|
Open Letter to members of
NAD Executive Committee
sent in October 2013 |
Requesting NAD to clarify
the process for reinstatement
when the charges were
changed only four days
prior to the hearing |
|
October 29, 2013
Dear Member of NAD Executive Committee
|
| I sent a letter to Dan Jackson on Oct. 17th ( copy to G. Alex Bryant ) and they did not respond to it or to follow-up messages. I am contacting you because you are a member of the North American Division Executive Committee and I read in Section I.4 of the Church ByLaws (available in PDF format) at http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/YB/YB2011.pdf Section I.4 (on page 11) says that the real authority is with this committee in session and that Dan Jackson is accountable to the NAD Executive Committee according to Working Policy L-60/15. |
| |
I have a simple request but no one will deal with it. Allow me first to setup some foundation for my request by directing you to the extensive Survey which David Trim presented to the Annual Counsel on Oct. 17th – if you were not there, see the ANN article about it http://news.adventist.org/all-news/news/go/2013-10-17/landmark-survey-reveals-in-depth-beliefs-perceptions-of-adventist-members/#!
|
| Did you know that between 2000 and 2012 over 13.6 million people joined the church? But it is interesting how David Trim introduces this fact. He said, “The fact that members lapse unnoticed is a “tragedy” – then he goes on - |
"From 2000 to 2012, more than 13.6 million people joined the church, mostly through baptism. But during the same time, 5.9 million Adventists were lost (and that doesn’t include those who died). That’s a loss rate of nearly 43.4 per 100 new converts. “That is too high,” Trim said.
Approximately 90 percent of respondents strongly agreed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is God’s true last-day church with a message to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ.”
Adventist News Network, Oct. 17, 2013 Author: Edwin Manuel Garcia |
Losing 5.9 million members is disturbing but the second paragraph is quite revealing so I will repeat it.
|
| "Approximately 90 percent of respondents strongly agreed that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is God’s true last-day church with a message to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ." Which means that 10% think the SDA church is NOT God’s true last day church. |
| |
| David Trim gives another fact, that 900 former Adventists participated in the survey. Does this mean that all 900 are in this 10% or are there some former members who still believe this is God's true church? |
| |
| Do the math, 13.6 million new members in 12 years and 5.9 million left and that means 7.7 million new members have stayed in the church. Praise the Lord. Since "90% of the respondents strongly agreed that the SDA church is God's true last day church" this implies that members are leaving the churches who still believe it is the true church. |
| |
| David Trim says, 26,000 members and 900 former members and 1,200 students were surveyed. Which gives 28,100 people surveyed and 10% think that this is NOT God’s true church. Subtract the 900 former members from 2,810 (the 10%) and you get 1,910 members who responded to the survey and are still in the church, but do NOT believe this is God’s true church. I wonder how many in the 7.7 million who were not surveyed also do NOT believe this is God’s church. |
| |
But as sad is this is, the reason for my message to you is to point out that I believe that many of the 900 former members still believe this is God’s last day church. But have been grieved to the point that they left the church or were even forced out of the church by some over zealous church boards willing to use unfair practices to disfellowship genuine believers. They have uprooted the wheat along with the tares, see Matthew 13: 29, 30 and related Spirit of Prophecy comments
http://www.diggingfortruth.org/article/2785/ |
| |
| I don’t know when church leaders are going to be concerned enough about the 5.9 million members who left and do a survey to find out how many believe this is God's remnant church and then figure out a way to get them back. |
| |
| I am a disfellowshipped member who was unfairly removed from membership in God’s true remnant church. I want to appeal for reinstatement of my membership in accordance with the church manual procedures on page 67. However, one of the unfair practices was to change the charges. The first charge was received with the notice to attend the hearing 15 days before the hearing, this was proper and I prepared my defense against these false charges. The second charge was mailed on July 30th but the hearing date remained on Aug. 3rd – I had three days to collect evidence, line up witnesses and prepare a defense. There was even a conference representative sent to the church to attend the business meeting but he failed to correct them when the charge that was read to the church was the second charge and not the original charge. |
| |
| My letter to Dan Jackson explains why I can not get an answer to the question: Which charge should the church consider at the appeal? The local conference will not help and the Atlantic Union Conference absolutely will not respond and neither will Dan Jackson or G. Alexander Bryant. So I am coming to you. |
| |
Please read the on-line version of the letter I sent to Dan Jackson on Oct. 17th
http://www.diggingfortruth.org/article/2900/ It talks about 22 members of the North American Division who have been ‘railroaded’ out of the church unfairly and church administrators will not follow proper procedure. There are probably much more than 22, but I only speak for myself, I believe that many members of my church who voted to remove me from membership will vote differently at the appeal. Especially if the new hearing allows the option of “censure” and a big help if I were allowed to introduce evidence, and if my four witnesses would be allowed to speak in my behalf and if I would be allowed to speak in my own defense. But I am not asking you to correct any of these violations of my rights to a fair hearing. I am only asking for an answer to the question of which charge should be considered at the appeal, the first charge or the second charge. |
| |
| Dan Jackson has not responded, and I am asking you to help this question get on the agenda of the NAD Year-end session or to respond with an answer to the question. You may not be able to do anything about the 5.9 million members who left the church, but you can do something about one member who was ‘railroaded’ out of the church and wants to appeal for reinstatement. |
| |
If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
In God We Trust
Mario |
see Oct. 17th letter to Dan Jackson
|
