Presenters

• Andrew-Craig Nugent

  Pastor Andrew-Craig Nugent is currently serving as the Associate Youth and Young-Adult Director of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. For the previous 11 years he served in several local churches as associate pastor, district pastor, and Youth and Young Adult Pastor. He is married to the former Melissa Johnson, who owns and operates a mental health therapy private practice. Both Pastor and Sis. Nugent are graduates of Andrews University. They have two growing young boys – Nathaniel and Joshua who are currently in grade school. Pastor Nugent’s favorite bible text is Proverbs 16:9 – “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”

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• Joseph Salajan

  Pastor Joe was born in the little town of Crasna (Romania). Ever since he was a child, he has been fascinated by the unique connection between pastors and their special book, the Bible. When at the age of 7 he received his first little Bible from a brave pastor who was able to procure it for him in spite of the interdictions of the communist regime, he felt special and decided one day he would become a pastor.
  
  After serving as a Pastor for 8 years in Romania, in 2013 he immigrated to the USA. He currently serves as Lead Pastor of Plantation Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with his wonderful wife Anda and their gorgeous daughter Alessandra, he enjoys proclaiming God’s grace and ministering to his fellows.
  
  By God's grace, in February 2020 he completed my doctoral program obtaining a Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching/Homiletics from Andrews University. His hobbies are languages, music, and poetry.

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• Laffit Cortes

  Pastor Laffit Cortes, was born and raised in the Bronx, New York City. Since the age of 15, he began ministering to his generation of believers. Although he took a detour to his calling becoming a computer network engineer, his passion has always been to reach teens and young adults. Graduate of Atlantic Union College, majoring in Religion he continues to pursue a master’s degree in Global Leadership through Fuller University. He accepted his call to become a minister at the age of 27, pastoring his first two churches in New York City. Afterwards, he served as the New Jersey Conference youth director for eight years initiating teen, collegiate and young adult ministries along with urban initiatives called “The Ghetto Church” ministering to unchurched gang exposed teens in the area of Elizabeth, New Jersey, as well as evangelism in the projects of Newark. He then served as the Campus Chaplain of Pacific Union College helping students grow in their relationship with Jesus as they serve in the world around them. Pastor Laffit currently serves as the Lead Pastor of Miami Temple along with his wife, Lynda and their two children, Raylyn and Caleb and his ministry focus continues to be “raising an army of youth…and adults rightly trained to reach their generation for Jesus Christ.”