Hundreds gathered at Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church in Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica, to celebrate the culmination of country-wide evangelism efforts during a livestreamed program on Sep. 28, 2024.

The event highlighted the Inter-American Division’s (IAD) third territory-wide “All the Family in Mission” initiative, which seeks to involve church members to engage in personal and public evangelism outreach initiatives in preparation for Jesus’ soon coming. The program saw hundreds of persons getting baptized onsite, in dozens of local districts, and regionally across the IAD.

“Today is a day of celebration of what God has been doing and how you have been answering His call,” said Elie Henry, president of the IAD, as he thanked church leaders and members at the beginning of the program.

Involved in Mission

Henry said he was impressed with the impact Dennis Samuels reported about how he was able to engage Adventist families from Mount Carey Adventist Church in St. James, Jamaica, in assisting to provide health and dental services to hundreds of people in needy communities.

There was also Charmaine Bloomfield of New Haven Adventist Church in the east Jamaica region, who witnessed to many in her community after mingling and connecting with children and their parents and engaged her church in donating food and goods.

Kerry Ann Dacres-Wilson of Greater Portmore Adventist Church in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who has been a bible worker for the past 17 years, shared how studying the bible, praying, and fasting helped her to grow in faith and witness to others.

Pastors, church elders, bible workers, and active church members have been engaged in leading evangelistic campaigns at each one of the 168 pastoral districts across Jamaica for the past three weeks, said Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD overseeing evangelism and the main organizer of the event. “This has been a national campaign mobilizing so many of our brothers and sisters in the church in spreading the gospel,” he said.

Local pastors, along with 12 guest evangelists from the regional conferences of the North American Division, took part in the efforts across Jamaica, Trinidad, and Belize, as well, organizers said.

Work to be Done, No Time to Waste

Paul H. Douglas, treasurer of the Adventist General Conference, urged congregants and thousands more watching the live program to double their efforts in spreading the gospel while there is still time. As Douglas reflected on John 9, he challenged those watching to have compassion rather than engage in criticism, to lift each other up instead of leaving anyone behind, and serve others rather than judge.

“There is work to be done,” said Douglas. Just like Jesus was sent to preach good tidings, to heal the broken hearted, and proclaim the good news of the gospel, we are called to do the same. “Jesus Christ himself called us and sent us to do this work … for this work will not be done anywhere until it is done everywhere. This work will not be done everywhere until it is done by everyone,” emphasized Douglas.

“We must do the work and we have the light, for we do not have much time left to do the work,” he said. “The signs are telling us that Jesus is coming again. We have been sent to preach good news in a world that only seems to have bad news, to heal those who have been broken and bruised, to proclaim that there is liberty for those held captive by sin, to share the message of hope to those who are hurting and to open the eyes of the spiritually blind so they can walk in the light.”

“Hark the voice of Jesus calling,” charged Douglas. “We don’t have to time to waste. It is criminal for us to think that all of us don’t have a part to play in this work.”

Each having a part to play is at the heart of the “All the Family in Mission,” church leaders said. It’s all about continuing to focus on preaching the gospel, said Pastor Henry. “We must share that Jesus is wonderful, a God who is merciful and intervenes in our lives as a good shepherd.” It’s all about letting others see God’s mercy on us, by the way each one serves, lives, and talks about Jesus’ love and His soon coming, he said.

Evangelistic efforts climaxed with nearly 1,000 baptisms throughout Jamaica on Sep. 28.

Transformed Lives

Among the transformed was 67-year-old Owen Stephenson, who had been attending Pen Seventh-day Adventist Church in Central Jamaica. “I feel good about my decision to be baptized because, getting up in age, I see no better future than living for Jesus,” said Stephenson, a father and welder by trade. “He [Jesus] has done a lot for me through my many years, my savior and keeper all through these years.”

Stephenson, an amputee, was invited to an evangelistic campaign dubbed “The Blessed Hope,” in August. He is confident that God will provide a job for him as he is currently unemployed and lives with his nephew who takes care of him.

Seventy-five-year-old Zaibie Kelly had been a member of Apostolic Church since she had been baptized 38 years ago but had found herself recently drifting away. She had seen the Adventist Church near her home in Portmore countless of times, and one Sabbath a few weeks ago, decided to visit.

“I felt heavy in my heart, feeling urged by the Holy Spirt to attend the Sabbath church every week,” said Kelly. It was there that she met Laura Franklin, an elder at Gregory Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, who taught her bible study lessons and is continuing to study with her. It was at the church that brought her to attend the recent evangelistic campaigns in Portmore.  “I am a different person since I gave my heart to Jesus and am so happy to be part of the Adventist Church,” said the mother of four adult children and two grandchildren.  Kelly wants her family to join her at her new church and prays they will make that decision soon.

Aldo Meeks, a firefighter, and his partner Carnitia, a home nurse, both from Mandeville, drove for one and a half hours to get baptized in one of the pools in front of Portmore Seventh-day Adventist Church. Carnitia grew up in the church and was baptized at a young age but stopped going to church. Three weeks ago, she found herself attending an evangelistic campaign led at Immanuel Paul’s district of five churches. She and Aldo began attending the evangelistic meetings and decided to get baptized.  Hours before getting baptized, Pastor Paul led a short wedding ceremony with a handful of members and leaders at a room in the church, he said.

More Families in Mission

The discipleship work with the Meeks and dozens back in Mandeville was the result of a stronger emphasis on outreach among the bible workers and laypersons who are part of the Manchester Federal Association of Laity in the Central Jamaica Conference, said Paul. “This initiative of ‘All the Family in Mission’ challenged us to reach more families through different evangelism activities this year and it’s been key in getting the membership involved more in sharing the gospel,” he said.

Jamaica Union leaders reported that 6,173 baptisms have taken place since they began the “All the Family in Mission” initiative earlier this year and anticipate more new believers joining the church.

More than 30,000 connections on various online platforms were registered in Jamaica alone during the livestreamed event.

IAD’s visiting union leaders from the North Mexican, Belize, Caribbean, Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Atlantic Caribbean Unions, who were part of the third edition of “All the Family in Mission” celebration event, reported that more than 14,000 baptisms had taken place in their respective regions.

So far, more than nearly 126,000 new members have joined the Adventist Church across the IAD this year, reported Braham.

“We are all called to fulfill the mission,” said Braham. “Every member of the biological family and ecclesiastic family coming together to present the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. It’s about each member growing their relationship with Christ, serving in the community, sharing the gospel, reaping the harvest, and growing as faithful disciples, emphasized Braham.

Reaching More in 2025

Next year the IAD will continue with “All the Family in Mission” initiatives and will seek to baptize more than 200,000 new church members, he said.

Church leaders were reminded of the important steps in organizing evangelistic efforts, including preparing the field, planning, growing the seed, cultivating, and conserving new believers.

The celebration event featured music, drama performances, and impact activities aligned with the “All the Family in Mission” initiative across the IAD.

“God wants to use you to finish the work,” challenged Pastor Henry as the event was concluding. “Go with your family, go with your church, your district, your conference, for we have work to do for the Lord,” he said. “God is with us so we must prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ.”

Inter-American Division’s next “All the Family in Mission” end-of-the-year event is planned to be held on November 9, 2024, in Montemorelos, Mexico.

Nigel Coke contributed information to this article.

The original article was published on the Inter-American Division website.