A growing church naturally displays a mixture of hope and a variety of accomplishments. ANN asked several regional leaders of the Adventist Church: “What’s happening where you are?” They shared with us a review of exciting developments as well as their prayers for the future.

Pardon Mwansa, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Eastern Africa, says the most significant event of 2001 was the Mwanza satellite evangelism meeting. As a result of this event, with other evangelistic events, the region has brought to the family of Adventist believers through baptism over 200,000 people in 2001.

“My prayers for the church next year,” says Mwansa, “is a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s people so that our quality of life and mission of the church would be done in the power of the Lord. I also pray for more lay leadership to lead the church.”

In Europe the spirit of mission was reinforced by the September 11 events, says Ulrich Frikart, president of the church for the Euro-Africa region. The area has experienced significant growth which had been stagnate for the last decade. Frikart’s prayer for this year is unity and fulfillment of the gospel commission.

Artur Stele, president for the Euro-Asia region, says the most significant event in 2001 was the start of a very unique program 300-300-300, with a hope that in two years time of training 300 new pastors and establishing 300 new congregations in 300 new chapels.

The other very significant event was the decision to use a new strategy for church growth and disciple-making—the small group approach. “This approach will help us to strengthen the three goals of the church: growth, quality of life, and unity,” says Stele. “Our prayer for the new year is to be able to implement the plans that have been worked out in 2001.”

Israel Leito, Adventist Church president for Inter-America, was excited about the visit of church president Pastor Jan Paulsen and other leadership for the opening of the new regional headquarters in Miami, Florida, United States. Inter-America has set up four new local fields in order to give proper attention to the growing membership.

“We hope to reach all of our two and a quarter million members by the end of the year,” says Leito. “Our region has been spared the great devastations caused by hurricanes, and although we have been visited by disasters in Jamaica, Cuba, Belize and other parts of Central America, it was not as bad as in other years.

“We have finished our strategic plan for the next five years,” Leito continues, “and with the Lord’s help we hope to baptize 100,000 new members at the end of that time and establish an average of 1,000 new churches every year.

“With Pastor Paulsen, we are praying for our church members to become involved in the three values of growth, unity, and quality of life,” says Leito. “We have some areas with serious religious intolerance like South Mexico, Colombia and other places. We are also praying for our members living in those dangerous areas.”

In the Northern Asia-Pacific, church President P.D. Chun said, “Most significant was the phenomenal growth of the young Mongolian church, though its size is still small.”

Last year the Mongolian church more than doubled its membership from 115 to 241 and the number of congregations from six to 13. The first camp meeting was held and the first national pastor was ordained in August. “Until 1993 Mongolia was one of the few unentered countries of the world,” says Chun.

“My prayer for the church next year is the successful implementation of ‘Go One Million’ initiatives at every level of organization, particularly at the local church level.” Go One Million is a project to equip 1 million laity in witnessing and outreach activities before the next church world session in 2005.

In South America, President Ruy Nagel appreciated the way that administrators, directors, pastors, elders and lay people got involved in the preaching of the gospel this last year.

“I pray that together we may fulfill the work that God has entrusted us to do,” says Nagal.

Laurie Evans, church president in the South Pacific, says the ACTS 2000 public evangelism campaign conducted by Pastor Mark Finley in Papua New Guinea was truly an event that affected and impacted a nation. The prime minister opened the program and the governor general closed it. It was broadcast on radio and TV and received extensive coverage in the newspapers.

Evans thanks God for the more than 17,500 interests that resulted and are being nurtured, and for the baptism of approximately 2,400 people at the end of the campaign.

“I pray that laity will be empowered to take greater ownership of the mission of the church,” says Evans, “and become effective partners in ministry for the completion of the task that the Lord has given them.”