Below is a transcript of a message addressed to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America from President of the Inter-American Division, Elie Henry–IAD News Staff
May 13, 2022 | Miami, Florida, United States | By: Elie Henry, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America
Hello Sisters and Brothers, Happy Sabbath.
I greet you from the main auditorium of the headquarters of the Inter-American Division, where last Wednesday, May 11, we held a special reflection program with the staff and retirees of this office. We were joined by the three executive officers of the General Conference and it was a blessing to listen to testimonies, stories and experiences of how God has guided His church in recent decades.
Many of you followed the live program and celebrated as part of the Inter-American family. You can watch the recording of the program, at the address that appears on your screen.
I also invite you to visit the virtual museum that we inaugurated on Wednesday. Through technology you can see historical photos and videos that will surely be an inspiration for you and your churches.
As we reflect on the history of our church in Inter-America, we find that most of the pioneers were missionaries: Individuals and families who left their countries of origin to travel to distant places and fulfill the mission of educating, serving and evangelizing.
And today, this Sabbath, is specifically designated to promote missionary service, through an emphasis on community outreach and through the Adventist Volunteer Service program. It is a great time to pray for the 28 volunteer missionaries from Inter-America serving in other Divisions and for the 14 from other Divisions currently serving in our territory. But also for 150 applications that are in the process of being approved.
If any of you have a yearning to be a missionary, you can search and apply for the different opportunities on the AVS website.
As we pray today, let us remember the Lord’s invitation to His disciples: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 8:37 and 38)
Consider it. It is an urgent call that applies to us today as well.
God bless you.