Seventh-day Adventists across Portugal joined a national campaign calling on both the church and wider society to create more opportunities for people with disabilities.
The initiative, “All in Step,” marked the close of celebrations for 120 years of Adventism in Portugal. It brought together about 500 participants from different generations, ministries, and communities.
From anniversary idea to national cause
The campaign began in 2025 at a planning meeting at the Portuguese Union of Churches Conference (UPASD). The team was looking for a meaningful way to end the anniversary year.
Organizers wanted more than a commemorative event. They wanted to start something that would make a difference in society and show that Adventists are present in their communities and care about social challenges. The plan was to unite UPASD’s associations, ministries, and services around a single cause.
That cause became clear after a presentation by Adventist Possibilities Ministries (APM). It showed that the Adventist church in Portugal and society in general still have a long way to go in including people with disabilities.
Four ways to take part
“All in Step” was designed as an awareness and advocacy campaign. It aimed to change minds and create concrete ways for people with disabilities to fully participate in church and public life. It had four parts:
A photography contest that asked participants to reflect on inclusion through images.
Workshops that offered space for learning and dialogue.
An artistic petition, created as a collective artwork, expressed participants’ shared commitment to the cause.
The Possibilities Relay took the message into public spaces in several regions of the country.
Each activity was designed to spread a single message: good intentions are not enough. Inclusion requires participation, commitment, and the removal of barriers that keep many people from fully exercising their rights.
Relay takes the message to the streets
The Possibilities Relay was the campaign’s most visible moment. Events in Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Faro, and Lisbon were meant to build a human wave in support of inclusion.
The municipal councils of Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, and Faro supported the relay, as did the Parish Council of Areeiro in Lisbon. Organizers said this partnership showed the value of religious institutions, public bodies, and civil society working together to be more inclusive.
Children and families lead the way
Campaign activities also took place at the Adventist Youth (AY) Congress, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency delegates’ meeting, Health Day, and many APM events throughout the year. Church leaders said two efforts stood out as models of good practice.
At the National Pathfinders Camp, organizers launched a new AY specialty focused on inclusion. Some 175 children aged 6– 11 completed its content with great enthusiasm and success.
The National Family Camp was themed around inclusion. More than 200 participants each day received awareness training on hearing impairment, visual impairment, neurodiversity, and reduced mobility.
A joint effort across ministries
ADRA Portugal led the coordination with APM, the International Temperance Association (ITA), and the Adventist Youth Association. Other Adventist ministries also contributed.
Organizers said the collaboration was a valuable lesson in itself. By pooling skills, resources, and networks, they built a campaign larger than any single ministry could have managed alone.
A challenge for the church
The campaign spoke to society, but it also challenged the church. Organizers said an inclusive community does more than welcome people with disabilities into its buildings. It ensures accessibility, listens to their needs, values their contributions, and creates real opportunities for them to take part in spiritual, community, and organizational life.
They stressed that people with disabilities are not simply recipients of care or assistance. They are people with abilities, dreams, experiences, and gifts that enrich their communities.
Organizers said awareness must now become concrete change. That means identifying barriers, adapting spaces and activities, encouraging inclusive attitudes, and involving people with disabilities in the decisions that affect them.
The work continues
Organizers welcomed the turnout and the partnerships the campaign produced. They said, however, that its real impact will be measured less by attendance and visibility than by the conversations it started, the attitudes it challenged, and the changes it may inspire.
The anniversary gave the campaign its occasion, but organizers say its message continues by how people welcome, value, and make room for others.
Organizers said people don’t all have to walk the same way to move forward together, and that is the challenge of truly being all in step.
The original article was published on the Portuguese Union of Churches Conference news site.
