Carolina Conference Camp Meeting

Dennis Millburn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business management. He has served as treasurer in the Iowa, Florida, Southern New England, Gulf States, and Southern Union Conferences, and recently retired after 44 years. Millburn is married to Bobbie, a nurse, who enjoys traveling with him to various churches to preach on stewardship and provide weekend seminars filled with practical training in personal finance, emphasizing strategies for living onone income in ministry.

Robert Folkenberg, Jr. is president of the Chinese Union. He has served across the U.S. as pastor and ministry director since 1990, after earning advanced degrees in religion, divinity, and ministry from both Southern Adventist University and Andrews University. He is the author of two books, Health for the Harvest and Getting Back to the Heart of Adventism, and is fluent in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. His wife, Audrey, is Adventist mission and development director for the Chinese Union, and they have three grown children: Rob, Randy, and Katie.

Henry Johnson is currently serving Carolina Conference as Youth and Young Adult director.  As this journey continues, his passion is in proclaiming the true God of Scripture through  his true personality--especially to young people and those of non-Adventist perspectives. He longs to see the development of restorative community through discipleship. His motto is: Founded on Scripture and Focused on Jesus.

Ewart F. Brown was born in Jamaica and now resides in Oregon. He has worked for several businesses as a sales representative, and in hospitals in patient care, chaplaincy, and psychiatric therapy. Brown served as a pastor for over 30 years before retiring in 2008. He travels the world speaking on building relationships based on R.E.S.T(Respect, Encouragement, Significance, Trust). Brown is the founder/director of Quiet Place Ministries, and the author of three books.

Gordon Bietz began his career in Northern California, and has since served as teacher, pastor, and president of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, recently retiring after 19 years as president of Southern Adventist University. He now serves as part-time director for higher education for the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU), a consortium of 13 institutions that collaborate on marketing and enrollment projects. He and his wife, Cynthia, have adult twin daughters and six grandchildren.

Dennis Millburn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business management. He has served as treasurer in the Iowa, Florida, Southern New England, Gulf States, and Southern Union Conferences, and recently retired after 44 years. Millburn is married to Bobbie, a nurse, who enjoys traveling with him to various churches to preach on stewardship and provide weekend seminars filled with practical training in personal finance, emphasizing strategies for living on one income in ministry.

Dick Duerksen is a storyteller from the Oregon Conference and a self-proclaimed "Itinerant Pollinator of Grace." During 48 years as an Adventist preacher, pastor, and administrator, he has carried the good news of grace around the world, using narrative-style presentations that bring hope to your heart. Duerksen and his wife, Brenda, have three married children. He is also a professional photographer whose photos help bring calm, peace, and healing into many hospitals and clinical offices.

Richie Halversen spent years battling drug addiction andrunning away from God’s calling before finally experiencinga powerful conversion. Then began many years of recovery and helping others who were struggling with addiction as he had. He now serves at the Bowman Hills Church in Tennessee with his wife and partner in ministry, Brittney, to whom he has been married for 21 years. They have four children: Kaleb, Hayley, Tristen, and Taylor.

Michael Carducci, co-founder of Coming Out Ministries and director of EXCEED Ministry, is an international ministry leader addressing his history as part of the LGBTQ community and being sexually addicted. Carducci speaks on how he learned the process of true surrender and experiencing peace in his life. Carducci shares his tools for overcoming temptation and helps guide others to Christ and find healing through a solid dependence on Jesus.

Daniel R. Jackson has been president of the North American Division (NAD) since 2010. With the exception of five years of service in the Southern Asia Division, Jackson, a native Canadian, has lived and ministered in the NAD. He holds a M.A. in religion in systematic theology, and has served the church as a pastor, teacher, and in administration. Jackson and his wife, Donna, enjoy the three children and four grandchildren the Lord has given them. Foremost, Jackson says he is a fellow traveler on the same path as every Christian headed toward the Kingdom.

Henry Johnson is currently serving Carolina Conference as Youth and Young Adult director.  As this journey continues, his passion is in proclaiming the true God of Scripture through  his true personality--especially to young people and those of non-Adventist perspectives. He longs to see the development of restorative community through discipleship. His motto is: Founded on Scripture and Focused on Jesus. 

Melissa McCoy-Weisner and Eric Vaughn Weisner have been married 12 years. They were married to each other previously before divorcing, at which point they both individually sought God and, in the process, found one another in a new light, giving them a passion for marriage and family ministry focused on prayer. Eric is a middle school computer science teacher; Melissa is an English teacher and assistant girls’ dean at Highland Academy.

Robert Banks, aka Pastor Bob, grew up in Connecticut and attended the Methodist Church. His teenagequest to find Christ led him to the Adventist churchand a clear call to ministry. He worked as a pastor in the greater Boston area where he met his wife, Joannie, and has since served as pastor, ministerial secretary, and professor, preaching and teaching on six continents. He and Joannie currently pastor in Virginia.

Ewart F. Brown was born in Jamaica and now resides in Oregon. He has worked for several businesses as a sales representative, and in hospitals in patient care, chaplaincy, and psychiatric therapy. Brown served as a pastor for over 30 years before retiring in 2008. He travels the world speaking on building relationships based on R.E.S.T (Respect, Encouragement, Significance, Trust). Brown is the founder/director of Quiet Place Ministries, and the author of three books.

Ewart F. Brown was born in Jamaica and now resides in Oregon. He has worked for several businesses as a sales representative, and in hospitals in patient care, chaplaincy, and psychiatric therapy. Brown served as a pastor for over 30 years before retiring in 2008. He travels the world speaking on building relationships based on R.E.S.T (Respect, Encouragement, Significance, Trust). Brown is the founder/director of Quiet Place Ministries, and the author of three books.

Dennis Millburn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business management. He has served as treasurer in the Iowa, Florida, Southern New England, Gulf States, and Southern Union Conferences, and recently retired after 44 years. Millburn is married to Bobbie, a nurse, who enjoys traveling with him to various churches to preach on stewardship and provide weekend seminars filled with practical training in personal finance, emphasizing strategies for living on one income in ministry.

Tony LaPorte is the men’s ministries coordinator for the Carolina Conference and pastor of the Charleston Adventist Church. A 20-year veteran retired from the U.S. Army,he received his degree in theology from Southwestern Adventist University and a master’s degree in counseling from Amberton University. LaPorte and his wife, Nereida, previously served as family ministries coordinators for the Iowa-Missouri Conference, and are parents to four boys.

Gordon Bietz began his career in Northern California, and has since served as teacher, pastor, and president of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, recently retiring after 19 years as president of Southern Adventist University. He now serves as part-time director for higher education for the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU), a consortium of 13 institutions that collaborate on marketing and enrollment projects. He and his wife, Cynthia, have adult twin daughters and six grandchildren.

Michael Carducci, co-founder of Coming Out Ministries and director of EXCEED Ministry, is an international ministry leader addressing his history as part of the LGBTQ community and being sexually addicted. Carducci speaks on how he learned the process of true surrender and experiencing peace in his life. Carducci shares his tools for overcoming temptation and helps guide others to Christ and find healing through a solid dependence on Jesus.

Jim Davidson pastored several churches in the Florida and Kentucky-Tennessee conferences before being called to serve in the Carolina Conference as ministerial director, then executive secretary and finally, president. He has served as executive secretary for the Southern Union Conference since 2011. The joys of Davidson’s life are his wife, Bonnie, and their two adult children, Sarah and Jonathan.