October 24, 2011 – Miami, Florida, United States…Libna Stevens/IAD
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America will hold its first ever virtual council on Wednesday, Oct. 26, when it connects to its 3,000 ministers in 116 conferences and mission offices throughout the territory via the internet. The church’s headquarter office in Miami, Florida, will serve as the hub of the meeting.
“It is so exciting to be able to connect with our pastoral team who inspire our churches and members to seek God and share the Gospel,” said Pastor Hector Sanchez, ministerial secretary for the church in Inter-America. Pastor Sanchez was able to connect to 78 conference offices at one point during a test run last week.
The virtual ministerial council is part of the church’s second phase of its revival and reformation initiative coined as “Heeding the Word”. The initiative seeks to inspire and motivate church members to the in-depth study the Bible.
According to Pastor Sanchez, the objectives of the ministerial council are to strengthen the spirit of unity between the different levels of the church in Inter-America, allow for pastors to have a closer connection with their leaders, address questions and concerns, and motivate local leaders to engage in similar linking events at every level of the church.
Inter-American Division leaders want to ensure that the aggressive spiritual revival initiative which took off earlier this year has every minister on board with guiding the membership into a deeper relationship with Jesus, leaders said. “This virtual council will be the opportunity to continue striving in unity with this initiative and others,” explained Sanchez.
The two-hour virtual event will feature a short message from Adventist World President Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, a spiritual message from Inter-American Division President Pastor Israel Leito, several running initiatives taking place division-wide, a Q&A section, music, prayer and more.
Pastor David Javier, president of the church in South Mexico, said he and fellow administrators and colleagues arranged for 320 ministers in the territory to participate in the online event from the church’s Linda Vista Adventist University.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to gather our pastors together on the virtual day and take one more day of sharing and praying as well as endeavor to be more effective leaders,” Javier said.
Ministers in Jamaica are all also ready to connect to the virtual council from the five regional offices on the island, said Pastor Glen Samuels, ministerial secretary for the church in Jamaica.
In Puerto Rico, the more than 160 ministers will link with the live division event from the island’s four regional offices. “Our technical staff performed several tests to be perfectly ready for this grand event,” said Pastor Jose A. Rodriguez, president of the church in Puerto Rico.
Inter-America’s ministerial team will have the opportunity to submit questions via a special chat room in Spanish, English and French, and top church leaders in Miami will be in attendance
Inter-America’s virtual ministerial council will begin Oct. 26, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Daylight Savings Time or Miami Time.
To view the live program, click here
