“We Have Come This Far by Faith”
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By Marc Woodson, interviewed by Laurie Trujillo
ast year was pivotal for the Northern California Conference (NCC) because of its focus on organizational health. During the recorded state of the conference address, Laurie Trujillo, director of communication and development, interviewed NCC President Marc Woodson. This article is based on the recorded presidential address, now available on the NCC YouTube Channel, where Woodson shares how the Holy Spirit moved through the conference in amazing and wonderful ways. Although the answer seems obvious, who is “the conference”? The conference is our network of 165 churches and companies, 35 schools, various support ministries, like Napa Valley Adventist Retirement Estates and Leoni Meadows Conference Center, as well as the 40,581 members. Many times, when members say “the conference,” they are referring to the administrative office and headquarters in Roseville. We, the people, are the conference, and together we connect people in our region to Jesus Christ. What blessings did God pour out on the conference in 2021? The pandemic temporarily closed our buildings, but our network continued to connect people to an
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abundant life in Jesus Christ and prepare them for the Second Coming. Our pastors preached the gospel. As a result, there were 464 baptisms, 17 rebaptisms, and 63 professions of faith in 2021. We also organized the Sacramento Fijian church, the Sacramento Ukrainian church, and Richmond Spanish company. Our educators successfully adapted to ever-changing state guidelines, and we experienced a 14 percent growth in enrollment conference-wide, with a 20 percent growth in our early learners. As you can see, we experienced growth in very measurable ways. At the start of your 2018 term, the conference adopted three strategic initiatives. One of those is engaging your community with compassion. How did churches, schools, and members do that in 2021? The majority of our entities have been serving their community in meaningful ways. Some served as a temporary vaccination clinic, took action to help with the influx of Afghan refugees, or filled the gap in terms of food security—like the Carmichael, Orangevale, Paradise, and Lincoln Amazing Grace churches. Sacramento Capitol City church transformed into a warming center in the winter and a cooling center in the summer for hundreds of unhoused people. Our Pathfinder clubs have also been busy cleaning and feeding their communities. There are so many examples
