51,000; and Carson City School, $75,000.
Annual audit reports are supposed to be boring. No organization wants to be told that their financial report or financial management is faulty. In the Pacific Union there is an audit committee, currently chaired by Bruce Powers, that reads the annual audit report carefully and reports to the executive committee. They were happy to report that for the 29th year in a row, the audit report was clean.
The executive committee will meet next on Sept. 5. For the first time, it will be done by teleconference.
