Seminars Speakers
Randy Robinson
Randy was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area as a fourth-generation Seventh-day Adventist. He attended Adventist elementary schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, attended Monterey Bay Academy, and then earned a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College. Directly out of college, Randy was employed as a business intern by the Nevada-Utah Conference. From there, he has served as treasurer of the Illinois Conference, Oregon Conference, Southern Union Conference, and, until just recently, the North American Division. All told, he has served in church treasury employment since 1983.
Randy was ordained to the gospel ministry in 2000 and has held or participated in several evangelistic series domestically and abroad. He loves evangelism and is passionate about doing all he can to bring people to a saving knowledge of our Saviour. He also enjoys the outdoors and building live-edge furniture.
Randy married his college sweetheart in June of 1983, Denise Halenz. Together, they have two sons, Jason and Brandon, and two wonderful daughters-in-law, Susie and Amanda.
We can be with you August 1–5. It may take us a little time to get to you on the 1st, so I probably won’t be able to have a meeting on that day. I have thought about a theme, and if it is ok, I would like to speak on the topic of ‘Signs of the Times… Jesus is Coming Soon!’ If there is a seminar time and you would like me to present the Tithe presentation I presented when Brad was present, I am happy to do that as well.
Don’t feel like you have to give me every single evening meeting or anything on Sabbath morning. We are happy to worship with you and be present when it works for you. Thanks for the opportunity, and we look forward to being with you!
Brad Dennis
Brad Dennis is from the Huu-ay-aht First Nation on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. His Huu-ay-aht name is Qwa uun nahs aht, “from the place of the chiefs.” He received his Bachelor of Social Work degree and Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Walla Walla University in 2001 and 2003, respectively.
He is currently registered as a Registered Clinical Social Worker (RCSW) in British Columbia. His instructional experience includes historical, Development of Social Welfare, Social Work Perspectives on Mental Health Disorders, Practise with Couples and Families, Privilege and Oppression, Spirituality in Social Work, and Advanced Practise with Groups
Currently, he works with his wife, DeeAnna Dennis (MSW), in their community wellness consulting business, T’ašii Hašah Consulting, providing consultation, training, and coaching for aboriginal governments seeking to reclaim and restore traditional ways of wellness. He also serves part-time pastoring a small church and ministering to the broader community.
On the personal side, Brad enjoys playing with his family and supporting his wife in the
homeschooling adventures of their children, cycling, hiking in the wilderness, foraging
wild foods and plants for wellness and medicine, woodworking, knitting, chess, and learning new skills and growing in a deeper relationship with his Creator.
Teresa Ferreira
Teresa Ferreira currently serves in the Philanthropy and Marketing department at ADRA Canada. She comes from a diverse leadership background within the Adventist Church, including education and conference administration. Teresa sees the Adventist faith as a legacy of truth seekers committed Christ-followers, and Advent Hope messengers. The passion for keeping the young and old in our church and spiritually on fire for an absolute God of love in a world that triumphs over compromise is woven into every detail of who she is and what she represents. She considers her ministry to God to be the lifeblood of her very soul and challenges people to hold fast to Psalm 16:8 and “not be moved.” Very simply, we all must be committed to the remnant cause of service so that others may know our Jesus through the lens of being His hands and feet! Teresa says, “For a truly meaningful experience, coming alongside ADRA Canada in our humanitarian efforts will only strengthen the gospel cause of Jesus’ example through partnering with each other in the name of justice, compassion, and love so all may live as God intended.”
Cedric Vine
Dr. Cedric Vine is Associate Professor of New Testament at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University, Michigan. He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield, UK, and wrote his dissertation on the Gospel of Matthew. His most recent publication is Jesus and the Nations: Discipleship and Mission in the Gospel of Matthew (Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick, 2022). Before coming to Andrews University, Dr. Vine taught in the Department of Theological Studies at Newbold College (2008–2015). He has also served as a pastor in the north of England for nine years. He is married to Tserha, originally from Ethiopia, and is the father of two sons, John (17) and Mark (16).
Cindy Tutsch
Cindy Tutsch, DMin, most recently served until retirement as an Associate Director of the Ellen G. White Estate at the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists in Silver Spring, MD. Her position included promoting enthusiasm and understanding for Ellen White across generations. She has been a featured speaker at universities, convocations, Weeks of Prayer, camp meetings, and pastor-teacher training events in 61 countries in all thirteen divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist church. She has been involved in youth ministry, teaching, and evangelism for 45 years as a pastor, Bible teacher, lay ministries coordinator, television host, literature-evangelism leader, and conference youth director. She is the author of four books, including Ellen White on Leadership: Guidance for Those Who Influence Others, and scores of articles in Adventist publications. She and her husband, Ulrich, especially enjoy outdoor recreation with their children and grandchildren.
Crystal Whitten
Crystal Whitten is a 5th generation SDA, but more importantly, she considers herself a child of God. She earned a BS and MS from Loma Linda University. She worked for Kaiser Permanente in preventive medicine for several years before returning to Loma Linda University and teaching as a professor for 14 years. In 2010, she completed a PhD in nutrition with a minor in molecular biology. Subsequently, she taught at Southern Adventist University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She retired from teaching in 2016 and has published several books, including Country Living, Potluck (a cookbook), and Praise, Claim God’s Promises, and Pray Your Way to Victory.
David M. Klinedinst
David M. Klinedinst, MDiv, is the director of evangelism and church growth at the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Columbia, Maryland, United States. He has been involved in various forms of evangelistic ministry with Christian Record Services, as a pastor-evangelist in the Pennsylvania Conference, and in conducting public evangelistic campaigns in the US and overseas. He teaches practical training seminars on witnessing and personal evangelism and desires to see a passionate, mission-minded, lay-driven church where each member seeks opportunities to plant seeds for Jesus. He is married to Marquita, and they have two daughters, Melaney and Emiley.
Ern Brake
Dr. Ernest J. Brake recently refocused his ministry after 36 years of denominational service to more closely reflect his desire to help individuals reach their fullest potential.
Ern’s superpower is the ability to curate key components of life mastery into an evidence-based, easy-to-understand roadmap for health, happiness, and success.
During his eight years as the BC Conference Health Ministries Director, Ern worked with a team of health professionals to inspire vibrant living and equip health leaders to inspire others. His efforts, always with a team, included developing and organizing seminars, workshops, training events, and Camp Meeting health emphases.
Combining his experience from pastoring, teaching, and administration with lifestyle medicine and personal growth principles, Ern has launched an extraordinary life transformation blueprint. It’s a unique program based on his book, “FULL POWER: Nature’s Formula for Optimal Vitality,” which offers a health solution that shows measurable results in 30 days.
Derek Heldzinger
Dr. Derek Heldzinger is fully board certified in family medicine with the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has 35 years of clinical experience. He is also certified in lifestyle medicine with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Derek operates his own lifestyle medicine practise in Ringgold, GA, with a special interest in treating and preventing chronic diseases with lifestyle medicine. He is a Nedley Certified Associate Director and Facilitator for Community-based Depression and Anxiety Programmes and has also been the supervising physician and presenter for the Nedley Residential Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program in Georgia.
Elmamarie Heldzinger
Elmamarie is a mental health counsellor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She works at a Christian counselling centre and is also a Focus on the Family Christian counsellor on the CCN Network. She also works for Dr. Neil Nedley in the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Residential Program as a cognitive behavioural therapy coach and life coach. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy at Liberty University. She holds an Exercise Physiology Certification with the American College of Sport Medicine. She has been a teacher in the SDA school system and homeschooled their four children.
Dr. and Mrs. Heldzinger are the proud parents of four adult children, two of whom are married. They love the Lord and are active in their local church, having hosted seventeen Nedley Depression and Anxiety community-based clinics in the past seven years.
Gerry Nessman
Gerry is a child of the Most High God and is in His service. He is blessed to have been married for 23 years to his wife, Renee, and to have two children, a son, Isaiah, who is 23 years old, and a daughter, Shekinah, who is 18 years old. “Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father, who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.” (James 1:17–18 ERV)
Don Straub
Don is a retired SDA teacher, principal, missionary, and pastor. After retiring, he received a Master of Arts in Professional Counselling and has worked in this field for 12 years. He has specialties in marriage, trauma, and addiction. Don is the author of the book “Bridges to Freedom” and has been a seven-time guest presenter on It Is Written Canada.
Joey Aguilar
Joey Aguilar has served as the Director of Communications for the British Columbia and Yukon Conference since 2017. Having attended Adventist education for both primary (Orangewood Adventist Academy) and post-secondary (La Sierra University, BCIT) education and being a 3rd generation denominational worker, he comes with a unique understanding of the church and ministry that spans decades. Serving at Oakridge Adventist Church as the worship ministry director for the last 21 years, he oversees the worship, sound, and media teams. However, it was his experience teaching at Deer Lake School for 9 years as the K-3, high school choirs and Grade 11-12 Digital Media Production, faculty sponsor for the yearbook at DLS, and Digital Media Production for West Coast Adventist School, which demonstrated his passion for communication and leadership. Digital Media Production was conspicuously seen as a leadership class which trained students to collaborate with their peers, schools and churches. As he transitioned to the BC Conference, his education and experience in communication and media helped to pivot, teach, and connect our churches and schools to go online through digital media. He enjoys collaborating with churches and is excited to encourage all ages to get involved in ministry and digital evangelism. His gift for storytelling and sharing God’s love, whether through music or digital media, as well as helping others tell their stories of how the Lord has impacted their lives, is a small reflection of his love for God and his passion for ministry in all forms of communication. Joey has been married to Esther (Labro) for 22 years, and they have two children, Sophia and Owen.
Otto Castillo
Otto is a Vancouver-based independent filmmaker and a corporate videography business owner. He is currently the lead for Oakridge Adventist Church sound and production teams.
While photography has always been a hobby for Otto, after retiring from his former job in 2017, he decided to go back to school. In 2018, Otto completed two intensive Film School programs: Digital Film Production, followed by Documentary Film Production.
Currently, Otto works sporadically in the film industry as well as running a busy home-based Corporate Videography business.
Otto’s list of clients includes non-profit NGOs, BC-based private international boarding schools, faculty at UBC, It Is Written Canada, etc, among others.
Sharing knowledge with others about filmmaking and the art of visual storytelling is one of Otto’s greatest passions in life.
Sarah Rogers
Sarah Rogers is the Prayer Coordinator for the BC Conference as well as the Prayer Coordinator at Church in the Valley (a Seventh-Day Adventist Church located in Langley, BC). She has been involved in prayer ministry for 19 years and enjoys sharing the love of Jesus with others. She and her husband, Pastor Walter, have four children, ages 3 to 11. In her spare time, Sarah loves to read, cook, travel, garden, make music, and host people. She looks forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face very soon!
Galina Stele
Born in Russia, Galina Stele has served the church in various capacities, including as a professor of theology at Zaoksky Theological Seminary (Russia); coordinator and general editor of Shepherdess and Living Church for the Euro-Asia Division; and director of the Euro-Asia Division’s Institute of Missiology. In 1996, she was the first woman to graduate with a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) from Andrews University. A widely published author, Stele joined the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research in 2012 as the Research and Program Evaluation Assistant and became Research and Evaluation Manager in early 2016.
Denny Rumambi
Dianne Olino
Dianne G. Olino is a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines with almost ten years of experience in the field of accounting. She has worked in various accounting-related roles in both the Philippines and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In addition to her professional work, Dianne has also served as treasurer for local churches in the Philippines and Dubai for six years.
Currently, she is working as an auditor for the British Columbia SDA Conference and is dedicated to bridging the gap between Canadian and Philippine accounting and taxation through the CPA Program in Canada, in which she is currently enrolled.
Jordan Gallant
Jordan Gallant is a partner at the accounting firm Stolz Gallant, Accountants and Advisors, based out of Chilliwack, BC. Previously, Jordan served at the BC Conference for over 5 years as the auditor and auditing services director. The BC Conference works closely with the firm on our external auditing and annual government filing requirements, as well as bringing him in to offer trainings for our employees and volunteers that serve in our churches and schools. Prior to working for the BC Conference, Jordan worked with the General Conference Auditing Services after completing his accounting degree at CUC in 2012. When he isn’t working, you probably won’t find him, as he enjoys spending his free time in the mountains, off-roading, and camping with family and friends.
Stewart Stolz
Stewart has been a Chartered Professional Accountant in the Fraser Valley and later 100 Mile House areas since 2011. Stewart articled with a large national accounting firm, where he had the opportunity to work in public practice with a wide array of clients and has also worked in industry as the Director of Finance and Administration for an Indigenous community. In 2015, Stewart opened his own practice and continues to enjoy working with his clients. Stewart has served as church treasurer for the 100 Mile SDA Church and for many years now has worked with the BC Conference under Stolz CPA Inc. and now under his new partnership, Stolz Gallant – Accountants and Advisors.
Tawny Sportsman
Tawny Sportsman is the director of Take Heart Ministry, God’s Girls Connect, and the Southern Oregon Christian Women’s Retreat. She is an associate chaplain and a speaker for the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. She moved to Oregon from Alaska and travels nationally and internationally as a speaker.
Take Heart Ministry began when she lost her husband of 35 years and reaches out to those taking the unexpected journey called grief, letting them know they don’t have to travel alone. She designs programs and events for hurting hearts, and she and her team provide tools, resources, support, and encouragement as they pull alongside those who are grieving.
Tawny has a perfect daughter, a perfect son-in-law, and four perfect grandchildren. She resides in Sweet Home and in her spare time, she loves to deer hunt with her camera.
Campbell Page
Dr. Campbell Page is of Red River Métis/Saulteaux (Peguis First Nation) and Moose Cree (Moose Cree and Taykwa Tagamou First Nations) descent and is the Indigenous Relations Director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. His mandate is to nurture reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and organizations, and his work sees him healing relationships and facilitating reconciliation education, awareness, partnerships, and programming across Canada.
After completing his doctoral studies in facilitating change through community service and positive church-community relationships, Campbell pursued interests in mental health, interfaith connection, and cross-cultural relations, becoming a Certified Spiritual Care Practitioner with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care and a registered psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. He uses this training and experience to meet the need for decolonizing and indigenizing mental health support, cross-cultural interaction, multifaith literacy, and health reconciliation in both public and Seventh-day Adventist institutions.
Though his work often carries him far from home, Campbell is happily married to his lifelong partner and best friend, Colleen, and is a proud dad to his grown kids, Spencer and his wife Nevandria, and Dani, who share his enthusiasm for service, inclusivity, and community development. He lives by this principle: “We are all kin; how one of us lives affects us all. Love, respect, courage, truth, honesty, humility, wisdom, and a deep connection to our Creator will help us live lives that invite healing of the past and present, creating unlimited possibilities for the future.”
Edward Dunn
Edward Dunn is a member of the Mississauga First Nation in northern Ontario and is presently the Health Ministries Director and Assistant to the President at the Southern Asia Division (India) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has served the Adventist church as pastor or administrator in British Columbia, Alberta, Upper Columbia, and Alaska Conferences, as well as the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. He has earned a master’s and PhD degrees in public health. He and his wife, Cheryl, have served in several countries around the world, helping people with their spiritual and physical healing.
Edward is also a narrator and presenter in an 18-part health series called Native New Health (www.NativeNewHealth.ca ), which addresses important health issues for Indigenous peoples of North America.
John Tommy
John Tommy is from the Wet’suwet’en Nation. A family man, artist, musician, and warrior for God Preaching and singing while he shares the love of Jesus, his king, with the broken, hurting indigenous people.
Sam Askidan
Sam was born in 1951 in Kincolith, on the Nass River, and sent to residential school in Port Alberni at six years old. Suffering from a very abusive system, he became a bitter and angry man with alcohol and drug addictions, learned to fight, and lived a rough life, often earning money as a nightclub musician and bouncer.
Charged with attempted manslaughter, a faithful Adventist pastor visited him in jail and told him he loved him but that Jesus loved him more and how Jesus would truly help him. Facing 20 years in prison, what did I have to lose? So he prayed, “God, if you are real, come into my life and take this bitterness and hatred from me, and change me now.” Just as I said those words, it felt like the heavy burden was gone; I was free. Since that day, Sam has been clean and sober and shares his powerful testimony of forgiveness, grace, and the power of God through music.
Sam is blessed with six daughters, 13 adopted daughters, 19 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Valoaga Siatunu’u
Valoaga Siatunu’u was born in Kailua, Hawaii and is of Samoan descent. He is the pastor of the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Seventh-day Adventist Church in Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada and is the coordinator for Indigenous Ministries B.C.
Valoaga is happily married to his beautiful wife and partner in ministry, Sheryl Siatunu’u. Valoaga is the father of six children and four grandchildren. Valoaga’s passion is to serve the Lord faithfully and hold regular bible studies on prophecy, the sanctuary and character transformation through the love of Christ in preparation for the imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Aaron Sikhosana
Aaron Sikhosana serves in the BC Conference as pastor of the Creekside and Burnaby churches. He is also a registered counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.