In West Venezuela, Church shares more hope as the ‘Lord Transform Me’ initiative takes off

Adventist leaders in West Venezuela commit to the “Lord Transform Me” initiative during a two-day meeting held in Maracaibo, July 22-23, 2016. Images by Centros de Medios Adventistas

July 28, 2016 | Maracaibo, Venezuela | Yosainy Oyaga/IAD Staff

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Venezuela brought nearly 1,000 of its church leaders, ministers and laypeople to the city of Maracaibo last weekend to inspire congregations to deepen their relationship with God, get them involved in the life of the church and inspire them to connect with their communities in the midst of challenging situations.

The gathering became the third such event in the region, motivating church members to seek a spiritual revival through daily study of the bible and prayer through what the church in Inter-America has coined as the “Lord Transform Me” evangelism initiative.

Pastor Julio Palacio, president of the church in West Venezuela. Image by West Venezuela Union.

Local church leaders reflected on the initiative and what it means in the context of life in Venezuela.
“This ‘Lord Transform Me’ initiative is a plea to the Lord from His people that, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, He can transform our mind, habits and conduct,” said Pastor Julio Palacio, president of the church in West Venezuela.

“We need to bring hope as we trust that the Lord blesses us in the midst of crisis,” said Palacio. A crisis should be a reason of inspiration and not one of discouragement for the Adventist Church, he explained. “The church must continue moving forward amid difficulties.”

That momentum of moving forward has not stopped in West Venezuela, bringing explosive growth during the past months and year, noted Pastor Orlando Ramirez, executive secretary of the church in West Venezuela. “Some 128 new churches have been planted and we have been able to organize four new local fields so we are expecting that this ‘Lord Transform Me’ initiative will see greater growth and consolidation in the membership.”

The key, Ramirez said, is that with the initiative “we are filling all of the aspects of the personal life of the church members for a total involvement in the church.”

Member involvement is what will make a difference, church leaders said.

Pastors and laypersons pray during the evangelism event.

Church activities have been set in motion for members to serve in many projects including volunteering their skills and time in completing construction of several temples, getting involved in orchestras and musical groups, as well as sharing hope through many public services like health screenings, health expos, city clean up and more.

One particular Adventist Church in the Merida has come up with a particular strategy they have coined as the “Little Bag of Love.” Church members donate food items from what they are able to purchase during the week and assemble food items into bags and distribute to the needy families in the church and in their communities.

Every Sabbath, the church gives away 50 bags of food to disabled persons, homeless, and persons in rehabilitation. So far, more than 400 bags of food have been given out since the initiative began two months ago.

“This is an initiative that all of the churches should take on since the current situation is a reality for all of us,” said Silvia Medina member of this Adventist Church in Merida. “As leaders, we should place our eyes on social projects that can benefit communities,” she added.

Pastor Balvin Braham (right) speaks during the “Lord Transform Me” initiative launch in Maracaibo, Venzuela. Pastor Rodolfo Escobar translates for Pastor Braham.

Seeing the sacrifice and commitment to helping others in the community is a focus Pastor Melchor Ferreyra, personal ministries director for the church in Inter-America, has seen in Venezuela.

Ferreyra admires how the “Lord Transform Me” initiative is being adopted with special activities emphasizing the transformation of the personal life of the member, the transformation in the church and in the community. One key way to accomplish that is with the more than 3,000 small groups, which are coordinated under hundreds of churches organized across the West Venezuela region.

“The church is playing an important role in the community and the commitment of ministers and laypeople is crucial to bringing hope to so many in need of salvation,” Ferreyra said.

Sharing hope in West Venezuela is what will make the difference in the success of the “Lord Transform Me” initiative, said Pastor Balvin Braham, assistant to the Inter-American Division president overseeing the evangelism initiative.

“It was wonderful to see the engagement of all pastors, departmental leaders and officers in the union and local conferences embracing and adopting the initiative,” said Braham. “Lord Transform Me deals with every aspect of the human being and it brings hope and assurance and possibility for service.”

Local church leaders will continue visiting each region of West Venezuela motivating them be transformed, serve and connect within their communities.

The West Venezuela Union, formerly known as the Venezuela Antilles Union, has more than 152,000 church members worshiping in 841 churches and congregations. The union is one of two major church regions in Venezuela. The East Venezuela Union oversees Caracas and eastern portions of the country.

Adventist leaders pose for a group photo during the Lord Transform Me event in Maracaibo, Venezuela, July 23, 2016.