Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the Inter-American Division overseeing the church’s strategic plan until 2025 flips through initiatives during department leadership meetings where department heads went over initiatives set for 2023, Jan. 4-5, 2023.  [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
January 9, 2023 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Seventh-day Adventist administrators and department heads of the Inter-American Division (IAD) took two days to pray and review ongoing initiatives, new plans and activities aimed at mobilizing church members to spread the gospel throughout the territory this year. The leadership meetings held on Jan. 4-5, 2023, saw church leaders solidifying evangelism activities with greater collaboration efforts between departments and ministries in pursuit of fulfilling the mission, church leaders said.

“We need to continue to be a stronger team devoted to listening to one another and working more closely together as we face the immensity of 2023,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in the IAD.  It’s about ensuring that initiatives and activities already in motion and those scheduled for the year are more integrated, he said.

Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division leads during the department leadership meetings, held Jan. 4-5, 2023. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
“Knowing what each department and ministry is doing and how to better involve the church membership will ultimately impact the communities even more,” said Pastor Henry.

The department leadership meetings were crucial for leaders to take time to pray as a group and reflect on God’s blessings over the church in the IAD in 2022 and pleading for God’s guidance onward, said Pastor Henry. Leaders reaffirmed biblical values and total member involvement initiatives from its I Will Go mission initiatives that will target large cities with urban evangelism, in addition to discipleship and conservation of members while dozens of initiatives focus on teaching or educating in the church and the community, as well reaching out and serving throughout communities.

Abel Márquez, communication director of the IAD and executive director of Hope Channel Inter-America, takes part in one of several prayer sessions next to his wife Magda who is part of the office staff. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Coined as Inter-America’s “Year of Conservation and Soul Winning,” the year will see pastors and leaders double their efforts to disciple children, youth, adults and the elderly for active involvement in the life of the church.

Major events taking place this year include the massive distribution in March of The Great Controversy, a book by Adventist co-founder Ellen G. White. The plan is for members to distribute 6 million hard copies of the full version of the book throughout the IAD territory in one day. Forty million digital copies of the book in English, Spanish and French, are expected to be distributed from Mar. 19 to Apr. 15.

Major urban evangelistic efforts by dozens of evangelists and laypersons are scheduled to take place in Mexico City, in Guadalajara, Mexico, in Bogota, Colombia, and Kingston, Jamaica, Mar. 26 to Apr. 1, 2023.

Church leaders go over strategic initiatives for 2023 on Jan. 5, 2023. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
Department directors shared events and activities taking place this year and were briefed on the membership and financial growth status of the IAD territory as well as the current challenges and plans in place to continue in the advancement of the church’s mission.

In addition, church leaders reviewed logistics and events for the upcoming territory-wide Pathfinder Camporee that is expected to welcome more than 10,000 campers during Apr. 4-8, 2023, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

In the coming days, IAD leaders will study the key performance indicators of the strategic initiatives put into effect since 2020, and review upcoming initiatives and events for 2023-2025, with dozens of union and conference/mission administrators next month.

Pastor Hiram Ruiz, IAD public campus ministries director of the IAD offers to collaborate further with the youth ministries director on the upcoming Inter-American 5th Pathfinder Camporee to be held in Kingston, Jamaica, Apr. 4-8, 2023. [Photo: Libna Stevens/IAD]
To learn more about the Inter-American Division’s initiatives, events, activities, and resources, visit us at interamerica.org