Miami, Florida, United States…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Seventh-day Adventist church leaders representing the more than 2.6 million members in Inter-America ended its executive committee mid-year meetings with a record breaking report of 136,846 baptisms during the first four months of the year. The meetings, which brought church leaders from Inter-America’s 15 regions, took place May 14-16 to the headquarter office in Miami, Florida.
“Never before had Inter-America reached such a number in such short time,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president for the church in Inter-America, to committee meeting members. The only explanation that Pastor Leito could give was that “the Lord is blessing His church.”
For Inter-America, it is a significant start to the quinquennium, church officers said. Pastor Juan Perla, Executive Secretary for the church in Inter-America reported that during the same period last year, 40,000 new members were added to the church, roughly a third of what has been reached so far this year.
Another highlight of the meetings included the treasurer’s financial report, which included a 17% tithe increase over the previous year.
In addition to the outstanding start to the year, for the first time in decades, two young people took part as new members of the executive committee. Sixteen-year-old Alvaro Ordoñez, a pre-med student from Colombia, and 29-year-old Andrew Hunte, a math teacher in Trinidad, took part in the meetings. Including young people as members of the committee is part of a plan which was approved last year and adopted for this quinquennium, according to Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth director for the church in Inter-America. Every year, three young people from three different regions from the IAD territory will become members for the year. A third young member from Cuba was not able to travel to the meetings.
In addition to the outstanding start to the year, for the first time in decades, two young people took part as new members of the executive committee. Sixteen-year-old Alvaro Ordoñez, a pre-med student from Colombia, and 29-year-old Andrew Hunte, a math teacher in Trinidad, took part in the meetings. Including young people as members of the committee is part of a plan which was approved last year and adopted for this quinquennium, according to Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth director for the church in Inter-America. Every year, three young people from three different regions from the IAD territory will become members for the year. A third young member from Cuba was not able to travel to the meetings.Church leaders also went over policy amendments, church growth reports from each of the Division’s regions, as well as survey reports on new regions to be organized. Other items included:
The Church Manual and IAD Supplement for the manual. In an effort to ensure that all local churches operate according to the Church Manual, the IAD, through its publishing houses, will print the manual in the three major languages of its territory and make available to every church head elder of organized churches.
In addition, an IAD supplement for the Church Manual was approved. The document includes additional information on legal organizations and their role, title deeds, will samples, to preparation of communion bread, ordination of women as church elders, use of wedding band, and criteria for the ordination of elders and deacons who have been disfellowshiped but have returned to the church.
“Role of the Ten Commandments in Public Life” release document. The release of “The Role of the Ten Commandments in Public Life” document was authorized for release on the importance of the ten commandments for Seventh-day Adventists.
“The Ten Commandments provide a moral compass in an age of relativism…” states the document. “For Seventh-day Adventists, obedience to the Ten Commandments represents the foundational expression of love and gratitude to God for His gift of salvation. We obey the law, not as a means of salvation, but as a response to God’s grace demonstrated most convincingly through the death of Jesus Christ in our behalf.”
Book of the Year for 2007. The new version of the Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs book will be available in 2007 to church members, and especially new members. Provision will be made to make the book available to every church head elder, pastors, and libraries in institutions and schools across the church in Inter-America.
The second annual IAD Executive Committee will take place Oct. 24-26 in Acapulco, Mexico.
For more information on voted items during IAD’s mid-year meetings, visit www.interamerica.org.
