WORLD NEWS & PERSPECTIVES

BY LARRY EVANS, General Conference undersecretary and a former president of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference

ore than 3,000 people packed the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia, on December 7, to remember and celebrate the lives of three church leaders of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference (GCC), who died when their plane crashed near Collegedale, Tennessee, en route to a ministers' meeting in Knoxville on December 2. David Cress, GCC president, Jim Frost, vice president for administration, and Jamie Arnall, communication director, were remembered not only for their dedication and commitment to the Adventist Church but also for the love and devotion they had for their families and friends. The memorial service can perhaps be characterized as sad but yet hopeful in anticipation of Christ's soon coming.

The pilot, John Laswell, and newly appointed assistant to the GCC president, Clay Farwell, were also killed in the crash. A memorial service for Laswell was held December 5 in the Collegedale, Tennessee, Adventist Church. A service for Farwell is planned for December 11 at the Friendship Baptist Church in Rock Island, Tennessee.

"I found great hope in the title of the service-'Comfort in Our Coming King,' " says Phil White, senior pastor of the Calhoun, Georgia, Adventist Church. "It was a celebration of these men's lives and a fitting testimony of the service they gave to the Lord and the church. It's obvious that these men had a deep love for God and their families.

"Just knowing the passion they possessed for their ministries, I believe that they would be gratified that even their very deaths have provided an opportunity to witness not only to those in the church but to the community, as well," White adds.

Participants in the program included GCC treasurer Kevin Costello; Southern Adventist University president Gordon Bietz; Southern Union Conference (SUC) president Gordon Retzer; SUC executive secretary Ward Sumpter; It Is Written creative director Fred Knopper, who was also a mentor to Arnall; and North American Division president Don Schneider. Some family members and close friends also had a part in the service.

Jeremy Arnall, the twin brother of crash victim Jamie Arnall and pastor of the Crossville, Tennessee, Adventist Church, shared personal insights about growing up with Jamie. He spoke of how he wished the two of them could still confuse others with their identities. He also told of his brother's fascination with different aspects of communication, even when he was very young, which eventually led to his career choice. Jeremy climaxed his talk by expressing his trust in God and the hope in the soon coming of Christ. "I don't know why, but I know God," Jeremy said.

Remembrances of Jim Frost, an Englishman, were introduced with bagpipe music and stories by Paul Hoover, a GCC associate ministerial director and Frost's former pastor, who described Frost's sense of his call to ministry when he was just a small child.

Roy Caughron, a former GCC ministerial director and longtime friend of David Cress, read the apostle Paul's description of the Second Coming; and Ken Rogers, SAU chaplain and also a longtime friend, told of Cress's commitment to ministry, which, in GCC, began with youth ministry. Cress's two brothers, Jim and John, spoke of a recent appointment they had made with Cress for Thanksgiving in 2005. All was settled except for where they would meet. Now, with Cress's death, they know the place-but not the time. In a exceptionally moving part of the service, Cress's 7-year-old daughter, Meredith, played "Amazing Grace" in a piano duet with the Calhoun Adventist Church associate pastor Brennon Kirstein.

All three church leaders were married, and tribute was also given to the support that each spouse played in her husband's ministry.

The closing hymn, "When We All Get to Heaven," characterized the feelings of the presenters and those in the congregation.

Even though the Georgia-Cumberland Conference is now without a president, an executive secretary, and a communication director, there is tremendous resiliency within this organization. The employees are deeply saddened by the loss of their leaders and their friends, but their spirit is characterized by the Advent hope. There is no reason to believe that the momentum of the work in this conference will be lost.