Members celebrated the culmination of evangelism efforts in Jamaica and other countries across the Inter-American Division territory.
October 4, 2024 | Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News
Hundreds gathered at Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church in Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica, to celebrate the culmination of country-wide evangelism efforts during a livestreamed program on Sep. 28, 2024.
The event highlighted the Inter-American Division’s (IAD) third territory-wide “All the Family in Mission” initiative, which seeks to involve church members to engage in personal and public evangelism outreach initiatives in preparation for Jesus’ soon coming. The program saw hundreds of persons getting baptized onsite, in dozens of local districts, and regionally across the IAD.
“Today is a day of celebration of what God has been doing and how you have been answering His call,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD, as he thanked church leaders and members at the beginning of the program.
Involved in mission
Pastor Henry said he was impressed with the impact Dennis Samuels reported about how he was able to engage Adventist families from Mount Carey Adventist Church in St. James, Jamaica, in assisting to provide health and dental services to hundreds of people in needy communities.
There was also Charmaine Bloomfield of New Haven Adventist Church in the east Jamaica region, who witnessed to many in her community after mingling and connecting with children and their parents and engaged her church in donating food and goods.
Kerry Ann Dacres-Wilson of Greater Portmore Adventist Church in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who has been a bible worker for the past 17 years, shared how studying the bible, praying and fasting helped her to grow in faith and witness to others.
Pastors, church elders, bible workers and active church members have been engaged in leading evangelistic campaigns at each one of the 168 pastoral districts across Jamaica for the past three weeks, said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD overseeing evangelism and the main organizer of the event. “This has been a national campaign mobilizing so many of our brothers and sisters in the church in spreading the gospel.”
Local pastors, along with 12 guest evangelists from the regional conferences of the North American Division, took part in the efforts across Jamaica, Trinidad, and Belize, as well, organizers said.
Work to be done, no time to waste
Treasurer of the General Conference Pastor Paul H. Douglas urged congregants and thousands more watching the live program to double their efforts in spreading the gospel while there is still time. As Douglas reflected on John 9, he challenged those watching to have compassion rather than engage in criticism, to lift each other up instead of leaving anyone behind, and serve others rather than judge.
“There is work to be done,” said Douglas. Just like Jesus was sent to preach good tidings, to heal the broken hearted, and proclaim the good news of the gospel, we are called to do the same. “Jesus Christ himself called us and sent us to do this work… for this work will not be done anywhere until it is done everywhere. This work will not be done everywhere until it is done by everyone,” emphasized Douglas.
“We must do the work and we have the light, for we do not have much time left to do the work,” he said. “The signs are telling us that Jesus is coming again. We have been sent to preach good news in a world that only seems to have bad news, to heal those who have been broken and bruised, to proclaim that there is liberty for those held captive by sin, to share the message of hope to those who are hurting and to open the eyes of the spiritually blind so they can walk in the light.”
“Hark the voice of Jesus calling,” charged Douglas. “We don’t have to time to waste. It is criminal for us to think that all of us don’t have a part to play in this work.”
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