Please welcome Pastor Helmer Umaña in his new role with the SDB General Council! Pastor Umaña serves as pastor the SDB Christian Church (Iglesia Cristiana BSD) in Silver Spring, MD. The General Council is the 5-member body representing the SDB General Conference to address Conference matters between delegate sessions of Conference Week–providing creative leadership, collaborative strategy, and supportive encouragement to the mission and ministry of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference.
Pastor Umaña has been appointed to complete Pastor Ericessen Cooper’s (NYC SDB Church; Brooklyn, NY) General Council term. Pastor Cooper is now serving as President-elect of the SDB General Conference.
Pastor: Helmer Umaña
I was born in El Salvador, into a Christian Sabbath Keeping Family.
I grew up as member of the Church of God Seventh Day (CoG7).
Due to the Civil war in El Salvador my wife Anna Vilma and I along with our two kids,
Karen Elizabeth and Helmer Jr., moved to California after my wife’s father and
her two younger brothers were killed. We started attending the CoG7 located in
East Los Angeles since 1983, where I served as Deacon for about 5 years.
Then we moved to the same Church in San Fernando Valley, CA. In this Church I
served as Elder and was a student on the SUMMIT school of Theology located in
Denver Colorado. Soon after I became the Co-Pastor until 1993. Then we moved
to the State of Maryland after my wife was diagnosed with Lupus, and the
doctors said that she was going to live no more then 7 to 8 years. I have a
brother who was a Doctor in the George Washington Hospital in Washington DC.
That was 32 years ago, and she is in good health today. (That is a testimony
that she loves to talk about). We were attending the Cog7 in Silver Spring
Maryland where I served as Elder, for a little over a year. We had to
leave due to the doctrinal beliefs.
On December 1994 we started a new Church with some families on Fairland
Road in Silver Spring MD. We changed affiliation on 2005 to the Seventh Day
Baptist, and were accepted as members of the SDB in Newberg, Oregon in the
year 2007 when Ruth Burdick was the President of the General Conference in
George Fox University.
I have served as Pastor for the last 30 years. I have attended and completed the
3 Institute courses through the Center on Ministry in Janesville WI
I was Ordained on April 2008, an Accredited Minister on July 2015.
I have served in the Historical Society, and I am one of Coaches in SDB Church
Planting.
Among other things, I’ve been to Nicaragua on the Atlantic Coast planting a
church with the Miskitos, in Puerto Cabezas, also in Sofia Bulgaria bringing the
Word to some Muslim communities. We tried to establish a SDB Church in El Salvador, but we could not do it
because it was too hard to deal with the gangs and many other things.
The last 20 years we have lived in Woodbridge Virginia and we have served in the
Seventh day Baptist Christian Church located in Silver Spring Maryland.
It was a privilege to do the 2023 week of Prayer.
Welcome to the SDB General Council Pastor Helmer!
