More than 300 members of Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI) in Europe met in Fribourg, Switzerland, September 23–26, to recommit to the mission of sharing Jesus in the marketplace. Participants, who represent more than 20 countries and lead various ministries, learned from each other, worshipped together, and discussed better ways to share Christ.

“Before business, we live to share Jesus,” said Carlos Dias, ASI Europe president, in his opening remarks. “We are more than 300 evangelists here.”

Brana Magyarosi, Inter-European Division president, and Daniel Duda, Trans-European Division (TED) president, welcomed participants to the meeting and emphasized the need for church employees and lay members to work together for the same goal. Ian Sweeney, TED field secretary, and Danny Houghton, ASI North America president, were also in attendance.

Erton Köhler, General Conference president, was the opening keynote speaker.

Köhler challenged Adventist lay members to recommit daily to the Bible as the rule of faith as they evangelize to others through their businesses and ministries. Drawing from Revelation 14:7, he explained that belief in the Bible leads every church member to seek ways to proclaim God's message "with a loud voice."

“God is telling us, ‘If you want Me to come back, please be bold—do something different! Move forward by faith!'" Köhler said. “This is God’s call for us today.”

Köhler also reminded participants that God is the true owner of the Adventist mission. “We can trust Him to move forward,” he emphasized, because “what is impossible for us is possible for Him. . . . He can open any door, because mission is not what we can do for God, but what God can do through each one of us.”

Köhler urged church leaders and lay members to act courageously as they plan ways to support mission initiatives, challenging them to push beyond past efforts.

In the weeks leading up to the meetings, 100 mission projects and initiatives were presented to the ASi Europe board. The board voted to support 60 of the proposed projects due to limited funding.

Regional church leaders celebrated the desire among church employees and lay members to join forces to expand the Church’s presence in a largely secular, post-Christian society.

“ASi and the church work together,” Sweeney reminded ASi Europe members. “When we work together, and we recognize our common enemy, God’s kingdom is built up.” He added, “The Spirit of God is clearly here, and it’s wonderful to see the things that you are doing. . . . We are thankful for your service as we fight together against our common enemy and in the cause of Jesus, our soon-coming king.”

Jan-Harry Cabungcal, an Adventist neuroscientist turned full-time missionary and assistant to the president for evangelism at Adventist World Radio, was the main speaker for the event. Sharing his experience as a longtime witness in a secular environment, Cabungcal celebrated the strong connection between Adventist theology and members’ efforts to reach out.

“Erton Köhler gave us the benchmark,” Cabungcal acknowledged. He said it is now time for every member to recommit to sharing the gospel with seekers everywhere. “Because wherever we are, that’s our mission field.”

The original article was published on the Adventist Review.