The Seventh-day Adventist Church's Inter-American Division appealed to its more than 3.3 million members last week to seek spiritual renewal through prayer and Bible study with the regional launch of the denomination's Revival and Reformation program.

Urging a spirit of constant prayer among Adventists in the region, the program echoes the Adventist world church's recent emphasis on spiritual revival. It also features a 160-day prayer initiative addressing specific needs for each church territory in the region, church leaders said.

The three-hour satellite event, broadcast live on Hope Channel, Esperanza TV and 3ABN Latino, highlighted activities planned for members in the region for the initiative in the coming months.

A March 12 event will focus on prayer for children and young people. Later, Adventists in the region will pray for their pastors, charged with leading congregations toward spiritual revival. Focus will then shift to students and teachers across Inter-America's more than 1,000 Adventist-run schools and universities. In June, an emphasis on prayer in the home is expected to help members impact their neighbors.

"[God] wants to do something extraordinary in these end times," said Adventist world church President Ted N.C. Wilson, speaking at the February 12 launch at El Palacio de los Deportes in Santo Domingo. More than 13,000 Adventist leaders and church members attended the event.

Wilson urged Adventists in Inter-America to embrace a spirit of humility that he said will allow God to work through them. "We cannot initiate revival and reformation, we can only place ourselves in God's hands and then the power of [his spirit] will take control," he said.

"Let Seventh-day Adventists be known as people who practice Christianity. Let your humble lifestyle ... always point people to Jesus and His soon coming," Wilson added.

Wilson, who challenged church leaders in Inter-America to plead for an outpouring of God's spirit, was instrumental in prompting the region to launch its prayer initiative.

"The church in Inter-America has always been identified as a church that prays," said Israel Leito, president of the church in Inter-America. "We have this revival event today to thank the Lord, to tell the Lord that we want to be a people ready for His coming, and tell the world that we are a church that is 'Constant in Prayer' and will remain so."

Leaders in Inter-America report that church regions there have already embraced spiritual revival and reformation as part of their strategic plan to strengthen the church.

Shortly after Wilson's February 11 arrival in the Dominican Republic, top church officials from across the region met with the world church leader to pray for the initiative. The group heard Wilson's vision for a revived church and committed to take the call for spiritual renewal seriously.

"You look around the world and see what is happening in the natural world, political situation, fragile economic setting -- things are not going to get much better," Wilson said. "We know Jesus is coming soon."

Plans are underway for similar spiritual revival satellite event this summer, held in El Salvador, church leaders said.