Church to bolster public campus ministries across Inter-America
Adventist students from Inter-America who study in south Florida universities, lead out in praise and worship during the special online program to strengthen public campus ministries in Inter-America, on Apr. 11, 2015, from Miami, Florida. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
April 15, 2015 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD
Top Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders sent a clear message to hundreds of thousands of Adventist students enrolled in public universities across the Inter-America Division (IAD) territory during a special live online program held on Apr. 11, 2015.
IAD President Pastor Israel Leito participates in a forum with Adventist students during the live program. Image by Libna Stevens/IAD
“Don’t give up. The church will not abandon you. God is with you and we care for you,” assured Pastor Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America, as he spoke from the IAD Headquarters, in Miami, Florida.
The message came as church leaders announced that more attention will be given to church members who are studying outside of Adventist campuses throughout the nearly four dozen countries spread across the territory.
The church in Inter-America appointed two public campus ministries leaders Pastor Balvin Braham and Hiram Ruiz to cover the English, Spanish and French territory following the initiative of the Adventist world church’s establishment of public campus ministries director back in October of 2014.
“This is a very special opportunity to minister to our Adventist students across the territory,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, associate youth ministries director overseeing public campus ministries for the English and French regions in the IAD.
Although there’s been a long history of public campus ministries in Jamaica, Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other countries, it’s the perfect opportunity to move ahead together, said Braham.
“The issues are great,” said Braham. “Many of our students when they leave university sometimes leave their faith and no longer find the church attractive, so we want to make sure to have campus ministries for all our students studying in public or private universities.”
The seven-hour program, themed Trendsetters, sought to provide a forum for Adventist students to nurture their Christian faith, empower them to share their faith on and off campus and foster a spirit of social and academic networking among Adventist students across universities, said Braham, who organized the live program.
Dozens of students participated through live feeds from eight specific locations in different countries. They shared their experiences from belonging to a campus ministries association.
Pastor Balvin Braham, announces that special policies will be voted in upcoming executive committee meetings that will include a publix campus ministries director at union, conference/mission, and church level throughout the IAD.
Some 30 Adventist students who are from Inter-America but now study in south Florida participated in the program with music, testimonies, Q&A sessions and spiritual messages.
During the program students taught how to become trendsetters in their campuses and how to form a group of Adventist students by having a vision, being consistent in their lifestyle, being genuine, being confident, being prepared for resistance, getting a team started, and communicating effectively about what belonging to a campus ministries group is all about.
The program was part of an initial launching pad to what’s more to come in the newly establish public campus ministries in Inter-America, church leaders said.
“The church needs to pay more attention to Adventist students studying in non-Adventist campuses,” said Pastor Leito. “It’s a pressing need because it has been neglected for sometime and very few church leaders have gone through non-Adventist university education, he explained.
“We have been told that perhaps some two million Seventh-day Adventists around the world study outside our educational system, and I believe perhaps a fourth of those are in the Inter-American Division,” said Pastor Leito.
Six live feeds from different locations throughout Inter-America with students connected during the online program. Image by IAD
During the program, many students expressed their experiences and challenges while studying in secular universities. This brought leaders to encourage them to keep a close relationship with Jesus in every circumstance.
“Worship God daily and constantly,” appealed Pastor Leito. “Let the Bible be part of your life every day. The Lord loves you and the church needs you.”
Church leaders appealed to regional church leaders to pay closer attention to Adventist students in their territories who study outside of the Adventist educational system and need to be cared for spiritually and be made more part of the church life service.
Pastor Braham announced that special policies for public campus ministries would be put in place during Inter-America’s executive committee meetings next month. “We want to have a campus ministries director at the union level, local field level and at every church in Inter-America,” Braham added.
To view the live program, click HERE
To view a photo gallery of the program, click HERE