Members of the Executive Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists voted to accept the nomination of Pierre E. Omeler as a GC general vice president on April 10. Omeler will replace the late Maurice Valentine, who died unexpectedly in October 2023.  

The decision, effective immediately, came during the second day of the church’s Spring Meeting held at its headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. 

Omeler, in his first words after being elected to the position, pledged to serve with “dignity and honor for the glory of God” and emphasized the unique calling of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “We love this church,” he said. “We believe this is the only church with the mission to preach the three angels’ [messages] and to remind the world of the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

GC president Ted N. C. Wilson affirmed Omeler’s appointment. “Pastor Omeler is an extremely evangelistically focused individual, a very spiritual person,” Wilson noted, adding that Omeler and his wife are “an amazing team.” He further commended Omeler as “someone who brings people together and focuses on the mission of the church.” 

A Dedicated Service 

Omeler had been serving as president of the Atlantic Union Conference (AUC) since November 2021. AUC includes the northeastern region of the U.S. and the island nation of Bermuda. It comprises six conferences with around 600 churches and 133,000 baptized members. 

Before his appointment as president, Omeler served as the AUC secretary (2016-2021) and vice president (2011-2016). He also held the position of director of Haitian Ministries (2008-2011) and pastor (1991-2008) in the Northeastern Conference. 

Although he brings vast experience to the General Conference, Omeler also brings spiritual depth and a passion for cross-cultural evangelism, church leaders said. Alex Bryant, president of the North American Division, pointed to his evangelism focus. “About four months after becoming union president, Omeler convened the first-ever evangelistic conference of its kind for his union, where he called all pastors and conference administrators together and developed strategies on how to evangelize the entire union territory.” 

Bryant further shared that Omeler sought to work collaboratively with his colleagues and those under his supervision, leading them forward in mission with humility and grace. 

Gary Blanchard, president of the Northern New England Conference, echoed Bryant’s words. “Elder Omeler is a humble servant of Jesus. He will be dearly missed by all in the Atlantic Union, especially by those of us who have served under his leadership. We have been deeply inspired by his sincerity, gentleness, positivity, and dedication to mission,” Blanchard said. 

Omeler will work closely with the GC leadership team to support the mission and growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide, church leaders said. Billy Biaggi, a GC general vice president, commented, “Together, we continue to submit our lives daily to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to encourage our worldwide family to arise and shine for Christ. We want to be used by God’s power with humbleness. We welcome Pastor Omeler to the team of GC general vice presidents.” 

Personal Journey 

Omeler was born in Haiti and speaks fluent French. He moved to the United States in 1981 to pursue his education at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. He completed his bachelor’s degree in theology with a minor in biblical languages in 1986. Omeler went on to pursue a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University (1991) and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary (2015). 

Omeler is married to Myra Norman, a registered nurse. They have been married for 39 years and have three adult children and four grandchildren. 

The original version of this story was posted by ANN.