The ACP Convention Committee is delighted to announce that 
Dr. Ganoune Diop has agreed to present a keynote address at our annual convention, April 26-28, 2017, in Chicago. Dr. Diop is Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. Before his election in July 2015 at the 60th General Conference Session in San Antonio, Texas, he served as the church’s liaison to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, and as its representative within the international community of civic and political leaders.
“Thank you very much for the invitation to speak at the Associated Church Press Convention on April 28, 2017,” Dr. Diop said. “It is an honor to participate at this significant event. You can therefore count on my contribution which I am hope will meet the high expectation of this distinguished gathering. I am looking forward to meeting you all personally in April.”
Dr. Diop’s passion for God has led him to extensive theological, philosophical, and literary studies. Dr. Diop has a Masters in Exégèses and Theology from Collonges, France, a Masters degree in Philiology from the University of Paris, and a PhD in Old Testament Studies from Andrews University. He is currently a PhD candidate in New Testament Studies. Most recently he was honored with a Doctorate Honoris Causa, granted for his contributions to developing a global culture of human rights and respect for human dignity.
Dr. Diop is also an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister, and has served as a local church pastor. Other positions he has held include conference departmental director, and professor of Biblical Languages, Exegesis, and Theology at Saleve Adventist University in France, and later at Southern Adventist University and Oakwood University in the United States. Before joining the General Conference PARL department in 2011 as an associate director, Dr. Diop was Director of the five Global Mission Study Centers of Adventist Mission.
A passion for people led him to his first love of studying sociology, pastoral psychology, and pastoral care. His in-depth study of biblical anthropology has also helped sharpen his way of articulating the hope Adventists share with the world.
Dr. Diop’s life journey has been enriched by living and working on three different continents, within various cultural settings. But while his is comfortable within many different cultures, he finds his deepest identity in Jesus Christ.
He says the privilege of representing the Seventh-day Adventist Church around the world has helped him grow in the art and science of respecting others, and of developing productive relationships with those of other religious and philosophical persuasions.
Dr. Diop was born in Dakar, Senegal, and he and his wife, Helene, have three children. He is a concert flute soloist, who also loves art and literature. He enjoys teaching, preaching, and sharing the Gospel.
Time: ACP Convention starts Wednesday, April 26, 2017. Dr. Diop’s luncheon keynote address is scheduled for Friday, April 28.
Where: Fourth Presbyterian Church, 126 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611