The Office of Adventist Volunteer Service (AVS) in the Inter-American Division (IAD) wants to keep encouraging church members, young and old, to serve in many capacities across Inter-America and around the world church. The appeal came as IAD church leaders praised the work of active volunteers currently serving in the territory and different parts of the world during a special, live, virtual program held on May 8, 2021.

Adventist Volunteer Service is an official program of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists that matches volunteer skills with opportunities all over the world.

The online event, coined as Adventist Volunteer Service Day, featured presentations on serving in different cultural contexts, testimonies from active volunteers, Q&A sessions, currently available opportunities for service, and more.

“We are pleased and proud to host this program and reaffirm volunteers of the precious ministry that you are providing throughout the Inter-American Division and the world,” said Pastor Leonard Johnson, executive secretary for the church in Inter-America, overseeing AVS.

“There is a great privilege in what it means to be a volunteer in mission for God,” he continued. Being involved in mission means being prepared with talents, language, and education skills, as well as maintaining and developing a deeper connection with God, said Pastor Johnson. “Cross-cultural preparation is key in being equipped, sensitive, and effective to reach other cultures.”

The event was meant to keep the dream of volunteer service alive within the Inter-American Division, said Janelle Scantlebury-Smith, AVS coordinator for the church in Inter-America. “We wanted to engage more volunteers who may not have considered a life of volunteer service. The program was also a forum for all future IAD volunteers to connect directly with AVS coordinators in the countries and divisions where volunteer opportunities are available.”

Even though organizations had to close doors to volunteers last year because of the pandemic, many are steadily easing up on restrictions for service opportunities around the world, said Smith. “In Inter-America, there are options for volunteers to serve in an online capacity.” Currently, there are 21 Adventist volunteers from Inter-America serving the world church and 60 awaiting assignment to serve outside of the IAD territory.

Cecilia Nanni, who coordinates AVS in one of the unions in the Euro-Asia Division, shared with the audience the many opportunities to learn and grow in Russia and other countries, where she has been arranging for service. Irene Jimenez, from Montemorelos University, Mexico, who has been volunteering in the region, says it was difficult adjusting to the culture, but her experience has brought many rewards in her work as a volunteer so far from home.

Several AVS organizations in the IAD are currently recruiting volunteers in a virtual setting right now in Panama and Colombia, as well as a few face-to-face opportunities elsewhere.

AVS coordinators from the Southern Asia Pacific Division, Euro-Asia Division, South American Division, and West Africa Division, as well as the Middle East and North Africa field, presented service opportunities and answered questions for those interested in volunteering.

Volunteers and potential volunteers were given tools to better serve in a Muslim or Chinese context. Serving volunteers also shared short experiences where they serve and encourage viewers to dedicate time to reaching others for Christ.

Many of the opportunities currently available include teaching English as a second language, said Smith, but there are others that will be opening up soon. “We want the mission to be intentional for you. It’s not just about traveling somewhere else only, but it’s about reaching others with the gospel.”

To learn more about signing up as a volunteer in the IAD and the Adventist world church, contact your local union’s AVS coordinator and visit adventistvolunteers.org.

This article was originally published on the Inter-American Division’s website