In a remarkable testament to the power of faith and unity, more than 130,000 individuals were baptized across the East-Central Africa Division (ECD) during the Homecoming Impact campaign held from July 6-20, 2024. Eight of the division's 11 countries joined hands to host more than 6,500 evangelistic reaping events, drawing people to Christ in a unique way.

The ECD Homecoming Impact campaign was one of the cornerstones of the division’s broader Evangelistic Impact 2025 initiative. The initiative centered on transforming every church member into a vibrant, mature disciple of Christ. With the theme, "From Spectators to Disciple Makers," the initiative underscores God's call for each member to move beyond passive religious observance to active engagement with the Holy Spirit in sharing the spiritual riches they have found in Christ. The ECD Homecoming Impact campaign was designed to create opportunities for members to reach out to their families and friends, fostering a spirit of soul-winning in the very communities they call home. Division leaders believe that as every member becomes a disciple-maker, the natural result will be doubling the division's membership by 2025.

Indeed, the members did respond to the Homecoming Impact call. Thousands were instrumental in organizing and hosting the evangelistic sites, addressing a wide range of topics from family issues and health matters to children’s ministries and the gospel message. Crucially, thousands of members took the opportunity to reach out to their neighbors, loved ones and friends before the public preaching campaign. One international guest speaker for the campaign even observed, “When I say 240 were baptized at my site, it should be understood that even if I had not preached for two weeks, 165 of them would still have been baptized through the efforts of the local members.”

Beyond the numerical success and the rekindling of the soul-winning spirit within the church, the ECD Homecoming Impact had another unique feature. Blasious Ruguri, president of the East-Central Africa Division, issued a global invitation to Adventist believers everywhere to come and serve alongside local members by preaching during the harvest events. Hundreds of international guest speakers answered the call, traveling to ECD countries to share the gospel, supported by the local Adventist community with lodging, meals, and transportation.

Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of global Seventh-day Adventist missions, this campaign became a powerful witness to the enduring evangelistic fervor within the church. International speakers from nearly every continent came to preach, making it a truly global total member involvement effort. Men and women, from as young as 18 to as old as 84, pastors, leaders, and lay members from various backgrounds, connected only by their love for the Adventist mission and message, beautifully represented the worldwide Adventist missionary spirit.

Ted Wilson, president of the General Conference (GC) of Seventh-day Adventists, was among the international volunteers who accepted the call to conduct a Homecoming Impact evangelistic series in ECD. Reflecting on the profound spiritual movement he witnessed, Wilson remarked, “God is definitely doing something unusual in preparing His church and people for something very special that is developing ... the last days are upon us.” Other distinguished leaders from the GC Presidential office took the time to work with the members of ECD to share the gospel with their friends and neighbors, including GC Vice Presidents Billy Biaggi and Abner De Los Santos.

Ruguri led a series of evangelistic meetings near his home in Kenya, resulting in more than 300 baptisms. Meanwhile, Musa Mitekaro, the division executive secretary, preached in Ethiopia, and Yohannes Olana, the division executive treasurer, spearheaded an evangelistic site in Kenya. Regarding the Homecoming Impact campaign, Ruguri remarked, “The times we live in are not the normal ones we are used to. The time for business as usual for the church is over. Jesus is coming soon, and there is still much to be done for the kingdom of God. We are very grateful for the hundreds who have sacrificed their time and resources to come and help us preach the gospel here for ECD Homecoming Impact. Many officials from the GC, and hundreds of leaders and delegates from our sister divisions around the world have honored us by their presence with us, and we are grateful. We know their efforts combined with the prayers and outreach conducted by our members will be richly rewarded by Christ.”

Peter, an international guest from the Chinese Union Mission, shared his experience: “On the last day, I realized I didn’t even need to look at my script. I felt filled with the Holy Spirit. I didn’t expect the message to be that powerful when the Holy Spirit sanctified my tongue. Fifty-seven people decided to follow Jesus and were baptized into God’s remnant church. All glory to God!”

As we near the final days before Christ’s return, the need for revival is more pressing than ever. The ECD Homecoming Impact was a tremendous blessing, not only in leading over 130,000 souls to Christ but in mobilizing millions of members to pray, serve, and work as true disciples of Jesus Christ. This movement is a clear sign that the Adventist Church is awakening to the call to accomplish extraordinary things for the glory of God in these closing moments of Earth’s history.

This article was provided by the East-Central Africa Division.