March 18, 2008 Kingston, Jamaica…[Nigel Coke/WIU Staff]
The West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (WIU) added more than 3,300 souls to its membership at the grand finale of the Pentecost & More 2008 evangelistic program hosted at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica on Saturday March 15, 2008.
More than 2,500 of them were baptized in Jamaica alone with nearly 30 pastors performing the ceremonial rites both in the National Stadium pool in Kingston as well as in a portable pool in the National Arena. Simultaneous baptism also took place in over 80 sites – churches and tents across the Union territory.
“It means we have more disciples to assist with carrying out the gospel commission and that's what we're working for,” said WIU President Pastor Patrick Allen.
“It also means we have more work because we have to nurture them by putting in place a conservation programme which includes Bible study, prayer, worship, fellowship and serving others,” he said.
The idea behind Pentecost & More 2008, (which, along with Sabbath's mass baptisms, took place across the Inter-American Division simultaneously), was to re-enact the experience of the Day of Pentecost in the book of Acts. On that day, according to the Bible, 3,000 believers were baptized in one day and they were endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit which include healing, teaching and speaking in tongues.
“The concept is to keep the spirit and the significance of Pentecost alive,” said Pastor Allen. “The essence of Pentecost is the baptism by the Holy Spirit and every believer has to live and serve in that spirit. With the reception of the Holy Spirit, all other gifts the believers need will be supplied and when those gifts are received, everyone will have the power, the ability and the courage to use his talent best.”
But the experience and its benefits, says Pastor Allen, cannot be confined to a single day or special crusade. It should be ongoing.
“Everyday should be Pentecost in the life of the believer. This exercise was just to bring it to the forefront because we cannot live or witness without the endowment of the Holy Spirit.”
President of the Inter-American Division, Pastor Israel Leito, who presented the main address on Sabbath, also said that the focus of Pentecost & More was more than the addition of numbers.
“The church worldwide has three strategic issues,” he told our news team at the Arena last Sabbath. “They are growth, unity and quality of life. We want to improve people's lives when they join the church. It's not just to have a number in the church. We want to have the best citizens, the happiest people. We want our people to be the best neighbours, so church growth for us has an indirect added result of improving the communities where these people are,” he said.
Prior to last Sabbath's grand culmination of Pentecost & More 2008, 20-year old university student Nacene Thomas had only been inside a Seventh-day Adventist church twice.
Despite that perceived handicap, and the fact that she comes from a Methodist background, the young woman sealed her commitment by baptism, joining the fastest-growing church in the world.
“I made the final decision Wednesday night, my second night at the crusade. It wasn't last minute because I've been thinking about it for years,” she said.
“I've been to several churches before and there was always something that I wasn't feeling but with this specific one, I just realized that they were telling the truth,” she said bluntly.
“I got a lot more information. With the others, it was like they were hiding something. Like there was a cover-up so the message did not really reach to me. I love information and where I'm not getting it, I become turned off,” added Thomas.
Nacene credits her roommate Terrian Lawrence with helping her arrive at the decision to become a Seventh-day Adventist, and although her family does not support her, she believes she made the right choice.
“I‘m going to have to face up to everything I do so it's just my decision.”
Nacene was one of 590 new believers who were baptized at the National Arena in Kingston on Sabbath when Pentecost & More 2008 climaxed. Hundreds of people like her turned out to signal their decision to walk with God. Eager, sincere wives, husbands, children, God-fearing seniors, young people, the sick and the lame. They came by bus, by car and on foot. They came alone, in pairs and in groups.
Later in the afternoon the National Arena was transformed into an arena of praise, thanksgiving and prayer, as the church leaders and the various individuals, groups and choirs gave thanks to the Lord. A prayer for continued advancement of Unity was done by Pastor Desmond Robinson. Presentations on the “Impact of Social Outreach Programs and Inspirational Resources” were done by Pastors Anthony Kent and Pablo Perla, associate Ministerial Secretary of the Adventist World Church and President of Inter-American Division Publishing Association (IADPA) respectively.
Pastor Allen presented the final charge of the day from the book of Jude 17-22. He challenged the members to build up each other in the faith and to keep pure and holy, avoiding the very stain of sin. He also prayed for the newly-baptized members of the Inter-American Division.
Up to the time of Pentecost and More, the Union had approximately 250,000 members on its books, and the weekend's additions bodes well for the church's position not only in Jamaica, but also in the other territories of the Union – The Bahamas, Cayman and the Turks & Caicos Islands.
