Prior to TOSC, many Adventists around the world, except for the NAD of course, weren't really involved in the WO discussion a significant way, if at all, and have been left out without a voice; but worse still than this is the fact that even now, it has transpired that our Union, the Southern Africa Union Conference (SAUC), which falls under the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID), has come out in support of WO and has issued a report which is at variance with the BRC report submitted to TOSC by Dr. Paul Ratsara our Division President.
The GC Session vote in San Antonio will be therefore be skewed due to our SAUC delegates voting yes, when the majority of members in our Union are:
1] not in support of WO,
2] unawares of the SAUC's decision saying yes to WO,
3] unawares that the SAUC is at variance with the Division's position and
4] being intentionally left out in the dark by the SAUC and its member Conferences.
Below is the report which is at variance with the SID and the majority of members within the SAUC. It is clear that this has been kept under wraps by the fact that the report is not freely accessible as far as can be ascertained and very few have any knowledge of it, thereby providing further evidence that the report was meant to be kept hidden away from those in the pews.
Note: A female delegate at the PUC Session rudely interrupts and calls a Point of Order in an effort to suppress any correction to their wrong course of action when Pastor Ted Wilson admonishes the session delegates that the GC Working Policy does not in any way imply that the criteria for ordination is to be the purview of the Union or that the Union in any way is the final authority on ordination policies and procedures.
"Now, in B 05 of this policy, it has something that has kind of confused things because it talks about the realm of final authority and mentions the Union and ordination, but this, in no way, is implying that the criteria for ordination is to be the purview of a Union. It is the approval process. In fact, that particular section of B 05 really has an emphasis on ascending liability and really has nothing to do with trying to determine who it is at the Union level that has final authority on the criteria for ordination." [Pastor Ted Wilson's address to the PUC Session before they voted in favour of ordination without regard to gender. The entire address and transcript can be found using this link http://session.adventistfaith.org/gc-presentation
Please note that ADvindicate has since been allowed a booth at the 2015 GC after they were blocked from hosting a booth in August last year. Sadly though, so far, Ordination Truth has not been so lucky in being allowed a booth at the GC. The NAD which is a Pro-Ordination Organisation is in control of allocating the booths and it comes as no surprise that those not in support of WO are being unfairly discriminated against.
On Sabbath, March 14, 2015, the Chewelah Seventh-day Adventist Church held Grassroots Faith Sabbath. Members of this NAD congregation responded to the NAD “Theology of Ordination Q&A” brochure. Some two weeks previously the Division had printed thousands of brochures and mailed copies to all NAD churches without informing their home conferences. In the unedited video, after a two minute introduction, members respond to the NAD mailing and speak to General Conference session delegates. After receiving the NAD WO brochures, members of the congregation had wanted to respond in their own words, whether in favor or opposed, to women's ordination and this was arranged. Vocations of those participating include nurse, engineer, psychologist, business owner, wellness educator, farmer, film director-producer, health consultant, software programmer/analyst, missionary, evangelist, and psychological counselor. Presentations were uncoached, unedited, unrehearsed and uncensored. Every participant is a member of the Chewelah Church. The Council of Adventist Pastors thought OrdinationTruth.com readers would find the material a fascinating snapshot showing how members in the pews---the real grassroots of the church---view the women's ordination issue as it has been handled by the North American Division. The denomination has heard from scholars, pastors, and administrators, but the various media have carried relatively less from rank and file membership. It seemed useful to us for interested members of the world church to hear from others who, like themselves, are truly the backbone of the church.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church where this was recorded is located at 2310 Sand Canyon Rd, about two miles off highway 395, Chewelah, Washington, USA.