The second day of GAiN Europe 2024 began with a personal testimony from Corinna Wagner, the fundraising coordinator for ADRA Europe. She shared her story about how God unexpectedly called her to utilize her talents and gifts for the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA). “I never expected to work for my church, but God did!” Wagner concluded her heartfelt testimony by expressing her vision: “I dream of an active youth who discover their calling and use their talents for God.”

David Neal, the Communication Director for the Trans-European Division (TED), introduced the group discussions by encouraging participants to reflect on how they experience the grace of God in their lives. “Sadly,” Neal explained, “Christians preach grace but often struggle to love others.”

After hearing insights from group leaders on the topic of grace, a special moment of appreciation was introduced by Paulo Macedo, the EUD Communications Director, along with David Neal and Vanesa Pizzuto, TED's Associate Director of Communications. They honored outstanding Adventist journalist Marcos Paseggi.

Marcos Paseggi, who has Argentinian roots and currently resides in Canada, serves as a correspondent for the Seventh-day Adventist flagship magazine, Adventist Review.

The GAiN organizers welcomed to the stage Williams Costa Jr., the Global Communications Director of the Adventist Church. He presented the award to Paseggi, emphasizing Paseggi’s exceptional and selfless service to the Church.

Justin Kim, the editor of Adventist Review, expressed his appreciation for Paseggi, stating, “Paseggi helped the Adventist Church understand what God is doing in local communities. The World Church is deeply grateful for his dedication.”

The Sabbath Worship

Jonatan Tejel’s devotional began with a selection of beautiful songs led by the Vestige Group, featuring musicians from Serbia and Poland. Tejel, who is currently serving as the Youth Director for the EUD, shared his reflection rooted in the theme of John 15:1, which states, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

Tejel explained, “God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. If we do not remain connected to the vine, we will die spiritually. However, if we stay connected to Jesus, our lives will be transformed; we will be Christlike and bear much fruit—specifically, the fruit of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in Galatians 5:22.”

He then explained: “When Jesus was giving the metaphor of the vine and the branches, he was walking to the Gethsemane with His disciples. He was delivering the last message to them before he would be crucified. On their way to the garden, they passed in front of the temple, where golden grape vine clusters adorned the columns of the temple. The gold was of great value. It was the result of donations from people that wanted to see their names imprinted in the gold clusters. The Jews often spent everything they had to adorn the temple,” continued Tejel. 

“Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on the true vine, in contrast to the artificial golden vine put on the columns of the temple,” continued Tejel.

“We often focus on religious symbolism, on golden and artificial symbols,” concluded Tejel. “We sometimes focus more on the rituals than on the reason of the ritual - Jesus Christ! Through rituals, we lose focus on Jesus. Let’s abide in Jesus. He makes us fruitful. Broken branches die; fruits develop because of the vine (Jesus) and the gardener (God).”

Cross-Media Projects

GAiN leaders explained that since 2014, Adventist communication leaders have envisioned collaborating in Europe. A few years later, in 2016, European church communicators transitioned from ideas to action by launching the Rest project in partnership with Hope Channel, Inc. This emerging initiative aimed to inspire audiences to reflect on the significance of Sabbath rest and invigorated communicators across Europe to continue exploring ideas for collaborative multimedia projects.

After a momentous GAiN Europe conference in the United Kingdom in 2017, where communication leaders established the foundation for greater collaboration, they developed the 2017-18 project, This Is My Mission. In February 2019, during a worldwide GAiN convention in Jordan, GAiN Europe communicators introduced Fathers, which became an award-winning documentary and a book.

After the Fathers project, the communicators chose to explore the concept of uncertainty. They had no idea how relevant this topic would become a year later when the COVID-19 pandemic brought widespread worry, anxiety, and uncertainty. This collaboration kept the teams engaged from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, during a virtual GAiN Europe conference, the group decided to shift their focus to the concept of happiness.

During GAiN 2024, organizers presented the latest project, My Greatest Purpose, featuring athletes, musicians, and academics who decided to choose Jesus over career opportunities, despite the challenges, temptations, and difficulties. 

Beyond Borders

What began as a mostly European idea soon crossed borders to include productions from other countries such as Brazil, South Africa, and South Korea. As of 2022, 26 countries have participated in producing spots or clips, 27 countries have collaborated to produce documentary films, and 21 countries have provided authors with printed resources.

“Our goal has been to create the environment, the spirit, and the community that will think more as ‘we’ and less as ‘I’,” Adrian Dure, Hope Media Europe producer and coordinator of network projects, said during the presentation. “We keep creating a community that is willing to work together.”

Aguska, a champion for Christ

One of the top highlights of the afternoon was the presence of Aguska Mnich, professional football freestyler, six-times World Champion and Guinness World Record Holder. Coming from a last-week win in Italy, Aguska is one of the protagonists of the My Greatest Purpose movie series.

“I had a difficult life. I was desperate and lonely. I used to drink alcohol and [held bad company],” shared Aguska. 

“One day, I cried out to God, seeking for help, and He delivered and saved me. He gave me a purpose in life,” continued Aguska. “I discovered my football freestyle talent and worked with confidence to develop my gift. Now I am a world-renowned athlete, and I don’t lose any opportunity to testify about my faith and glorify God,” concluded Aguska. 

In the end, Aguska offered a short show with her husband, Patrick Bäurer, in front of the GAiN audience. 

Youth for Mission

Since the 2022 edition in Romania, several young participants in GAiN Europe have come together to share their ideas and experiences. The group has grown significantly and is making an important contribution to the event through a young, dynamic, and creative perspective.

In this edition, more than 40 young participants came together, bringing a practical and concrete aspect to the organization’s goal of encouraging young Adventists to use social media for mission.

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