“You’re here at PELC 2024 to see Jesus high and lifted up!” said Michelle Mota-Poyser, Northeastern Conference pastor, on night one of the Pastoral Evangelism and Leadership Council (PELC), held at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, from December 8-11. 

With the theme “Jesus: Praise Him, Practice Him, Preach Him,” PELC organizers emphasized a focus on Christ and the urgency of spreading the gospel amid political and social turmoil. Jesus was thus central in every message, song, and workshop. 

Founded 45 years ago by regional conference leaders, PELC is one of the largest annual gatherings of pastors and church leaders in the North American Division. It offers uplifting worship, practical training, and fellowship virtually and in person. In 2024, it drew 900 registrants from around the world. 

Edward Bryan, pastor at Robins Church in Georgia, has attended PELC for more than a decade. “I go to a lot of conferences, but this is a must. The preaching is second to none, and the worship experience is next level,” he affirmed. He continued, “You see the spirit of excellence, and you have to go back and give God your absolute best.”

Recognizing Ministry Giants

Following a busy weekend, including Breath of Life Ministries’ 50-year celebration, PELC honored seven church workers for 30+ years of ministry excellence. Honorees in fields encompassing administration, pastoral ministry, and music include: 

• Eddie Allen, vice president of multilingual ministries, Lake Region Conference;
• G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president and world church vice president since 2020;
• George Byars, retired South Central Conference pastor, evangelist, and church planter;
• Gale Jones Murphy, prolific composer, pianist, music educator, and music minister;
• D. Robert Kennedy, Sr., recently retired senior pastor (Allegheny East Conference), with 50 years of experience in pastoral ministry, teaching, and administration;
• Philip Palmer, Southwest Region Conference treasurer; and
• Carlyle Simmons, retired pastor and conference president (Bermuda Conference), and union executive secretary (Atlantic Union Conference).

Jones Murphy, the first music minister ever recognized at PELC, later performed “My Child, Well Done,” her composition based on Matthew 25:23. 

Each honoree offered words of thanks and inspiration after receiving their medallion. “I’d like to thank the Lord for the village of people He’s put in my corner,” said Bryant. He reflected on mentorship from his home church in St. Louis, Missouri, his alma mater, Oakwood University, and the Central States Conference, where he served as president before joining the NAD in 2008. 

His most heartfelt thanks went to his wife Desiree — NAD associate director for ministerial spouses, who was beside him on stage, and their sons, Travis, Traven (deceased), and Terrence. “The Lord blessed me with a tremendous supporter and partner in ministry and with our three children. They poured into me and helped shape me.” 

Bryant concluded, “Without God, we can do nothing. But with Him, all things are possible.”

Worships Spur Attendees to Praise, Preach, and Practice Him

Oakwood University Church (OUC) pastor Kimberly Mann introduced PELC as a “pre-heaven praise dress rehearsal.” For the 11th year, Damian Chandler and his team of seasoned worship leaders upheld this reputation. 

Opening speaker Andrea Trusty King, Southeastern California Conference vice president for Black ministries, delivered a challenging message titled “Not on My Watch.” She urged listeners to practice Jesus by upholding the laws of the kingdom as enforcers. King retold the story of Jesus healing a woman crippled for 18 years by saying, “Woman, thou art loosed!” She explained that the Greek word luó means to loose, acquit, or set free. 

Speaking with a cane, King shared that while hospitalized due to a virus contracted abroad, God convicted her to “pray, enforce, declare, and decree” on behalf of her roommates, many leaving healed. “I began to understand that this is my calling.” She then led the congregation in a powerful call-and-response, where they declared, “Not on my watch!” in the face of challenges in ministry, attacks on their family, racism, sexism, and more. 

Julian Jones-Campbell, Oakwood religion and theology professor, subsequently invited women in ministry forward for a prayer of anointing, their male colleagues surrounding them, stating, “Not on our watch will our women in ministry feel like they’re alone.”

Jamond Jimmerson, pastor of Madison Mission in Huntsville, continued Monday morning with “Practice What You Preach.” Referencing Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 9:27, he cautioned against putting praise and position above character, ending with a passionate appeal for integrity. 

Charlie Dates, pastor of Chicago’s Salem Baptist Church, lauded Christ as our Creator, Redeemer, and Advocate. He stated that the same Jesus who created the earth from nothing is holding us — and the world — together. “There will never be another like Jesus,” he declared. 

Other messages, continuing through Wednesday morning, encompassed the transformative power of walking with Jesus, staying focused on one’s calling, and trusting God through life’s storms. 

During PELC’s final evening program on Tuesday, the 10th, Noah Washington, pastor of Miracle City Church in Baltimore, used the story of Mary and Joseph unknowingly leaving 12-year-old Jesus in the temple during Passover to illustrate how we can be in Jesus’ proximity but not in His presence. Exhaustion, distraction, or presumption of closeness can keep us from noticing his absence. But just as Jesus longed for His Father’s presence, we must long for and linger in Jesus’ presence. 

He concluded with a moving depiction of heaven, asserting, “Heaven won’t be heaven if Jesus isn’t there.” During PELC’s final altar call, people flooded the aisles, many weeping, as they recommitted their lives to Christ. 

“I’m taking away the need to be intentional about my walk and practice Jesus in every area of my life,” said Nashonie Chang, assistant pastor at Orchard Park Church in Tennessee. “In 2025, I’ll make sure I don’t leave Jesus behind.”

Meeting Diverse Needs

Pre-PELC sessions for elders and Bible instructors on December 8 encouraged them to maximize their gifts to make disciples in collaboration with pastors. 

This practical emphasis continued through PELC plenaries and super seminars. In the first plenary, Kirk Nugent, OUC media pastor, shared guidelines for online content creation, demonstrated a mobile setup for churches, and called attendees to follow Jesus’ example as the original content creator with 2-3 billion global subscribers.

Super seminars addressed diverse ministry needs, including career management, succession planning, discipleship, worship, and servant leadership. Beverly and David Sedlacek, counselors and co-founders of Into HIS Rest Ministries, also led a popular session on church trauma, offering strategies for healing. Workshops on ministry to the marginalized and social engagement cited advocating for the least of these as essential to our gospel mission.

NAD leaders also shared hard-earned insights. In “How to Give an Appeal,” Calvin Watkins Sr., NAD vice president, regional liaison/evangelism, asserted, “You only get one shot at a person.” Elizabeth Talbot, speaker-director of the Jesus 101 Biblical Institute, urged participants to center their preaching on Jesus, demonstrating how to reveal Him from Genesis to Revelation. 

Michigan-based hospital chaplain Kenita Spencer, who attended Talbot’s seminar, said, “It’s definitely going to change how I write my sermons and do Bible study. I sat there in tears, not sad tears, but like, ‘Yeah, Jesus is it!’ It enlivened me.”

In the final plenary, Gamal Alexander, pastor at Rockville Church in Maryland, shared tips for PELC-level preaching, encouraging participants: “I don’t believe God would call anyone to any task He couldn’t equip them to perform.” 

For the second consecutive year, chaplains had a specialized track, starting with Chaplains’ Appreciation Sabbath, featuring Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry Black, U.S. Senate chaplain, and continuing with “Leadership 360” training. NAD presenters included Angela Li, associate director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries, Paolo Macena, leadership director, and Orlan Johnson, public affairs and religious liberty director. 

PELC also included a Spanish track, with presenters including Talbot, Watkins, Minervino Labrador Jr., vice president for multilingual ministries, and Armando Miranda, Jr., associate director of youth and young adult ministries [click here to read more on these sessions]. 

Additionally, pastoral spouses, led by Linda Pennick, had separate meetings addressing pastoral families' unique challenges. At PELC, Pennick handed the reins over to Quernande Wells, an assistant high school principal and pastor’s wife. Jesse Wilson, director of PELC and Oakwood’s Bradford Cleveland Brooks Leadership Center, acknowledged Pennick on the main stage for her service and the program’s growth during her 13-year tenure. 

Pennick then affirmed her fellow clergy spouses. “From the beginning, God saw you, chose you, and equipped you for this journey. Thank you for living Jesus daily — your life is a sermon.”

Getting Ready for Pentecost

On Monday night, NAD leaders, along with regional conference and union presidents, stood in support of Pentecost 2025 — the NAD’s call for at least 3,000 proclamation initiatives division-wide. Carmela Monk Crawford, Message magazine editor, highlighted evangelistic resources, including magazines, tracts, and Bible studies, available at messagemagazine.com. 

Watkins offered greetings and updates on behalf of Bryant and NAD leadership, including plans to recruit students from Adventist universities, including Oakwood, as evangelists. He added, “[This initiative] is something we’ve never done before. It’s time for [the division] where the work started to step up to the plate.” 

Reflecting on Watkins’ call to action, Wilson stressed that the 2024 PELC theme and the event’s ongoing focus on evangelism naturally align with Pentecost 2025. “Equipping — that’s essentially what we do here,” he said, adding that from worship to seminars, “the idea is to help [participants] explode back into their contexts.”

Everette Samuel, Greater New York Conference Adventist Community Services/health ministry director, was among the many attendees whose passion for ministry was reignited. She expressed, “I was really down, and I needed this. [My time at PELC] was an affirmation of my calling and what I’m supposed to do for God.”

The next PELC will be held December 7 to 10, 2025, at Oakwood University Church. 

Visit pelcpower.com for more info. Click here to learn more about regional conference ministries and here to learn more about Pentecost 2025.