Three serving pastors, two Caymanian and one Guyanese, were formally ordained as ministers of religion at a special ceremony late last month at Kings Seventh-day Adventist Church. The occasion marked the first time that three pastors were ordained at the same time in the Cayman Islands.
The newly ordained pastors are Andrew Campbell, Carlon Nyack, and Obed Babb. In Christian churches, ordination is a rite for the formal dedication and commissioning of pastoral ministers.
Pastor Campbell, recently elected Vice President of the Adventist Conference, has served for the past four years as Pastor and Conference Executive Secretary. Pastor Nyack, who was also recently elected, succeeding Pastor Campbell as Executive Secretary, has served for several years as Pastor and Youth Ministries Director. Pastor Babb, a former lecturer and assistant pastor at Northern Caribbean University (NCU, in Jamaica), was recently elected Education Director for the Conference, having served the Conference as Pastor and Family Ministries Director for four years.
Here are brief biographies of the newly ordained pastors:
Pastor Andrew Campbell
Pastor Campbell was born and raised in the Cayman Islands. He studied at Cayman Academy, John Gray High School, University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI), and Andrews University (Michigan), where he began his study in Physics and Engineering but, after a year, changed his major to Theology. Andrew graduated with his Bachelors in Religion in 2010, then went straight on to the Theological Seminary of Andrews University to pursue a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Systematic Theology.
While studying at Andrews, he met and married his wife Anneli, from Norway, and on graduation, assumed a pastorship in Norway.
He returned to the Cayman Islands in 2019 and now pastors the West Bay Church in addition to serving in his recently elected posts of Conference’s Vice President and Youth Director.
Father to two daughters and a son, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family and participating in various sports; his passion is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Carlon Wesley Nyack
Pastor Nyack, who grew up in the Cayman Islands, attending the Cayman Islands High School, comes from a family of religious and educational professionals. Although he initially had his sights on becoming a pilot, he ultimately studied for the pastoral ministry at Montemorelos University in Mexico, graduating in 2012. He then completed his pastoral training and internship in Cayman churches and in 2014 was named Conference Pastor of the Year.
Following that, he completed his Master of Divinity Degree at Andrews University (2018), where he met his wife, Heidi Ordaz.
In 2019, he and his wife began serving as a pastoral couple at Filadelfia Seventh-day Adventist Church, one of the Church’s Spanish congregations.
Pastor Nyack is passionate about evangelism, conducting over 30 international evangelistic campaigns in more than 14 countries.
He was appointed Youth Ministries Director of the Cayman Conference in December 2019, and in 2020 he was appointed pastor of the East End Adventist Church.
In March 2023, Pastor Nyack was elected Executive Secretary of the Cayman Conference.
Pastor Nyack and Heidi are parents to one daughter and a 79-pound dog named Shadow.
Pastor Obed Elijah Babb
Pastor Babb reported that he knew from the age of three that he was called to be a minister of religion and began preaching at the age of 11.
He served in several leadership roles in the Guyana Adventist Church over a period of 16 years. He subsequently resigned his post as assistant general manager of the Guyana/Surinam Ferry Service and enrolled at the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC) in Trinidad to commence formal ministerial training.
Since his initial training at SCU, Pastor Babb has preached in more than 11 countries.
Over the years, he was actively engaged in development work in his home country of Guyana and other countries. These roles included directing Pathfinder / Master Guide clubs, coordinating an academic conference, organising disaster relief, and training youth leaders.
Pastor Babb currently serves as the pastor of the Solid Rock Ministries, Conference Education Director, and Deputy Country Director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cayman.
Pastor Babb is joined in his ministry by his wife Shireen.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from Andrews University, and from Northern Caribbean University (NCU), a Master of Arts degree in religion, and a post-graduate diploma in education.
March 25 Ordination Ceremony
President of the Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Ivor Harry, led the proceedings of the ordination ceremony. The event was attended by several international leaders of the Adventist Church: Pastor Leonard Johnson, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Division (IAD); Pastor Peter Kerr, President, Atlantic Caribbean Union; Pastor Kent Price, Assistant to the President for Evangelism, Atlantic Caribbean Union; Pastor Michael Smith, Ministerial Secretary, Atlantic Caribbean Union. Also attending was Pastor Al Powell, Director of Youth Ministries at the IAD.
As keynote speaker at the event, Pastor Johnson urged the newly ordained pastors never to lose an opportunity to demonstrate their worthiness of the calling.
In the process, he advised that they honour and value the support of spouses in their ministries.
Pastor Kent Price offered a special consecration prayer for the three pastors.
Written by Devarro Whittaker, Associate Television Producer
