In Inter-America, Church to collect offerings for youth–driven mission projects
Image by Abel Marquez/IAD
March 10, 2015 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD
Seventh-day Adventist churches across the Inter-American Division (IAD) will collect offerings every second Sabbath of the month for the next four months to go towards youth evangelism outreach projects.
The special collection comes after top world church leaders voted to empower young Adventists 25 and younger to be part of the planning, choosing, owning and implementing of life-changing outreach projects in their communities around the world.
The funds will be collected on March 14, April 11, May 9, and June 13, then sent to the General Conference, said Myrna Costa, vice president for the church in Inter-America and coordinator of the offering collection.
A portion of the offering along with other funds and donations taken at the upcoming 2015 General Conference Session meetings in San Antonio, July 2-12, will then be disbursed among the world church divisions as well as the Middle East and North Africa Union Mission.
“We are excited to take part in this initiative with the rest of the church around the world,” said Costa. “Our young people have been involved in outreach projects for years, but this initiative will allow for hands-on planning by young people who will take active part in designing and implementing regional evangelistic projects drawing them closer to their communities while fulfilling the mission of the church.”
Each of the 23 unions, or church regions, in Inter-America will form a special committee of at least seven members, with five of them being young people under the age of 25, to plan, layout projects to implement at a local church community level or union-wide territory, said Costa.
According to Costa, the list of projects will then be studied by the IAD’s Special Offering Committee, and specific projects will be selected for territory-wide implementation.
“Our union leaders are ensuring that memberships in their local churches participate and promote this offering to be used by young people of the church in proclaiming the Second Coming of Jesus,” Costa said.