The Central Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (CJC) has a new president in the person of Pastor Levi Johnson.

Johnson was elected as the eighth president of CJC by the Executive Committee of the Conference during a special meeting on Monday.

Johnson, who had been serving as secretary of CJC for the past 10 years, has been involved in the work of the church for the past 26 years, serving as district pastor and ministerial secretary. He has also held the portfolios of Prayer Ministries and Membership Conservation coordinator.

"I am humbled by the confidence you have expressed in me to serve as president," said Johnson. "I am committed to providing quality Christ-centred leadership to this conference as we work together until Jesus comes."

The position of Central Jamaica president became vacant on November 29 when Pastor Everett Brown, then the chief, was elected president of the newly formed Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, following the reorganisation of the West Indies Union Conference and the subsequent business session.

Service

Pastor Ronnie Henry, who has served the church in various capacities over 40 years, has replaced Johnson as secretary. He has served the church as district pastor, conference treasurer, conference secretary, and business manager at West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University), and stewardship director of West Indies Union Conference. Since July, Henry has been serving as stewardship director for the Central Jamaica Conference.

The Executive Committee of the Conference is the constitutional body vested with the power to appoint and terminate officers and directors between the regular business sessions of the conference, which are constitutionally due every four years.

The Central Jamaica Conference currently has approximately 79,000 members worshipping in 190 congregations in the parishes of St Catherine, Clarendon and Manchester.