SUMNER, WA (April 30, 2013) – Greg Yee has been elected to serve as the next superintendent of the North Pacific Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).

His election came during the just-concluded conference annual meeting held at Faith Covenant Church in Sumner. Faith Covenant shares the distinction of being both the oldest and one of the newest churches in the denomination. The congregation was founded in 1877 as First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup and joined both the conference and the denomination just last year.

“The North Pacific Conference has been blessed to have superintendents who have expanded and strengthened our conference ministries during the seasons of their service,” said James Sequeira, chair of the Conference Executive Board. “I am excited because the leadership, experiences, insights and gifts that Greg brings will be invaluable as we set a new trajectory for the future of the conference.

“We are blessed to have a young innovative leader who is respected among leaders at the denominational level, the Pacific Southwest Conference and among pastors and staff in churches he has worked with,” Sequeira continued. “When Greg was announced as our nominee, many pastors in our conference let me know we made an excellent choice. Greg brings a rich working and experiential knowledge in the areas of compassion, mercy and justice, as well as gender equality, multi-ethnicity, pastoral care and conflict resolution. We are excited to have Greg as the shepherd of the conference mission.”

Yee was introduced during last Friday morning’s Conference Ministerium meeting and participated in a question-and-answer session later that afternoon. He shared some of his background, including his most recent role as associate superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference. To learn more about Yee, click here to read a previous story about his nomination.

The title of his message during the evening worship was the same as this year’s conference theme: “Expanding and Strengthening Our Ministries.”

In one light-hearted moment early in his sermon, Yee said he felt like he was in the Roman Coliseum, realizing that following his message, the group would be voting – thumbs up or thumbs down, as he put it. He then asked if he could take a photo from the pulpit of everyone giving him a thumbs up – and he did.

On a more serious note, Yee underscored the importance of being mentored and having friendships with people who are very different from himself – and how that has helped shape him as a leader.

Naming several influential mentors and leaders, he related how they challenged him and took him to places and conversations he would not have experienced without them. He challenged those in attendance to place themselves among – and under – people who are different than them.

Yee shared experiences from a recent trip to India with Covenant World Relief where he witnessed how seriously and fully committed local residents are to Jesus and the church. He said the trip greatly influenced his decision to accept the invitation to candidate for the superintendent position, stressing the importance and seriousness of a call that comes from God.

A reception following the service allowed participants to greet Yee and his family – wife Mary, and their three children, Jordan, Erin and Caden.

The Conference Executive Board recommended Yee during Saturday morning’s business session. When the announcement was made that Yee had been unanimously elected to serve as the next superintendent, delegates responded with robust applause and a standing ovation.

Following a time of prayer for Yee and his family, the new superintendent closed the annual meeting with prayer and benediction.

Yee will be formally installed as superintendent during the ECC Annual Meeting June 27-30 in Detroit, Michigan.

Editor’s note: Jim Sequeira contributed information used in this report.