Inter-America: Church leaders renew commitment to spiritual revival with constituency
Seventh-day Adventist leaders from throughout the Inter-American Division pray together during one of many prayer sessions as more than 250 leaders gathered for a renewed commitment to spiritual revival during a three-day Holy Convocation, held in Miami, Florida, Jan. 21-23, 2013. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
January 26, 2013 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD
Pastor Israel Leito, president of the IAD, stands with union or regional top leaders as Inter-America’s Holy Convocation begins, Jan. 21, 2013. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
Top Seventh-day Adventist leaders overseeing the fast growing membership throughout the church in Inter-America gathered to pray, review strategies and renew their commitment to spiritual revival and reformation during a program called Holy Convocation which took place Jan. 21-23 at the headquarter office of the Inter-American Division (IAD), in Miami, Florida. The Holy Convocation set in motion a year dedicated to celebrating the work of thousands of laypeople throughout the territory.
“This is not a new gathering, nor another meeting full of seminars, nor another picnic,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America as he spoke to the more than 250 church leaders gathered. “We are here to help you help the church, to come together in dedication to the Lord, to recommit our heart to be led by Him, and serve so the church can progress with greater zeal towards the work of the Lord in readiness for His coming.”
The convocation was about furthering spiritual leadership in an atmosphere of revival and reformation, an atmosphere the church has been fostering for the past two years, explained Pastor Abner De Los Santos, vice president for the church in Inter-America, in charge of overseeing member retention and spiritual revival and reformation.
Adventist World Church President Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, thanked leaders via online for their commitment to promoting spiritual revival in Inter-America and challenged them to furthering the work in the cities. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“Our goal is to continue maintaining a healthy spiritual leadership we need in studying the Word of God daily, setting aside time for prayer every day and to monitor a good orientation towards God, family, church and community that will help us witness in the best way possible,” said De Los Santos.
Adventist World Church President Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson thanked church leaders via video-conference for their committed work in revival and reformation and their role in continuing to focus on reaching the cities “leading others to the foot of the cross and the Lord’s soon coming.”
The three-day event reminded regional and local church leaders on continuing to nurture a spiritual revival environment among the 3.6 million members through a number of special messages focused on prayer, the study of the Bible, and testifying of the gospel.
Dr. Angel Manuel Rodriguez of the Adventist world church’s Biblical Research Institute spoke to leaders reflecting on the important lessons found in the Book of Samuel: dependence on God’s guidance through prayer when facing challenges and problems in leading God’s people.
Dr. Angel Manuel Rodriguez of the Adventist world church Biblical Research Institute speaks to leaders on the importance of making prayer a lifestyle. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“In order to be an effective leader, prayer has to be a lifestyle,” said Rodriguez. “Your long experience as an administrator will never be enough…you will need every moment of your work to be in communion with God.”
Dr. Rodriguez reminded leaders that prayer is vital in leadership and as God’s appointed leaders, they must see themselves as empty vessels so the Lord can make the work He wants to do through them and in others.
Evangelist Mark Finley, vice president of evangelism for the Adventist World Church, spoke on leaders being fed daily with the Holy Scriptures.
“You will find many challenges as an administrator,” said Pastor Finley, “But if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, saturate your mind with the Word of God, saturate your mind with the lessons of Christ.”
“The pulpit must be a place that inspires our members to read God’s Word,” added Pastor Finley.
Pastor Finley pointed out methods of studying the Bible coupled with prayer to guide laypeople and others to see farther in carrying out the mission of the church.
Evangelist Mark Finley, vice president of the Adventist world church, stressed the need for leaders to be saturated with the Word of God as they motivate church members to study the Bible daily. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
Carrying the mission of the church–sharing the gospel–has been at the core of the spiritual revival and reformation initiatives set in motion by the Adventist World Church since late 2010, organizers said.
Top IAD church leaders led several panel discussions on evaluating performance and ways of keeping the spiritual revival and reformation emphasis fresh throughout the territory in the coming months and years.
“We must keep the church focused on spiritual revival and reformation, the vision of a constancy in prayer, that vision of the Word of God, to prepare a people for His coming because the fields are ripe,” said Pastor Leito during a discussion segment.
Attendees were able to see the growth of the church numerically and financially through special reports by top three executive administrators of the church in the Inter-American Division.
Church leaders from Inter-America’s 22 unions, or regions, reported on the progress and activities surrounding revival and reformation and their impact during the past two years.
Church leaders packed the Bender Archbold Auditorium at the Inter-American Division Headquarters in Miami, Florida, during the Holy convocation event. Image by Jamaar Daniel/IAD
The event was highlighted with several daily prayer sessions of prayer focusing on the ministry of the family, youth, children, and the laypeople, or active members.
For Richard James, pastor for the church in Guyana, the convocation was the inspiring push he is excited to take back as he heads back to his team of leaders overseeing the church there.
With some 35 district pastors shepherding more than 180 churches and congregations, corporate prayer and study of the Word of God has been key to successful revival and reformation in a membership of more than 58,000 in Guyana, James explained.
“It was clear with this event that as leaders, we must model a life of prayer based on faith and confidence in a God who hears and answers prayer, ” said James. Modeling a Christian spiritual leadership to church members has been a work of setting aside time with church leaders every first Wednesday of the month away from the headquarters office to pray, and study the Word of God for three hours since 2011, according to James.
Pastor Israel Leito (left) stands next to IAD organizers of the Holy Convocation during the closing of the event, Jan. 23, 2013. Left to right: Pastors Roberto Herrera, Abner De Los Santos, Melchor Ferreyra, Samuel Telemaque. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“It has brought us to become better spiritual leaders and has resulted in a visible response to this spiritual revival amongst our membership,” said James. James is heading a new plan to set aside time to pray for church administrators every Monday and mobilize department and ministry leaders to visit police commissioners, community leaders, schools, and hospitals patients to pray with them every month.
For Pastor Jose De Gracia, president for the church in East Panama, the convocation was an opportunity to see the unity among church leaders, departments and ministries all under joint efforts toward spiritual revival and reformation.
“This was an extraordinary event that tunes us with the world church, moving forward in the same direction,” said De Gracia, who heads a team of 33 pastors ministering to some 35,000 church members in the eastern portion of Panama’s capital Panama City.
De Gracia explained that the commitment of laypeople involved in spiritual revival has been instrumental in planting some 32 congregations in the capital city during just last year.
“Our leaders and members are pursuing a closer relationship with the Lord and that has led them to engage more actively in sharing the gospel in their communities,” De Gracia said.
Inter-American leaders pray in commitment as the Holy Convocation concluded, Jan. 23, 2013. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
Sharing that gospel is key to preparing for Christ soon coming, challenged Pastor Leito, at the conclusion of the gathering. “I want to appeal to you to allow God to use you, to live a more consecrated life so we can corporately move this church into preparing for the Kingdom,” Pastor Leito said.
Previous to Inter-America’s Holy Convocation, church leaders met for a special consecration communion service for a committed and spiritual revived membership across the territory.
The coming weeks and months will include territory-wide activities geared towards a spiritual revival and reformation during the Year of the Laity celebrations including a virtual council for thousands of church elders, evangelistic deployment, discipleship celebration, and more.
For upcoming activities during Inter-America’s 2013 Year of the Laity, visit 2013.interamerica.org
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