Adventist Leaders Pause for Prayer and Renewal Ahead of GC Session

IAD leadership and staff pause for a week of spiritual emphasis, reflection and prayer.

July 1, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

Prayer, worship, and spiritual renewal took center stage as Seventh-day Adventist leaders and staff at the Inter-American Division (IAD) headquarters participated in the annual Week of Prayer from June 23–28, 2025.

Dozens of leaders and staff at the Miami, Florida-based office and others who connected online took time to reflect on the importance of trusting God in moments of distress and uncertainty, especially as they continue supporting the church’s mission across the 25 major regions in the territory.

The week of prayer came at the close of an intense first half of the year—marked by major evangelistic efforts and ministry activities, leaders said, —and just days before the global church gathers for the 62nd General Conference Session, set for July 3–12 in St. Louis, Missouri.

“This week was about gathering with open hearts to encounter God—in the quiet of loneliness, in the depths of struggle, and in moments of disappointment,” said Pastor Josney Rodríguez, ministerial secretary of the IAD and organizer of the spiritual emphasis week. “It was a perfect time to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and reconsecrate ourselves to Him and His cause.”

Servanthood, Strength, and Spiritual Renewal

Keynote speaker Pastor Pierre Omeler, general vice president of the General Conference, reminded leaders that servanthood is not a weakness but a divine strength. “Christian service is God’s recipe for true happiness,” he said. “Whichever way God calls us to serve, He will also anoint us. That means being set apart—consecrated for divine use.”

Throughout the week, Omeler addressed the reality of discouragement and even depression that can affect leaders, and church workers. “There is fatigue in ministry. We cannot ignore it,” he said. “Leaders must take care of their bodies, their families, and their spiritual lives. You cannot be a living sacrifice if you neglect your physical, emotional, and moral well-being.”

Omeler went on to say: “If we don’t sleep enough, we can’t serve God effectively. Even our habits—what we eat, how we live—matter in spiritual leadership.

In addition, Omeler called leaders to trust God wholeheartedly and be like trees planted by streams of water. “Our lives flourish when anchored in God’s everlasting love, a love that nourishes, sustains, and calls us forward.

Trusting God in the Everyday Moments

For Keila Trejo, a professional assistant at the IAD, the experience was a timely reminder of God’s presence through life’s storms. “It was an invitation to pause in the middle of my busy schedule and draw strength from my connection with God to face the challenges that come my way,” she said.

Trejo shared that the week sparked two personal convictions: “To spend less time in front of screens and more time intentionally connecting with those around me—and to trust God consistently, not just with big decisions, but in everyday struggles. True strength comes only from Him.”

The messages also resonated deeply with Pastor Melchor Ferreyra, personal ministries director of the IAD, who described the week as inspirational. “The messages focused on our relationships with one another and the essential relationship we must have with God,” he said.

Bearing a Specific Purpose

What stood out to him most was the powerful imagery used throughout the week. “We are like trees planted with a specific purpose—each of us has a place in the Lord’s vineyard,” said Ferreyra. “We are all important and called to bear our best fruit in whatever we do.”

The focus of the week wasn’t only on external ministry, but also on personal and spiritual renewal. Even while doing good work, without daily reconnection with God, one can become spiritually dry, said Omeler. “If you don’t go through the process of renewal of the mind, you will find yourself physically empty.”  He illustrated the point by saying, “Just like leaving a cup of water untouched for six to ten days—it will begin to collect impurities and eventually evaporate. In the same way, if you don’t do anything to nurture your spiritual life, you will evaporate spiritually. You will be empty.”

One of the central messages came from Romans 12:1—a call to be “living sacrifices.” Leaders were urged to serve with integrity while maintaining physical and emotional health. “Jesus already died for the church,” said Omeler. “God is not asking us to destroy ourselves for ministry. He wants us to live for Him—fully, healthily, and faithfully.”

Grounded in Communion, Moving With Purpose

IAD President Pastor Elie Henry described the week as a needed pause and a divine encounter. “Before we go on mission, we must meet the Master,” he said. “Without communion, we won’t understand why we’re on the move. This week gave us back that perspective.”

The week’s emphasis on communion with God, spiritual rest, and servant leadership aligned with the IAD’s strategic focus for the next quinquennium.

“Let us continue to preach, teach, serve—and intentionally be in communion with God,” said Pastor Henry.

The Week of Prayer included daily worship, music, testimonials, and a Sabbath gathering with IAD employees and their families. The experience was framed as a spiritual checkpoint—a moment to pause, reflect, and recommit to the mission.

“We are pilgrims. This world is not our home,” Omeler concluded. “But until Jesus comes, may we be found faithful—wholehearted, humble, and filled with hope.”

The Inter-American Division oversees the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 25 unions, comprising more than 3.7 million members across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the French Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana.