Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Encyclopedia
| Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists | |
| Religious Affiliation: | Seventh-day Adventist |
|---|---|
| Union: | Southwestern Union Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists The Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists , is a sub-entity of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, which is part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church... |
| Division: | North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists... |
| Headquarters: | Alvarado, Texas Alvarado, Texas Alvarado is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas. The population was 4,289 in 2009.-Geography:Alvarado is located at and is located at the intersection of US Hwy 67 and I-35W. The city is south of Fort Worth and southwest of Dallas.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has... |
| Established: | 1878 |
| Country: | USA  |
| Geographical Area: | Texas Texas Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... |
| President: | Larry Moore |
| Vice President: | Gary Brady |
| Executive Secretary: | Carlos Craig |
| Treasurer: | Edwin Romero |
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
for the eastern 2/3 of the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is based in Alvarado, Texas
Alvarado, Texas
Alvarado is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas. The population was 4,289 in 2009.-Geography:Alvarado is located at and is located at the intersection of US Hwy 67 and I-35W. The city is south of Fort Worth and southwest of Dallas.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has...
.
The "Texas Conference" is a subdivision of the Southwestern Union
Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The Southwestern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists , is a sub-entity of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists, which is part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church...
, which in turn is part of the North American Division
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists...
, one of the 13 worldwide organizational Divisions of the church.
Its territory includes all of the State of Texas except the westernmost portions of the state.
As of second quarter 2009, more than 40,600 Texas Adventists are members at 253 churches.
Education
The Texas Conference operates 25 elementary schools and junior academies, 3 K-12 schools, and 1 boarding academy (high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
) with an enrollment of over 2000 students.
Texas Adventist schools are accredited by the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities which is a recognized member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation and the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) and is recognized as accredited by the Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...
.
Evangelism
Four full-time evangelistic teams (2 English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 2 Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) are employed by the conference to hold meetings throughout the territory.
Church planting
The conference is active in encouraging new church plants. At the 2009 constituency meeting nine companies were elevated to church status.Youth camp
The Texas Conference youth camp is in transition from Nameless Valley RanchNameless Valley Ranch
Nameless Valley Ranch was the camp property located outside of Jonestown, Texas, USA, and Cedar Park, Texas, owned by the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists from about 1979 to 2007. NVR was roughly in size and was originally purchased to not only be a youth camp but to also be an...
where summer camp has been held (through 2009) to Lake Whitney Ranch
Lake Whitney Ranch
Lake Whitney Ranch is a property near Whitney, Texas that is under development as a summer youth camp, Pathfinder camp, church camp and conference center for the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists....
which is now under development.
Lake Whitney Ranch is an 876 acres (3.5 km²) property with over $26 million in planned improvements voted by the constituency in April 2009.
The new facility will support up to 5,000 simultaneous campers and is expected to be ready for Pathfinder
Pathfinders (Seventh-day Adventist)
The Pathfinder Club is a worldwide program organized and directed by the Youth Department of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
camporees in 2010 and for summer youth camp in 2011.
Adventist Community Services
Adventist Community Services (ACS) is the humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Texas Conference ACS operates a storage and distribution warehouse in Keene, Texas
Keene, Texas
Keene is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,196 in 2006.-Geography:Keene is located at ....
from which Texas Mobile Distribution Units are dispatched to disaster areas.
In 2008 mobile units were sent to distribute emergency supplies, clothing, food and water areas affected by Hurricane Dolly
Hurricane Dolly (2008)
Hurricane Dolly was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in extreme southern Texas in July 2008. Dolly was the fourth tropical cyclone and second hurricane to form during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first U.S. landfalling hurricane of the 2008 season. Dolly developed on July 20...
and Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
.
Publications
Auxiliary operations
The conference operates a full service print shop including graphic design for member churches.A transportation department provides moving services for pastors and educators.
Presidents
- W.S. Greer, 1892–1902
- W. A. McCutchen, 1902–1914 (Texas and S. Texas)
- J. I. Taylor, 1912–1916 (N. Texas)
- J. A. Leland, 1914–1916 (S. Texas)
- David Voth, 1916–1919 (N. Texas)
- E. L. Neff, 1916–1919 (S. Texas)
- J. F. Wright, 1919–1924 (N. Texas)
- F. L. Perry, 1924–1926 (N. Texas)
- R. P. Montgomery, 1919–1926 (S. Texas)
- Roy L. Benton, 1926–1930 (N. Texas)
- W. R. Elliott, 1926–1929 (S. Texas)
- F. L. Perry 1929–1930 (S. Texas)
- F. L. Perry 1930–1936 (N. Texas)
- G. F. Eichman 1930–1937 (S. Texas and Texas)
- J. D. Smith 1937–1938
- F. D. Wells 1938–1943
- L. L McKinley 1943–1950
- Reggie Dowers 1950–1957
- Robert H. PiersonRobert H. PiersonRobert Howard Pierson was a president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. In 1935 he went to work in Bombay, India. In 1939, while in India, he was ordained as a minister of the Adventist church...
1957–1958 - Benjamin E. Leach 1958–1966
- G. Charles Dart 1966–1976
- Cyril Miller 1976–1987
- Bill May 1987–1988
- Don Aalborg 1988–1989
- Robert Wood 1989–1994
- L. Stephen Gifford 1994–2004
- Leighton Holley 2004–2011
- Larry Moore 2011–2011
- Carlos Craig 2011–Present