Jesus was (correction, is) exhaustively indiscriminate in His outreach. Even those with the most overflowing barrels of earthly advantages (e.g., Nicodemus, the rich young ruler, etc.) solicit His immeasurable compassion and redemptive yearning, for He knows brokenness still festers underneath those plenteous, self-assured surfaces. With that said, all the time Christ spent healing the explicitly diseased and marginalized clearly indicates the special place He has in His heart for those who are trapped in life’s physical, mental, emotional, and circumstantial fetters.
For further information about Adventist Possibility Ministries, this upcoming Sabbath in particular, please visit the Possibility Ministries website and click on “Events” in the upper-right corner.
Adventist Possibility Ministries (APM) exists to imitate and exercise the heart of the Savior. It seeks to infuse His gospel of grace and restoration into those with various types of special needs and empower them to identify, embrace, and achieve the potential they have to impact their spheres of influence for eternity, in spite of their limitations.
Possibility Ministries—Overall Objectives and Upcoming Emphasis
April 24 will be the fourth annual Possibility Ministries Sabbath. This year’s theme is “Possibility Families.” Local churches that want to incorporate this emphasis into their services are welcome to visit the “Events” page of APM’s official website and tap into the many available resources, including a promotional poster, an attention-grabbing children’s story, and even a sermon manuscript.
Larry Evans, APM director and assistant to the General Conference (GC) president, has enthusiastically been raising awareness for this special Sabbath, as well as the organization’s mission as a whole. He articulated APM’s essence and highlighted the central matters of this upcoming event in a recent interview with ANN Video.
“Possibility Ministries is about possibilities. We talk about what people can do rather than what they can’t do,” Evans exclaimed. He accentuated how the gospel transforms how we see ourselves and others. Even regarding those who are vision impaired, hearing impaired, or anything of that sort, though we do not ignore that reality, we are still to acknowledge they are in the image of God and have valuable gifts with which they can accomplish great things for Him.
Shifting to the April 24 webinar and Possibility Ministries Sabbath, Evans talks about how the theme was chosen. “Behind that concept [of possibility families] is the idea that no family is perfect; every family has some challenges of some kind,” said Evans. He further discussed his desire to talk about families and the possibilities they have, focusing on families with disabled members and stressing the point that the conversation can include the disability but should move far beyond that. “It’s about what they can contribute, and we want to treat them as contributors—as people who have something to offer.”
Another marquee component of Possibility Ministries Sabbath will be a fascinating webinar that will be broadcasted worldwide. Evans said, “We have put together a program that will air in three different global regions”: Asia/Oceania, Europe/Africa, and the Americas. Dr. Ann Hamel, a Michigan-based psychologist, will be the keynote speaker. There will also panels for the respective regions that will each include a mental health specialist and someone who has experienced exceptional grief, especially the loss of a loved one.
“I became concerned… about all the distraught [sic] that’s taking place around the world because people have lost a loved one because of COVID, the pandemic. But then it began to spread beyond that, and I began to realize that people are grieving, and there’s something that ties us all together, whether we be Christian, or Muslim, or Hindu. When we lose a loved one, our hearts are softened, and we’re hurting,” Evans expressed.
Hamel and the panelists will provide ways to overcome grief. The premise of the webinar will be “Finding Joy in Suffering.” “[It] is a really strange title, but there is a reason for it, because working through our grief, we can rediscover hope, and with hope comes a sense of assurance,” Evans asserted. Additionally, he mentioned millions of Seventh-day Adventists are bearing the heavy burden of loneliness, as well as those from other folds, whether it be due to death, divorce, or whatever else. We must be dedicated to both reaching in and reaching out.
Evans concluded by reiterating why he is so excited about this ministry. “When we are created in the image of God, everyone has an inherent sense of dignity.… We as Seventh-day Adventists have a sense of identity in our Creator God, and that opens up possibilities.”
For further information about Adventist Possibility Ministries, this upcoming Sabbath in particular, please visit the Possibility Ministries website and click on “Events” in the upper-right corner.