Ministerial Secretary

Ramon Canals

Ministerial Secretary

gro.tsitnevda.cg@RslanaC

+1 301-680-6500

Pastor Ramon J. Canals is the General Conference Ministerial Association secretary and is responsible for coordinating all its ministries, publications, and World Church initiatives. Ramon was the Director of the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Department of the General Conference. Before coming to the General Conference, he was Vice President of the North Pacific Union Conference. He also served as Evangelist, Evangelism Coordinator, Ministerial and Hispanic Ministries Director. Pastor Canals graduated from Central American Adventist University in Costa Rica (B.A.). He also holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Andrews University. Pastor Canals' mission is to encourage, energize, empower, and equip the saints for the mission of saving souls. He is married to Aurora, an Associate Secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association, and she holds a Bachelor of Business Administration. They have two adult children, Jessica and Gabriel, and three grandchildren. Pastor Canals enjoys racquetball, reading, music, gardening, and memorizing entire books and chapters of the Bible.

Primary responsibilities

  • Director, General Conference Ministerial Association
  • Trainer, leader, educator for pastors worldwide
  • Coordinator, Revival and Reformation initative

Contact Ramon

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@RslanaC
  • +1 301-680-6501

Associate Ministerial Secretaries

Jeffrey Brown

Associate Editor, Ministry Magazine; Associate Ministerial Secretary

gro.tsitnevda.cg@JnworB

+1 301-680-6510

Jeffrey Brown was born of Jamaican parents in England, and graduated from Newbold College (BA) and Andrews University (MDiv, PhD Religious Education, family life and counseling emphasis). He has served as a pastor in Canada, as Bermuda Conference president and family ministries director, as director of the Bradford Cleveland Brooks Leadership Center at Oakwood University, and as editor of Family Life, a publication of the Adventist Association of Family Life Professionals. He now serves as associate editor of Ministry and associate secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association.

Jeffrey has 12 years of international experience. He served in the Trans-European Division as pastor, family ministries director, and director of Pastoral Studies at Newbold College; worked as a school counselor for University College Birmingham and a relationships counselor for National Relate; and in the West-Central Africa Division as a student missionary teacher in Agona-Ashanti, Ghana.

He is married to Pattiejean née McMahon from Bermuda, a behavioral scientist and author of What On Earth Am I Doing? Leadership Lessons for Clergy Spouses. Jeffrey has authored Single and Gifted, and together they have authored Total Marriage, A Guide To Parenting, and The Love Seasons. They are blessed with two children, Kristle and Jamel.

Jeffrey is a Certified Family Life Educator. He and Pattiejean are qualified premarital counseling and marriage enrichment administrators with Prepare-Enrich, and have ministered in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are the 2017 recipients of the General Conference Family Ministries Spalding Medallion for Distinguished Service.

Primary responsibilities

  • Associate Editor, Ministry Magazine
  • Theological Education
  • Ministerial Preparation
  • Training of pastors and elders

Contact Jeff

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@JnworB
  • +1 301-680-6510

Aurora Canals

Associate Ministerial Secretary

gro.tsitnevda.cg@AslanaC

+1 301-680-6517

Aurora Canals serves as the General Conference Associate Ministerial Secretary for Pastoral Families. She is editor of “The Journal, a resource for Ministry Spouses.” She was previously an Associate Treasurer of the Chesapeake Conference. Over the years, Aurora served the church as a pastor’s wife and Evangelist Assistant for the Oregon Conference. In that role, she helped with preparing candidates for baptisms. As a Ministerial spouse, she organized convocations for training and resourcing church members to fulfill the church’s mission.

Aurora holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington State University. She is an accomplished professional with a comprehensive accounting and payroll management background. In that role, her joy was to assist pastors with their payroll issues.

Aurora loves spending time with Jesus in nature. She runs, walks, and prays at the same time consistently. Her goal is to walk 20,000 steps every single day. She married Ramon J. Canals, the Ministerial Secretary of the General Conference. They have two adult children, Jessica and Gabriel, and three grandchildren. Aurora enjoys serving the Lord with her husband as a team, prayer-walking, reading, music, gardening, and cooking.

Primary responsibilities

Contact Aurora

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@AslanaC
  • +1 301-680-6517

Robert Costa

Associate Ministerial Secretary, GC Evangelist

gro.tsitnevda.cg@RatsoC

+1 301-680-6504 (office)
+1 240-381-8127 (mobile)

Pastor Robert E. Costa, has served as a pastor, departmental director, and administrator since 1980 in South America and North America. A native of Uruguay, he received his higher education in Argentina and the United States. He is the Speaker-Director of the Spanish telecast of It Is Written, which is broadcast via satellite, cable and local channels in more than 11,000 stations, reaching 138 countries. Robert is passionate about sharing the good news of God's Word, and has had the privilege of conducting more than 300 evangelistic series in the last 15 years on every continent. He and his wife Nancy reside in Maryland, USA, where they both serve God, she as an executive assistant for Adventist World Radio, and he as Ministerial Associate of the General Conference. Robert is responsible for coordinating Evangelism and Church Growth for the global Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Primary responsibilities

Contact Robert

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@RatsoC
  • +1 301-680-6504 (office)
  • +1 240-381-8127 (mobile)

Pavel Goia

Editor, Ministry Magazine; Associate Ministerial Secretary

gro.tsitnevda.cg@PaioG

+1 301-680-6507

Pavel Goia, was born into communist Romania. From an early age on he knew clearly that God had called him to ministry. However, in a communist country following that calling was not an easy task. He promised to serve God and fulfill his calling. His faithfulness was tested often. The events that ensued are chronicled by the book One Miracle After Another: The Pavel Goia Story, by Gregg Budd.

He was trained in a variety of fields, from law to music, engineering, and business, until he finally ended up studying theology. After six years of pastoring in Romania he spent some time in Norway at the European Bible School, becoming certified in Organic Agriculture & Healthy Lifestyle. He then moved to the United States where he pursued a Bachelor of Theology from Southern Adventist University, and later the M.Div and D.Min program at Andrews University.

Pavel pastored in Wisconsin for nine years and in Kentucky for seven years. He was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for the North American Division, and is now serving as an Associate Ministerial Director for the General Conference Ministerial Association as well as the Editor for Ministry Magazine.

Pavel is married to Daniela, they have two grown children, Gabriel and Ovidiu.

His life has been filled with powerful answers to prayer and continues to be one miracle after another.

Primary responsibilities

Contact Pavel

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@PaioG
  • +1 301-680-6507

Anthony Kent

Associate Ministerial Secretary

gro.tsitnevda.cg@AtneK

+1 301-680-6516

Anthony Kent was elected to the General Conference in 2005. Anthony’s ministry experience includes pastoring local churches, church planting, public evangelism as a union and division evangelist, as well as Ministerial Secretary for the South Pacific Division. He has also developed a Ministerial Internship Development and Training syllabus. Anthony’s specialty is offering continuing education and professional growth opportunities for pastors. He hosts MINISTRYinMOTION a practical professional TV program for clergy and local church ministers. Currently he is pursuing a PhD through the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) in the New Testament, specifically Luke-Acts. Anthony is happily married to Debora and they have two daughters Chelsea and Georgia.

Primary responsibilities

  • Worldwide coordinator for continuing education
  • Host, Ministry in Motion
  • Director, P.R.E.A.C.H. program
  • Ministerial internship development.

Contact Anthony

  • gro.tsitnevda.cg@AtneK
  • +1 301-680-6516

Managers

John Feezer

Finance & Technology Manager

gro.tsitnevda.cg@JrezeeF

John Feezer joined the Ministerial Association in 2006. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from American University and a master’s degree in World Politics from Catholic University.

John had his own website development business before coming to work at the General Conference. He has over 10 years of experience in financial management and previous experience in web and application development.

He is married to Jackie Gonzalez-Feezer, homeschooling mom, youth ministry leader, and seminary student. When he is not working, John is likely cycling or gardening with his daughters.

Primary responsibilities

  • Finance manager, General Conference Ministerial Association
  • Web manager, Ministry Magazine, Revival and Reformation, Believe His Prophets, Ministerial Association
  • Data manager, Ministerial Association
  • Project manager - various websites, ministries

Contact John

Jonathan Walter

Media & Communications Manager

gro.tsitnevda.cg@JretlaW

Jonathan Walter, an Austrian native, comes from an international family of pastors, evangelists, and church administrators. He is passionate about the message, identity, and prophetic calling of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After feeling the call into full-time ministry he served as a missionary to the Marshall Islands. Graduating from Bogenhofen Theological Seminary in Austria, he received an invitation to serve in missionary work with C.A.M.P.U.S., a public campus ministry to Michigan State University, as well as joining the local University Seventh-day Adventist Church’s pastoral team.

Before accepting the call to the General Conference Ministerial Association he had been serving as a pastor in several churches in Michigan, as well as in various evangelistic endeavors around the world.

Jonathan also served as Vice President of Programming and Vice President of Missions for G.Y.C., a supportive ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist church, and currently is part of the InVerse cast, a weekly Hope Channel program.

Jonathan is married to Amanda, a middle school teacher and founder of www.MapleAlps.com, a Christian lifestyle brand.


Primary responsibilities

  • Develops and implements departmental communication strategies
  • Assists the Secretary and Associates in the strategic development of resources
  • Collects and edits stories for Ministerial best practices and Revival and Reformation
  • Serves as a member of the Association’s executive leadership team

Contact Jonathan