For the first time in 59 years, the Seventh-day Adventist in Cuba gathered dozens of colporteurs for an historic three-day congress in La Vibora Adventist Church in Havana, Cuba, last month. The event, themed “Bringing Hope”, was a step toward reshaping the publishing ministries in Cuba from the ground up, said Pastor Erwin Gonzalez, publishing ministries director for the church in Inter-America.
Thousands of children across Seventh-day Adventist Churches in the Inter-American Division (IAD) will take part in this year’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) program set to begin in less than two months. A VBS program is usually a one-week evangelistic outreach program for children in the church and the community, which runs during the summer time or when school is out of session.
Years of earnest prayer came to a happy ending for the 200 members of the Cardenas Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cardenas, Cuba, as they dedicated a new church building in a special ceremony on April 22. Over 1,200 church leaders, members, government representatives and guests from across the island and other countries met for a special 3-hour dedication program of the new facilities, which included uplifting music, inspiring testimonies, and a baptism.
More than 200 student and professional filmmakers and guests attended the 2017 Sonscreen Film Festival held at Loma Linda University in California. The three-day festival, run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD), screened 39 official selections from student filmmakers. The event culminated with a closing reception and awards ceremony, with 10 student films garnering awards.
The Executive Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted new world directors for two of its departments at the denomination headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States on April 11. Ramon Canals, who served as Associate Director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries at the General Conference (GC), was voted as the new department director. Likewise, Gary Blanchard, Youth and Young Adult director in the Texas Conference church region, will be the new Youth Ministries department director. Canals will replace former department director Duane McKey, recently appointed president of Adventist World Radio (AWR), while Blanchard will replace Gilbert Cangy, who last year asked to return to his home division region.
Communication and technology professionals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church during its annual Global Adventist Internet Network (GAiN) conference will be challenged to help leaders reach areas of the world with little to no presence of Christianity. Organizers of the GAiN conference have chosen “Wired for Mission” as the theme for this year’s conference, which will be held on the campus of Brazil Adventist University, Campus Engenheiro Coelho, in São Paulo Brazil, August 9-13.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America ended its 4th Pathfinder Camporee on a high note at Mirador del Este Park in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Apr. 15, 2017. The three-hour-long closing ceremony featured hundreds of investitures on stage and off stage, baptisms of 65 pathfinders, praise and music, a bible boom finale, recognition of youth ministries leaders, prayer sessions, spiritual messages, and fireworks.
The members of the Executive Committee of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted to accept a statement on transgenderism on April 11. The document was voted on the first day of the Spring Meeting, one of the two major annual business meetings of the world church. While the statement acknowledges “the limitation of our knowledge in specific instances,” the 1,400-word document sets out to first define the key terms commonly used when referring to the topic, then to review the biblical principles relating to sexuality and what it calls “the transgender phenomenon.”
On April 12, during the 2017 General Conference Spring Meeting, Daniel R. Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD), and Adventist World executive editor Bill Knott shared a report on the inter-division, international “Partners in Mission” literacy program. Part of the report included a video shot during the NAD January 2017 trip to El Salvador. In the video, Maitland DiPinto, Adventist Community Services associate director and Partners in Mission coordinator, reports on the progress of the initiative — and on the lives changed by it.
Coming to Inter-America’s 4th territory-wide pathfinder camporee is a dream come true for Ana Patricia Hernández of Chiapas, México. The sun, the heat, the thousands of her peers from dozens of countries feel like a huge wrapped gift to her. Ana traded her 15th birthday celebration with family and friends for a six-day camping trip to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her decision to forgo the traditional party was the easiest she has made.
Seventh-day Adventist leaders met with the media during a press conference this morning to talk about the international camporee event, which has brought scores of young people to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, this week. “Our main interest is the well-being of the young people,” said President of the Inter-American Division Pastor Israel Leito as he made an initial statement. “The church always looks to give them [youth] the opportunity to express their energy and enthusiasm but above all their faith in Jesus Christ.”
Day two of Inter-America’s Pathfinder Camporee saw thousands of pathfinders competing in sports, marches, bible quizzes, recreational activities, earning badges, making new friends and taking part in a series of devotional moments throughout the day. Highlights of the evening program included a musical drama performance drawing lessons in the life of Ruth in Moab and experiencing the loss of her husband.