Adventist World Church President Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson delivers a special message to the church in Inter-America as the 100 Days of Prayer draws to a close, on July 4, 2020, during a special online program ending a 24-hour prayer relay across the Inter-American Division territory. [Image: Inter-American Division]

July 4, 2020 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Seventh-day Adventists across the Inter-American Division (IAD) sealed the Adventist World Church’s 100 Days of Prayer initiative today after completing a 24-hour prayer relay across the territory. The prayer relay concluded with an online program, which highlighted the unified efforts across the 24 major church regions in Inter-America since March to engage members to pray for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the church and to empower members for mission during the Coronavirus pandemic crisis.

Adventist World Church President Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson praised the prayer commitment of thousands of church leaders and members throughout the IAD and the world church who gathered together virtually, in homes or individually in earnest prayer, supplication and praise to God.

The 100 Days of Prayer initiative was originally planned to focus on praying for this year’s General Conference Session in Indianapolis, which was pushed back to 2021, but quickly took on a new focus on the pandemic, said Pastor Wilson. “God knew…the timing for this initiative far in advance and what a better time to be pressing together as the church seeks God in prayer, looking for strength in this time of crisis as well as the Holy Spirit’s power for mission.”

Young people from Haiti sing during the online program culminating the 100 Days of Prayer initiative program in Inter-America. [Image: Inter-American Division]

Pastor Wilson encouraged all members to share their experience through answered prayers to encourage the countless others as well as strengthening the faith. “There are so many blessings that prayer brings into the spiritual life of the church,” he said. “It invigorates the life of the members, it brings peace and harmony as we submit our will to the will of God, and it brings focus and purpose to the mission.”

In spite of the worldwide crisis, Pastor Wilson said “God calls his church to go forward in the mission He has given to us to proclaim His message of love and hope found in the Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14, to let the world know there is a Savior who died for them, who lives today making intercession for them in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and Who will come again as a conquering King to take us home to be with Him.”

Pastor Wilson challenged men and women across Inter-America to pray and take God at his Word, to rest in His love and trust in God’s grace and rejoice in His power. “Let’s keep moving forward in God’s mission and total member involvement until Jesus comes.”

Pastor Elie Henry, president of the church in Inter-America thanks all leaders, prayer coordinators and church members all across the territory for their earnest prayers. He encouraged members to keep faithful experiencing a renewal through the Word of God. [Image: Inter-American Division]

Inter-American Division President Pastor Elie Henry thanked church leaders and members for their participation in prayer sessions, seminars, spiritual messages and comprehensive media campaigns across the territory during the 100 Days of Prayer focus. “We want to thank the Lord for the way He leads us, inspires us and talks to us,” said Pastor Henry. “We give thanks to the Lord because He has been hearing our prayers. Thank you to all prayer coordinators across unions, conferences, missions and churches for I believe we have learned some great lessons to know that we have to continue to cherish the time we spend with God, and continue to do our best to do His will.”

Pastor Henry encouraged viewers to keep faithful experiencing a renewal through the Word of God.

The online program included Bible readings and statements by children, young people, music, testimonies by health care workers, chaplains, teachers, women’s ministries leaders, pastors, literature evangelists, members, community impact and more.

Naomi Vitalis, a registered nurse from the Caribbean Union, shared during the online program how she had seen so many patients die from the coronavirus and how some walked out of the hospital recovered where she works. She thanked God for His protection  especially for all the front line workers since March. [Image: Inter-American Division]

The online event, which was coined as a jubilee celebration of faithful prayer, will represent the beginning of a new culture across the territory when it comes to intercessory prayer, said Pastor Samuel Telemaque, Sabbath school director and main organizer of the event. “It was a blessing to have had the opportunity to celebrate what God has done in the lives of His people through the ministry of intercessory prayer during the past 100 days.”

“We see this initiative as a catalyst for all the ministries of the church to be carried on the wings of a movement of intercessory prayer that emerged as a results of the ‘100 Days of Prayer’ initiative,” he said.

It’s the type of coordination that will carry through after the closing of the “100 Days of Prayer” initiative celebration, where each of the 24 unions with a designated prayer coordinator oversaw the intercessory prayer ministry in their respective regions, said Telemaque.

Francisco Pérez of Chiapas, Mexico, shared his experienced seeing how God protected his family, and the impact the 100 days of prayer initiative has had in his personal life. “God is still in control of our lives,” said Pérez. [Image: Inter-American Division]

From July 3, each of the 24 IAD unions took part in the prayer relay, during which each union had a specific hour of prayer time to focus on God’s intervention during the pandemic, thanksgiving for God’s blessings and specific prayer requests. The 24-hour relay ended with the online event from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on July 4th, and was carried in English and Spanish.

To view Inter-America’s 100 Days of Prayer Initiative concluding program on July 4th, 2020, Click

HERE for English

HERE for Spanish

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