Georgia Leaders who perished in plane crash - (l-r)Jim Frost, executive secretary (vice president); Dave Cress, president; Jamie Arnall, Director of Communications

A small plane crash took the lives of three administrators and a director of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, based in Calhoun, GA, as well as their pilot, just north of Collegedale, TN, on Thursday, December 2, at approximately 1:15 p.m. A sixth person, the copilot escaped with minor injuries.

Dave Cress, president; Jim Frost, executive secretary (vice president); Jamie Arnall, director of communication; and Clay Farwell, assistant to the president were killed, as was hired pilot John Laswell. Jim Huff, volunteer copilot and member of the Standifer Gap Seventh-day Adventist Church, survived.

The Cessna 421 went down two miles north of Collegedale, crashing in a field at Pine Hill and McDonald roads shortly after take-off.

The group was headed from meetings at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale to Knoxville, where they were to hold meetings with Seventh-day Adventist pastors and other Conference presidents.

The Southern Union Conference family grieves with the family and coworkers of these men, and will release information on funeral arrangements as it becomes available.

Contact: Sheila Elwin, 404-295-4136; Olson Perry, 404-510-9417

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The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America joins its offices in Georgia in mourning the loss of five of its workers in a plane crash earlier this afternoon. We would encourage all people of faith to join us in praying that the families and co-workers of the victims will find comfort.

At times of great tragedy, a church family can provide great strength. We pray that we can provide that strength to those most affected by this loss.

Pastor Don Schneider

President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America

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For more information and continuing updates about the crash, the following links may be helpful: Georgia-Cumberland Conference website: www.gccsda.com