“Mark Howard’s video proves that MISDA was acting in bad faith when they defamed Ron Kelly to get to Religious liberty and Conrad Vine. Here is how the set of events goes.”
This timeline is from key insiders who are intimately involved in the Village Church
August 20 – MISDA Meeting between Ron Kelly & President Jim Micheff & Secretary Justin Ringstaff
Meeting covered events across the 9th district
Pastor Kelly laid out all upcoming events at VSDA. Meeting was friendly, cordial, and pleasant. No concerns were verbalized or implied.
August 27 – MISDA Executive Committee meets and bans Conrad Vine from all MISDA Church pulpits
No prior incremental disciplinary action had been pursued.
No conversations with Conrad Vine or Ron Kelly regarding the plan to discipline Conrad Vine. Except for a communication om August 26, at 9:00pm to Ron Kelly inviting him and Conrad Vine to attend the Executive Committee Meeting
September 20-21 – VSDA Religious Liberty Weekend
Communication from VSDA to MISDA is that Conrad Vine will not preach but only introduce speakers
Conrad Vine does not preach
No complaints from MISDA regarding Conrad Vine’s limited involvement at that time
September - October
Various Meetings and Discussion for restorative path of Conrad Vine, between Ron Kelly & Jim Micheff
Jim Micheff makes statement: we would not be in this mess if Ron Kelly/VSDA had done their job
Implication is that if Ron Kelly had moved to strip Conrad Vine of his leadership roles at VSDA, the conference would not need to continue their persecution
November 8th – MISDA President Jim Micheff texts Pastor Ron Kelly
Contents of text message indicate MISDA will not support the VSDA Medical Ministry until MISDA understands where Ron Kelly and VSDA stand on Conrad Vine
Text message was assumed by Ron Kelly, his wife and VSDA Bible Worker to be an effort to bully him to take a unilateral action and a threat against Ron Kelly’s employment.
November 14th – MISDA Delegation meets with VSDA Representative Leadership
VSDA wanted to address the required support (insurance) needed for the VSDA Medical Ministry.
MISDA came to speak with Conrad Vine seeking to rebuke his arguments as being non-Biblical
MISDA denies that November 8th text message from Micheff to Kelly was a threat on his employment.
VSDA held Conrad Vine out of the meeting until the Medical Ministry component could be separated from Conrad Vine.
MISDA argued that they could not have a conversation of supporting VSDA as they could not understand how VSDA would want Conrad Vine in membership/leadership based on his positions.
When VSDA asked twice of MISDA, regarding all the peripheral ministries (Medical, Media, Building Missions, Workshops, etc.): are the Fruits of the Spirit Evident at Village SDA?
MISDA Refused to answer that question
Meeting concluded with notice from MISDA to VSDA that a delegation from VSDA was invited to the MISDA Executive Committee on December 3rd, to present restorative path for Conrad Vine.
November 20th – MISDA Ministerial Directors visit with VSDA Leadership
2 MISDA Ministerial Directors visit with VSDA Church Board, Elders and Mission Leaders.
Premise of meeting is for MISDA to see directly where VSDA stands on Conrad Vine and why.
Leadership almost unanimously supports Conrad Vine’s effort, not in its entirety, but definitely in spirit. And before criticism of Conrad Vine’s action are taken up, the Administrative body needs to address Apostacy at Administrative levels and open up dialogue regarding liberty of conscience and coercion.
December 1st – MISDA Charges Ron Kelly
Jim Micheff calls Ron Kelly and instructs him to appear the next day, December 2nd at 11:00am and he may bring his wife. The meeting is to discuss his employment.
December 2nd – MISDA Indicts Ron Kelly
Ron Kelly meets with MISDA Executive Leadership and is informed he will be brought before the MISDA Executive Committee the next day December 3rd on charges of Bullying and Insubordination. MISDA seeks a remedy to relocate Ron Kelly from VSDA to another church.
December 3rd – MISDA Executive Committee – Trial and Conviction
Ron Kelly is informed before he enters Committee room that Fomenting Dissention was added as a charge against him, and he may wish to address that issue in his defense
Ron Kelly makes an impassioned and yet humble defense.
In His closing, Ron Kelly argues, that if he is guilty of Bullying and Fomenting Dissent, how would the remedy of relocating him to another church resolve those issues?
MISDA Executive Committee votes 11-4 to find Ron Kelly guilty of the MISDA charges
December 4th – MISDA - Sentencing
Ron Kelly is instructed to meet at Lake Union Conference where he is placed on Administrative Leave until he can find employment outside of MISDA (no later than February 2025)
December 6th – MISDA Ministerial meeting with new Interim Pastor Taariq Patel
MISDA Ministerial director inquires of Pastor Patel what events are planned in the near future for VSDA?
Pastor Patel recounts the Christmas concerts etc.
Ministerial director inquires about Religious Liberty Weekend in January 2025.
Ministerial director councils Pastor Patel to cancel all events for the next several months.
December 8th. Townhall meeting at the Village Church.
Micheff attempted to justify MISDA actions against Vine and Kelly.
SDA members in attendance took Micheff to task, pointing out the failures in MISDA leadership. Meeting lasted several hours. Support for Ron Kelly and Conrad Vine was overwhelming.
December 9th – VSDA Monday Morning Staff Meeting
Interim Senior Pastor Taariq Patel cancels the work day and the board meeting that night
December 10th – MISDA Michigan wide pastors’ meeting at MISDA Headquarters. Kelly was not permitted to attend.
Pastors had to listen to the conference narrative for almost six hours without any of the two accused being permitted to be present.
December 19th – MISDA Letter to VSDA Interim Senior Pastor
MISDA President Jim Micheff sends letter to Pastor Taariq Patel to cancel the Religious Liberty Weekend in January 2025
December 21st – Pastor Mark Howard Video
MISDA Sabbath School Pastor Mark Howard releases video affirming that MISDA fired Ron Kelly because he failed to act against Conrad Vine
December 22nd – VSDA Emergency Elders/Pastors Meeting
VSDA Interim Pastor Taariq Patel sits on letter from MISDA President for three days then calls a short notice meeting on Sunday December 22nd to discuss
Most of the Elders could not be reached and the meeting is only attended by 6 elders, and 3 pastors
Elders unanimously sought to maintain the Religious Liberty Weekend.
Pastor Patel sought a season of prayer that evening before he would make the final decision
December 23rd – VSDA Interim Pastor Taariq Patel
Pastor Patel unilaterally decides that Religious Liberty Weekend for VSDA will be cancelled
Conclusion
MISDA intent from the beginning was to impact Conrad Vine’s ministry by limiting his ability to be heard at any SDA pulpit and to cancel VSDA Religious Liberty Weekend.
If VSDA would have taken a disciplinary action against Conrad Vine, this censure would have made him ineligible to preach at any SDA venue.
MISDA defamed Ron Kelly in an effort to bring charges against him for the benefit of gaining access to Conrad Vine.
Mark Howard’s video proves that the objective from the beginning was to deplatform Conrad Vine.
MISDA originally sought to relocate Kelly, as their goal was not firing Kelly but gaining access to VSDA leadership for Conrad Vine membership and VSDA Religious Liberty Weekend.
Kelly was collateral damage to the goal of deplatforming Vine.
After Ron Kelly’s closing argument that relocation was not a logical remedy for a pastor accused of bullying and fomenting dissent, MISDA doubled down on their defamation and fired him.
MISDA is taking advantage of a young, impressionable, and insecure Interim Pastor Taariq Patel.
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