On the morning of Wednesday, June 2nd, the Adventist Solidarity Action (ASA) received an honorary tribute from the Municipality of Recife, capital of Pernambuco in Brazil. Councilor Renato Antunes delivered the tribute to Pastor Diego Gomes in the form of a vote of applause in recognition of the social work carried out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the region. During the meeting, Antunes confirmed the importance of the efforts of religious institutions to build a more humane and supportive society.

“We have the opportunity to honor a serious institution, which takes care of people and reaches out, especially in this time of need. It is with great joy, today, that we pay this tribute to all [Seventh-day] Adventists, especially to Ação Solidária Adventista, which takes care of people, not only in [the] Recife [region] but throughout the state”, points out Antunes.

During this special occasion, the Councilor was presented with a basket of products from Superbom, a natural products factory belonging to the Adventist Church, along with the book, The Mystery of Prophecy, by theologians Mark Finley and Loron Wade.

Both in Recife and in other municipalities included in the administrative region of the Pernambuco Association of the Adventist Church, social work has been one of the great fronts of action. Inserted in the pandemic context, the volunteers saw, even more latently, the need to care for others.

Therefore, social projects that already existed before the pandemic were consolidated, and many other new projects emerged. It is generally a work that happens anonymously, but that allows for collaboration with other organizations, and makes a difference in the lives of many people.

Commitment to solidarity

Carrying out all of the actions is possible because of the volunteers' desire to take care of people, to be a church, both inside and outside the temple, and, above all, to follow the example set by Christ. Today, ASA has regional teams in several cities, dedicated to promoting campaigns and initiatives to help those in need.

In 2021 alone, more than 40 tons of food and 250 food cards were collected and delivered to families at risk, in partnership with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in the Northeast, in addition to various local strategies, such as the delivery of meals, clothes and hygiene kits to people living on the streets and in communities.

According to Pastor Diego Gomes, Director of Ação Solidária Adventista for the metropolitan region and forest areas of Pernambuco, “we realize that this is a church that stands up during the pandemic as the body of Christ, a church that goes beyond the four walls, in order to save and serve as many people as possible.”

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site