Members of the Lake Union executive committee, on May 6, 2026, voted to affirm the calling God has placed on the lives of the following ministry leaders. Three are pastors voted for ordination and one is a chaplain selected for commissioning.
Thorly H. James brings a second-career perspective to ministry, having previously worked as an engineer before becoming a pastor. He now serves Praise Fellowship and Calvin Center churches in the Lake Region Conference. James earned a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering/Mechanical Engineering from Farmingdale State, a Master of Science in Community and International Development, and a Master of Divinity from Andrews University’s Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.
At Indianapolis Eastside Seventh-day Adventist Church, Chaka Samuel leads a pastoral ministry centered on worship, outreach, prayer and evangelism. He studied pastoral care and chaplaincy at Oakwood University and completed a Master of Divinity at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in 2023. Since beginning denominational service in 2022, Samuel has served Niles Philadelphia, Bethany Chapel, Muncie Philadelphia and Indianapolis Eastside churches. In 2025, he led the “Summer Blast 2025” Pentecost evangelism initiative, resulting in 74 baptisms.
Now serving as a chaplain at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, Daniel Verduzco has ministered in both church and health care settings. He studied pastoral evangelism at Hartland College and earned a Master of Divinity from Andrews University. After beginning denominational service in 2015, Verduzco served Schaumburg Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wyoming Bethel Hispanic Church and Faith Hospice in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lake Region leaders noted that although he now serves outside the Union, his professional ministry was rooted in Lake Region.
Ashley Daniels serves as a hospice chaplain at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit and also assists at Ecorse Seventh-day Adventist Church. A graduate of Oakwood University, she later completed a Master of Divinity at Andrews University. Her ministry journey has taken her from missionary English teaching in South Korea to chaplaincy residencies, clinical pastoral education and board certification as a chaplain. In 2026, Daniels completed hospice and palliative care specialty certification.
Debbie Michel is Lake Union Conference Communication director and Herald editor.