More than 600 South American Division Chaplains Meet to Refocus on Mission

A gathering of Seventh-day Adventist chaplains from across the South American Division (SAD) brought together more than 600 participants at Brazil Adventist University (UNASP), Engenheiro Coelho campus in São Paulo, Brazil, July 8-10. With the motto “One Call, One Mission,” the event sought to encourage chaplains to stay focused on mission and have a positive impact on the institutions they serve.

Across the territory, chaplains are usually those responsible for leading and coordinating spiritual activities in Adventist institutions such as schools, hospitals, and media outlets, among others.

Lucas Alves, SAD chaplaincy coordinator and organizer of the event, commented that the meeting was essential to reaffirm the value of that area of church service and guide its mission. “The value of this meeting, among other things such as giving acknowledgement and appreciation … is to communicate that chaplains have the potential to do much more in this ministry,” he said.

SAD education director Antônio Marcos Alves emphasized that chaplains have a primary responsibility, given that their work at educational institutions is directly linked to the essence of Adventist education. “They are the schools’ pastors, those who lead the whole process of the students’ spiritual development. They lead the process of training missionaries, developing a mission mind in their students,” he said.

Focus on Mission

The event included moments of worship, general lectures, and workshops on mission, new generations, and didactics, organizers said. A highlight for many participants was their visit to the Museum of Biblical Archaeology, an opportunity to learn more about the history of Christianity.

Homero Nascimento, a chaplain at Porto Alegre Adventist Academy in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, said he valued the networking opportunities during the event, which helped him to get acquainted with other experiences and share ideas and projects. “The event helped me to review key concepts in contemporary chaplaincy. Those guidelines can help us to align our service to better accomplish our mission,” he said.

With a focus on mission, Lucas Alves reminded participants that the work of chaplains is fundamental for the church and that the role requires well-trained people. “You must learn how to work with students, know how the school works, and how to reach the parents of students,” he said. “So, when you think about the school, when you think about the clinic, the hospital, you must take into account that particular environment, that reality.”

The mission work that chaplains accomplish impacts students, families, and the surrounding communities, church leaders said. “We have a huge, incredible amount of families who entrust their treasures to our education and our pastors,” Antônio Marcos Alves said. “Through our chapels, Bible studies, Bible classes, weeks of prayer … in the institutions where they serve, they lead this process of sharing eternal truths to that community as well.”

The event included a baptismal ceremony of the Madureira family, which was the result of the work of the chaplains of Hortolandia Adventist Academy. It also featured the baptism of Júlia, a student of Rio Claro Adventist Academy, who got to know the Bible thanks to the work of the school chaplain. At the end, all attendees participated in a special Communion service. “It was a moment of consecration and surrender,” church leaders said.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese language news site.