Northern California Conference
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NCC Hispanic Ministries Coordinator/Evangelist Román Leal and his wife, Teresa. STEPHANIE LEAL
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s of Jan. 1, Román Leal is the new Hispanic Ministries coordinator/evangelist for the Northern California Conference. He has served as an NCC pastor for more than two decades, most recently in the Hayward Spanish/Tracy Spanish district. “I’ve greatly appreciated the work that Pastor Leal has done in his pastoral ministry through the years here in Northern California,” said NCC President Jim Pedersen. “And I’m looking forward to working more closely with him in his new responsibilities.” Leal leads a team of pastors and laypeople that he already knows well. “Our ministry relies on an extraordinary pastoral team, the committed people in our churches, and — most important of all — the promised presence of the Holy Spirit,” he said. The role of Hispanic ministries coordinator/ evangelist was most recently held by Jose Marin, now serving in the Arizona Conference. “Pastor Marin taught us to be daring, visionary, and determined,” said Leal. “It will be very hard to fill his shoes, but with God’s help I intend to give the best of myself for my Church.” As he begins his new work, Leal describes three of his major goals: “work to bring more souls to the Kingdom of God; continue to revive and establish our churches on the solid platform of the Present Truth; and make the name of our Church known through compassionate work in the community.” Born in Cuba, Leal graduated from the Seminario Adventista del Cuba in 1974. He then worked as a Bible instructor in the churches in Holguin and Santiago before his ordination in February 1984. Throughout his 15 years of ministry in Cuba, he pastored several churches: Matanzas, San Luis, Pinar Del Río, and La Habana. The Leal family left Cuba in 1989, and they made a new home in New Jersey. While he did not have an official job with the local conference, Leal volunteered in a pastoral role as he helped a pastor serve the churches in his district. In 1992, he accepted a call to the NCC, where he served as pastor of the Oakland Spanish church for more than 10 years. He then pastored
HAROLDO POIRET
Roman Leal Named NCC Hispanic Ministries Coordinator/Evangelist
the Sacramento Spanish/Woodland Spanish district and the Sacramento Southgate Spanish group/Lodi Spanish district, before serving in the Hayward Spanish/Tracy Spanish district. “I have had the privilege of being a pastor in churches where I have found Román and Teresa Leal address the congregation during the not only parishioners, dedication of the new Hayward Spanish church building. but friends,” said Leal. American Division and local conferences. The “I am very grateful to God for all of that.” Leal and his wife, Teresa, have been married Leals have four grandchildren. Leal is excited to see what the Lord will do for more than 38 years. “My wife has been a in 2017 — and beyond. “I am so grateful to great companion in life and in ministry,” he said. Everyone in their immediate family works God for the opportunity to serve Him in a new capacity,” he said. “I look forward to the new for the Church. Son Guillermo is a General challenges and blessings ahead, and I ask Conference auditor, and daughter-in-law for your prayers as I serve His Church and our Stephanie is NCC communication director. continued Northern California ministry.” Daughter Liss Poiret is an assistant professor of nursing at Pacific Union College, and sonin-law Haroldo is an independent producer/ Julie Lorenz videographer who does projects for the North