May 8, 2007, Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Praising and thanking the Lord was the spiritual tone set forth by church leaders during today’s opening program of the Inter-American Divisions’s (IAD) first executive committee meetings of the year. The special two-hour opening program took place in Inter-America’s Montemorelos University Church, in Montemorelos, Mexico and was streamed live over the internet.
Top church leaders from the IAD’s 15 major regions gathered as the committee meeting was officially declared open in front of hundreds of students who attended the morning event.
“This is the first time in the history of the university that the IAD’s [executive committee] meetings are held here on campus,” said Ismael Castillo, president of the university, after he welcomed church leaders during the program. “We have suspended morning classes for this event,” he added as he expressed the commitment of the institution to strengthen the mission of service to the church.
Flavored with special music by office staff and leaders of the IAD headquarter office, as well as from the university’s choir, the program also included a Bible reading, quotes from Ellen G. White’s writings, a letter from Adventist World Church President Jan Paulsen, and a resolution of gratitude statement. (For resolution of gratitude statement go to https://recursing-golick.147-182-135-0.plesk.page/users/index.php?type=document&id=348&language=en.)
Gerald Karst, vice president of the Adventist World Church, spoke to those gathered on the transfiguration of Jesus witnessed by three of His disciples cited in Mark 9.
“Doesn’t matter if there has been disaster [in your life], doesn’t matter if there’s been glory and brightness,” said Karst. “When we look around and see Jesus only, we don’t need anything else…so today we need a similar experience, we need a vision of the transfigured and glorified Jesus, we need a vision of the God of the universe–the King of Glory, when in our own vision He becomes transfigured, the personal Jesus who walked and talked on earth, in His dual nature He’s also the King of glory.”
This first church’s business meetings, one of the territory’s biannual meetings, will seek to reach decisions on strategies, plans, and financial growth for the church in the vast territory of the IAD. The meetings are scheduled to end April 10th.
Previous to the executive committee, church leaders reported on May 4 on the church growth of each region of the territory, and days later board of higher education, and other institutions held their board meetings.
