Members of the Seventh Day Adventist community and the wider community were still grieving over the death of Adventist leader Dr. Keith Densel Albury, who passed away at Scottsdale Hospital in Arizona on Tuesday.
He died from cardiac arrest on Tuesday afternoon following surgery for a lymphatic cancer, the church confirmed in a statement yesterday. He was 48.
Dr. Albury was President of the North Bahamas Mission of Seventh-day Adventists serving the North Bahamas, comprising of Grand Bahama, Abaco, Bimini and Berry Islands, and former President of The Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists serving the Central and South Bahamas.
Pastor Leonard Johnson, President of The Bahamas Conference, Pastor Errol Tinker, Executive Secretary of the North Bahamas Mission and Acting President, other administrators, pastors, and members of the Adventist churches in The Bahamas, extended their deepest condolences to Ann, his wife, his sons, Anson, Alden, Brendon, parents brother, sisters, other relatives and friends.
Also expressing their sympathies was Pastor Patrick Allen, President of West Indies Union of Seventh-day Adventists, of which the Bahamas Conference and The North Bahamas Mission are members in addition to all the leaders of the fields of West Indies Union and The Inter American Division.
Yesterday Pastor Albury was hailed as a great leader and minister of the gospel, was certainly a man of God who loved to share the gospel of Christ to others.
He is also widely remembered for the sermon he delivered at the memorial service of our former Prime Minister and Adventist member, Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling, a statement noted.
His spirit, drive, and stamina made him an outstanding administrator and visionary leader. Undoubtedly he was one of the great Bahamian spiritual leaders of our time.
Dr. Albury traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to receive further treatment for his illness. On Thursday, January 19, 2006, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Scottsdale Healthcare after suffering from respiratory complications.
He underwent surgery a week later.
Earlier in the week Seventh Say Adventists were still hopeful that Dr. Albury would recover.
On Monday, the family reported was that he remained in a critical, yet stabilized condition, was “conscious and excited about every opportunity to interact with his family and friends.”
Pastor Albury began serving as president of the Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists since January 12, 1996. Prior to his election to the presidency of the conference, Pastor Albury served as Executive Secretary of the Bahamas Conference for five years: 1990-1996. He was the first to be named Church Ministries Director in the Bahamas (1986-1990). Before that he was the pastor for the Eleuthera, Englerston & Hillview districts of churches.
As president, Pastor Albury initiated strategic planning and developed the Bahamas Conference’s blueprint, “Vision 2000,” which projected a major expansion of the Conference over a five-year period.
This strategic plan was said to have resulted resulted in the building of a new academy on the island of Grand Bahama and a new conference office. It also encompasses the establishment of plans to build a convention center. The principle aim is to establish 10 new churches in new territories in the Bahamas
During his 21 years of ministry, Pastor Albury has preached to thousands in crusades and other events throughout the islands of the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central and North America.
The dedicated leader also served on the island of Eleuthera (his first pastoral district), Hillview, New Providence and Grant’s Town churches.
He led the members at Englerston Church on East Street to reach their goal of moving into their new spacious sanctuary on Harrold Road in 1986, debt free -the Hillview Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Source: The Bahama Journal
