Information technologists and financial officers from throughout Inter-America’s church territory meet during a video conference training with technologists at the South American Division, stationed in Brazil, on February 25, 2013. The training was part of a five-day Technology Summit held at the Inter-American Division Headquarters Office in Miami, Florida, United States, to review membership and financial operations tools to manage the fast growth of the church in the region. Image by Abel Marquez/IAD.

March 7, 2013 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD

Information technologists and financial officers from throughout Inter-America’s Seventh-day Adventist Church territory met for a special Information Technology Summit at the church’s headquarters office in Miami, Florida, from Feb. 25 to Mar. 1, 2013. The more than 40 church employees met for additional training on the church’s SunPlus accounting software, membership management software, and video and telephone connectivity systems.

Tony De La Mota, associate treasurer and IT coordinator for the church in Inter-America speaks to technologists during the summit. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

The summit was about exposing technologists on the different tools, applications and systems that are being promoted and developed throughout Inter-America and officially established a close network among technologists, said Tony De La Mota, associate treasurer and information technology coordinator for the church in Inter-America.

“At the rate that our church is growing, managing the latest technology to better serve and manage the church internally is crucial in providing a higher quality service and transparency to our membership and superior organizations,” said De la Mota. “Our key function is to aid the church in its mission.”

That key function includes many responsibilities to the church’s technologists today than before, says De La Mota. “Gone are the days where the IT department was considered an isolated department down in the basement,” explained De La Mota, “Today, they are vital in connecting our church internally at many levels to keep ahead of the times.”

Summit delegates reviewed reports and gained training on the new tools for the SunPlus system established by the Adventist World Church as a platform to manage financial accountability and recording of funds that come into the church.

Technologists engage in a training during the IT Summit at IAD Headquarters, in Miami, Florida, Feb. 26, 2013. Image by Zhivago McPhee

With more than 22,000 church employees and some 592 entities that need to be audited in Inter-America, technologists need to be a big contributing element to help Inter-American Division (IAD) auditors and financial administrators manage and optimize resources better and faster, says Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer and top financial officer of the church in Inter-America.

“The system that we are using to manage the information needs to be a versatile and agile tool that can help us with the auditing of all our organizations,” said Verduzco. “You have the task to find creative ways, innovative ways as you use your knowledge to find the right solutions,” explained Verduzco as he addressed the gathering. “You are it, there is no one besides all of you.”

Banking on that homegrown expertise throughout the IAD is what is prompting the church leadership to invest and empower technologists to channel their knowledge into finding solutions to manage a fast growing 3.5 million membership without exhausting financial resources, said Verduzco.

Filiberto Verduzco, treasurer for the church in Inter-America is counting on technologists throughout the territory to be part of a vital solution-finding network to aid the church fulfill its mission. File photo by Libna Stevens/IAD

“We are backing you up and are investing to create a solution-finding environment,” said Verduzco. “It is almost like we are scouting for talented technologists in our territory and you are part of it.”

Establishing a network of technologists each with his or her own profile of strengths and expertise begins the process and an important part of why the summit was organized, added Verduzco.

“We want you as part of this Division to be elements where we can provide solutions to issues and challenges. It is like working in the future, to make the present function well for the church.”

Verduzco challenged IT directors from educational institutions who were present to train and hone the skills of technology students to prepare them to benefit the church organization.

Part of working towards optimizing resources in the future includes facilitating communication across the territory with a telephone and video conferencing system. Already, several unions have been able to install the video conferencing territory-wide system that will allow for more frequent problem solving and strategizing not only among technologists, but for leaders throughout the ministries of the church. The system is cost effective as well, according to De La Mota.

Michael Reid, Ph.D, of the Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica addresses summit technologists on day three of the summit. Image by Zhivago McPhee.

Technologists were trained on the functionality and tools of the telephone and video conferencing system being used at the IAD office.

In addition, the summit provided training in a membership software tool that allows for a universal record of the growth of each church to provide more accurate membership numbers in the territory, organizers said.

Michael Reid, Ph.D., vice president for IT at Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica, said he was fascinated most with the possibilities of the membership software, connectivity and cloud-computing presentation during the summit.

With 20 years of church service under his belt, Dr. Reid oversees a staff of 25 technologists at NCU and is excited about making his IT department, which has produced award-winning technology students, an integral part of contributing to the church in Inter-America something that did not exist before, he said.

Zhivago McPhee, technologist from the Atlantic Caribbean Union stationed in The Bahamas was among the more than 40 who participated in the IT Summit. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

“IT has evolved in the church over the years and administrators are now looking to IT to address current challenges in their daily operations, while members are looking to IT to provide more efficiency in communicating with the church,” explained Dr. Reid. “Administrators are also looking to IT as a decision-making tool, and for business intelligence.”

Being part of an intentional solution-finding network was evident during the summit for Neftali Cruz, IT director for the church in Chiapas Mexican Union.

“This was so vital because it places all of the participants in the vision that the church in Inter-America wants to do with technology through its software and connectivity projects which will be the base so the church can be much more communicated and will strengthen the structure of other departments.”

A 17-year veteran for the church in IT, Cruz feels more empowered to be part of an integrated group of technologists, in tune with the mission of the church, to find solutions to the problems that may arise in the church organization.

Inter-America’s technologists pose for a group photo in front of the IAD Headquarters Office in Miami, Florida, Feb. 26, 2013. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD

“As systems are unified like the accounting one as well as membership and connectivity systems, it will allow the entire Division to speak one single language in IT,” Cruz said.

That single IT language is what will allow for the IT network to be strengthened, said De La Mota, who has been working in finances and IT for more than 25 years at the IAD and who travels an average of 25 weeks and up to 70,000 miles every year and manages a staff of five technologists.

Although IT is no longer working in the basement, it is still working hard in the engineering room to keep the boat afloat and running, said De La Mota.

“We are all part of this great commission to serve, facilitate and give technical support and inspiration so that our church can maximize its resources and reach out the lost,” said De La Mota.

To view a photo gallery of Inter-America’s Information Technology Summit, click here

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