Japan is one of the most difficult countries to reach with the gospel message. That’s why I shared with you the story of the group of Japanese pastors who went to the Philippines to hold evangelistic meetings—some for the very first time—with the plan to return to Japan and hold their own series there. The plan was a success, but what I didn’t mention is that three courageous women—with no ministerial training—felt called to join them and preach their own evangelistic series. Below is a short video of their stories. It reminds us, once again, that God calls not only those who are talented and able to do a task, but He enables all who are willing to go when He calls—and the results will amaze us every time! AWR is all about evangelistic challenges—sharing God’s last-day message by every means possible—and that includes you and me! MB01AUL81RO5NBQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ0yw6I3sfI
AT1–June 11, 2021
God loves to connect with humans. As far as God is concerned, no one has sinned so much that they cannot be reached. Oh, we humans love to judge a person as “having gone too far” and then feel justified at putting up barriers to enjoying friendship and fellowship with them. But not God; […] Source: https://atoday.org/at1-june-11-2021/
Church Leadership Accountability
by Alvin Masarira | 10 June 2021 | In October the General Council Annual Council voted “113-18G: Regard for and practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions.” It describes a process to enforce compliance with organizational policies, as well as actions voted at General Conference (GC) sessions and executive committee meetings. […] Source: https://atoday.org/church-leadership-accountability/
News Briefs for June 10, 2021
News reports from Sweden, Walla Walla University, Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy, Fiji and Southern Adventist University: The Swedish Union of Churches Conference recently hosted an “End it Now” conference aimed at protecting children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse. According to TED News, over 160 people from 27 countries participated in the […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-for-june-10-2021/
Inside Story: Colombia ~ Boy Revives Dying Church
Boy Revives Dying Church
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
A Seventh-day Adventist church elder asked Alejandro to preach his first evangelistic meetings at the age of 8.
Image © Pacific Press
“We want to plant seeds, not to harvest,” the elder told Alejandro’s mother.
The church was dying on Tierra Bomba, an island off Colombia’s coast in the Caribbean Sea. Its head elder had resigned and left the church on the last day of evangelistic meetings that he was leading. Church members were discouraged, and many had stopped worshiping on Sabbath.
Alejandro, who had preached since he was 4, was scared to speak at the first evening meeting. But Mother gave him a big hug, and they prayed together.
People packed the yard of a church member’s house to hear the boy speak.
Hoping to disrupt the weeklong meetings, the former head elder organized his own meetings in his home across the street from Alejandro’s site. He invited current and former church members to attend his daily meetings.
People walking to his house saw the boy speaking as they passed by and stopped. “Who was the child preacher?” they wondered. Many stayed to listen.
The former elder was upset to see people going to Alejandro’s meeting, and he marched over to demand that they come to his house.
“Come on!” he told people, grabbing them by the arm. “Let’s go!”
Some people went with him but, when he wasn’t paying attention, snuck back to listen to Alejandro preach.
This went on for several days. Then church members invited the former elder to the evangelistic meetings and he came.
As part of the meetings, Alejandro visited homes of people who had responded to his appeals for baptism. During the first round of visitations, three people confirmed their desire for baptism. During a second round, an unmarried couple asked for baptism. Alejandro’s mother helped them complete the paperwork so they could be married. A total of seven people were baptized at the end of the weeklong meetings.
Alejandro left Tierra Bomba happy. The church members also were happy. The church was strong and growing.
“Jesus triumphed,” Alejandro said.
Alejandro, a 10-year-old child preacher in Cartagena, Colombia, has led 18 people, including his parents and older brother, to baptism since he was 4. Read more in this quarter’s Children’s Mission, downloadable at bit.ly/childrensmission.
This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a “Better Life” center to train missionaries at Colombia Adventist University in Alejandro’s homeland, Colombia.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
Amen!
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