In Inter-America, Church Trains Young People for Mission Service

By: Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

The Seventh-day Adventist Church across the Inter-American Division church region has begun preparing young people to become short-term missionaries through the One Year in Mission (OYiM) initiative in areas where the Adventist message has not yet entered. Youth ministries leaders took time to offer special online missionary training to young people on April 28, 2018.

“Our main goal is to teach you what it is to be a missionary, how to share a Bible study, how to witness in cross-culture mission, how to use technology and prepare to impact the community through health activities,” said Pastor Al Powell, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America.

According to Powell, there are hundreds of young people across Inter-American Division’s major church regions, or unions, already enlisted for evangelism activities in the coming months.

“The battle is not ours,” assured Powell, as he addressed online viewers. “God wants us to share the good news of the gospel, and we must be prepared to share it and tell friends to be part of the initiative.”

Church Planting in Distant Places

Part of that initiative will involve several training sessions before young people become part of the 100 Days of church planting initiative in distant communities designated by regional church headquarters, said Powell.

President of the Adventist Church in Inter-America Israel Leito encouraged young people to trust God and His Word, giving their all for the progress of the work.

“We invite you to take part in this great enterprise for the Lord,” said Leito. “Beyond our well-being, the most important thing is to do God’s work.”

Former youth ministries leader for the Adventist world church Richard Barron challenged young people to commit to serving the Lord.

“We have the special privileged opportunity and responsibility of leading lost sinners to Jesus Christ,” said Barron. “We have the opportunity to tell them it’s bad, but it’s going to get better.”

Barron challenged young people to bring other people to Jesus. “In your job, school, in the gym, think of those without Christ. Think of individuals living in darkness.”

Associate youth ministries director of the Adventist world church Pako Mokgwane emphasized the importance of committing to mission work. “Mission work is a lifestyle. It is not an event,” he said. “We are called to be missionaries wherever we are. You are called to be a missionary and proclaim the life of Jesus. Be used by God.”

Mokgwane encouraged young people to study the Word of God so they can grow in their spiritual life and learn to depend on Jesus every day.

Ongoing Training

The training also included instruction on how to use specific strategies to connect with those in a different culture, language or ethnicity, how to conduct an evangelism campaign, how to use health initiatives to connect with those in the community, how to use technology to witness and more.

The online OYiM training represented the first of two instruction segments to prepare young people in the mission field across the IAD territory as well as engage more young people in participating in the upcoming youth evangelism campaigns to take place across churches and congregations June 30 to July.

The next Youth Ministries online training is scheduled for June 2.