Inter-America: Leaders call on the church to care for children and youth’s spiritual growth

March 15, 2011 – Port-of Spain, Trinidad…Libna Stevens/IAD

The message was loud and clear: Pray for, guide, and challenge children and the youth of the church to establish a close relationship with Jesus through a prayerful connection. It was a message which resonated across hundreds of Seventh-day Adventist churches throughout Inter-America, on Mar. 12, 2011 as a week of spiritual emphasis activities concluded on the Adventist World Church’s call for spiritual revival and reformation.

“In God’s kingdom children are always first,” said Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, as he spoke to more than 1,000 church members at the University of Southern Caribbean (USC) Auditorium in Trinidad, one of 21 large hosts sites throughout Inter-America organized for the special program.

Pastor Leito challenged church leaders and members to honor children and young people and strive to actively inspire and guide them to heaven.

“Brothers and sisters, we must take care of our children. Love them. God asks us to care for his inheritance,” he added.

Caring for the children is what Dinorah Rivera, children’s ministries director for the church in Inter-America, emphasized as her words echoed in the auditorium via Skype during the program which was streamed live on the internet.

“Our church should make a conscious effort to better provide and invest in children,” Rivera said. “We must nurture the intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual needs of our children. That is why it is so important to involve them, very intentionally in being constant in prayer, in developing this special relationship with Jesus that will last for life.”

It’s about shaping today’s young generation for a committed discipleship through constant prayer and the study of the Bible, emphasized Pastor Leito.

“Give God a living sacrifice useful to Him,” said Pastor Leito as he called on the youth for spiritual revival. “Imitate Christ and live a life of love just as Christ loved us.”

“We need this revival, we need our young people, we must deal with them with respect,” challenged Pastor Leito as he addressed church leaders and members.

“God needs you more than you think,” he added as he spoke to the youth in the congregation and online young viewers. There are currently more than 1.5 million Adventist young people in Inter-America.

It’s that army of thousands of young people that can be powerful, said Pastor Benjamin Carballo, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America.

“If we are an army constant in prayer, we can be a powerful army,” said Carballo, as he addressed the youth. “It’s time to stand up as a new generation of young people in church. A young generation of young people powerful in prayer, a young generation of young people powerful in the Word, a young generation of young people powerful in testimony.”

“If you make a firm and permanent decision to connect with God and have a relationship with Him through prayer and Bible study, you will be winners through the battles of life,” Carballo added.

The division-wide spiritual revival and reformation initiative, called “Constant in Prayer”, calls on all members to a constant prayerful life and study of the Word. The Constant In Prayer theme echoed throughout the worship program.

Dedicatory prayers were offered for the children and the youth as well as group prayer sessions, testimonials, and numerous musical numbers led by the young people of the Caribbean Union region.

Other young people from other church regions of Inter-America connected live during the webcast program to share prayer requests and testimonials.

Pastor Clive Dottin, youth ministries director for the church in the Caribbean Union territory, challenged the youth to move forward and commit to serving God. He called upon the hundreds of children and young people during the worship program to catch the vision of “Constant in Prayer” and keep it in their hearts.

Activities in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, included the distribution of more than 2,000 magazines by the young people. The magazines talk about importance of prayer in the violent and drug-infested communities throughout the city.

Elsewhere throughout Inter-America, similar programs took place during the special day. From Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean to the northern tip of
South America, prayer sessions, children and youth-led activities took place.

In El Salvador thousands gathered at Plaza del Salvador in the capital city to pray, perform dramas and hand out fliers to onlookers.

In Haiti, thousands of pathfinders and master guides marched and sang on the streets of Limbe, near Cap-Haitien, with messages of hope and invitations for prayer revival.

In Colombia, young people took to the streets of Medellin to pray for motorist and anyone who needed prayer.

“I am convinced that the Lord is doing a mighty work through this initiative,” said Pastor Roberto Herrera, coordinator for spiritual revival and reformation for the church in Inter-America.

“We want our children and young people to know that they are part of a church that prays for them, cares for their spiritual growth and is always looking for ways to minister to their needs,” Herrera added.

For more on Inter-America’s Constant in Prayer revival initiative, visit us at www.interamerica.org as well as our Facebook pages.

To view our photo gallery, go to www.flickr.com/photos/interamerica

Resources

Constant in Prayer: http://praying4revival.org

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prayer-Revival/137873816275961

Spanish Resources

Constantes en la Oracion: http://estamosorando.org

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Constantes-en-la-Oracion/173416709365170.