December 24, 2021 | Miami, Florida, United States | Pastor Elie Henry, president of the Inter-American Division
Hi There!
I am very happy to greet you on this special Sabbath day.
It is the last Sabbath of the year and also the day on which millions of people remember the birth of Jesus.
Today, I want to invite you to give glory and honor to God, along with the almost 4 million members of the great family of the Seventh-day Adventist Church throughout Inter-America. Despite the difficult times we are living in, and after a year with so many challenges, this 2021 has been a year of many blessings, which confirm to us once again that our God is an all-powerful God.
Just to mention some interesting facts about our territory; each month during this year about 12,000 new souls were delivered from a life of sin to Jesus through baptism. About 25 new congregations were organized per month, in contrast to a total of 94 that were organized in the entire year 2020.
The faithfulness of the members was once again very evident as we witnessed growth in the financial resources, which, even though they are below what was planned due to the crises, are sufficient to continue financing the mission of the church.
I am sure you will agree with me, that each of these data are undoubtedly miracles of God, and who urgently calls us to continue preaching that He is coming soon. And I am also sure that you have seen the hand of God during this year and have many reasons to thank and praise Him.
And although from our human point of view, next year does not seem very pleasant, when we look forward, accompanied by Jesus, the future is bright
Verses 1-4 of Psalm 96 invite us to start the year by singing a new song: “Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.”
That is the invitation for you and me to remain faithful to the commitment we have to serve, educate and preach about Jesus.
May God be with you and may the beginning of the year be full of blessings.
Happy Sabbath.