The Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Venezuela is mourning the loss of its top leader Pastor Julio Palacio, who died suddenly of a heart attack this morning at his home in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He was 63 years old.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Pastor Julio Palacio, a visionary man, a great administrator and defender of the Seventh-day Adventist Church beliefs, and Bible truths,” said Pastor Orlando Ramírez, executive secretary for the church in West Venezuela. “His pastoral and administrative leadership saw the explosive growth and expansion of the church during the years he served as president of the church in Venezuela, seeing the birth of numerous conferences and missions and the organization of a second union headquarters in the country.”
Ramírez said Pastor Palacio was a mentor, a grand teacher and exceptional leader whom he worked with directly for more than 24 years, most recently as part of his administration.
Pastor Julio Palacio’s service to the church in Venezuela spans more than 39 years. He served as a church pastor, conference secretary, conference president, union executive secretary and union president. From 2000 until 2010 he served as president of the Venezuela Antilles Union which oversaw the church in Venezuela and Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Thereafter, the church was reorganized into two unions and he served as president of the West Venezuela Union until May 15, 2019.
