29th Columbia Union Conference Constituency Meeting To Be Held This Weekend

This coming weekend, delegates from across the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio will gather for the 29th Columbia Union Conference Constituency Meeting at Potomac Conference’s Southern Asian church in Silver Spring, Md. 

The constituency meeting, held every five years, brings together a diverse group of delegates representing Columbia Union’s eight conferences and entities to elect leaders and review the ministries and business of the union.  

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the union experienced growth in the last quinquennium and remains the third largest union in the North American Division, says Celeste Ryan Blyden, union executive secretary since 2021, who will oversee the planning of the meeting.” 

The Saturday evening vespers program will begin with a sacred music concert, followed by the president’s report titled, "A Celebration of Pentecost 2025.” Marcellus T. Robinson, union president, who has served in this role since 2024, will share highlights from the union’s evangelism efforts that yielded 7,097 new members in 2025 alone. 

During the business session that will follow, delegates will hear a report from the nominating committee and then elect or re-elect a president, executive secretary and treasurer. 

The constituency meeting will continue on Sunday morning with reports from Blyden and Emmanuel Asideu, union treasurer since 2018.  

Delegates will also hear reports from the nominating committee, Adventist HealthCare, Kettering Health, Washington Adventist University  and WGTS 91.9.  

During the meeting, delegates will vote on the union’s vice president positions for the following departments: Communication, Education, Ministries Development, Multilingual Ministries and Evangelism, and the General Counsel.  

They will also review and vote on proposed bylaw changes and other business items and will install a new executive committee that will diversely represent the union’s conferences and entities. 

The last constituency meeting was held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The meeting will incorporate electronic voting devices and a constituency app. The app, produced by the Communication team, will keep delegates updated through alerts and will provide all necessary meeting documents.