Thirteen Rodríguez family members stand for baptism with evangelist Ainsworth Keith Morris.
Historic evangelistic series concludes in Saint Croix
Frederiksted, Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands
Seventh-day Adventists in Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands, celebrated the culmination of the “Impact 24 Your Journey to Joy” island-wide evangelistic efforts with a praise and worship program that highlighted the 105 baptisms that swept across the island from March 30 to April 13, 2024, a record number for the island in such a short period.
Along with music ministry leaders from the United States, the series featured four evangelists from the United States, Ainsworth Keith Morris, James Doggette Jr., Luis Soto, and Ramone Griffith, preaching in the four main districts on the island.
Organized by Paul Douglas, treasurer of the General Conference, and coordinated by Josue Pierre, associate treasurer of the General Conference, in partnership with the Inter-American Division, the Caribbean Union, the North Caribbean Conference, and a Loma Linda University (LLU) Health team of doctors and nurses, the comprehensive efforts shared the gospel of Jesus, providing much needed services to the community.
“Many months ago, the idea was born in the heart of the General Conference Treasury—they thought it, we bought it, and God brought it,” said Desmond James, president of the North Caribbean Conference.
James thanked the General Conference team of 34 and the LLU’s team of 19 doctors, nurses, and staff who cleaned, painted, ministered to young people, and provided medical services to hundreds during the last week of the evangelistic impact activities. James said it was historic to see 340 guests visiting every night across the four sites, something that has never occurred in the conference’s history.
“What a phenomenal thing God has brought. We can celebrate God’s amazing goodness,” he exclaimed. [Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News]
The opening program
Digital discipleship conference equips hundreds around the world
Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
More than 1,200 people from around the world registered to learn professional secrets to digital evangelism at this year’s Digital Discipleship Conference, held March 9, 2024. Hosted by Adventist Media (AM), the conference connected a diverse global audience with its online format, livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.
Jan Rhais, AM marketing assistant and event co-organizer, shared insights into the conference’s impact.
“We had an average of 126 concurrent viewers throughout the nine-hour livestream, with numbers peaking at 174. The engagement levels were inspiring, with the conference amassing 67,662 view minutes—half of those from outside the South Pacific Division,” Rhais said.
Around 90 people also watched the conference from the viewing hubs at Fulton Adventist University College in Fiji and Avondale University in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.
The event featured insights from leading digital evangelists, including Omar El-Takrori from Think Media and Pastor Benjamin Lundquist from The Rise and Lead Podcast, alongside discussions on the psychological impacts of social media use, such as navigating its challenges and preventing burnout among content creators.
Feedback from participants highlighted the practical nature of the presentations.
“The response to our sessions, particularly those on managing content creation to prevent burnout and the practical use of social media by churches, was overwhelmingly positive,” Rhais said.
Looking ahead, organizers are planning targeted workshops for regions with unique digital landscapes.
“One example is Papua New Guinea, where most people there don’t have access to social media and WhatsApp is one of their primary sources of communication and evangelism. Conducting future specialized seminars that target local modes of communication is a must,” Rhais explained. [Juliana Muniz, Adventist Record]
Baptisms in the city of Trujillo
Adventist Church in Peru celebrates over 5,000 baptisms
Lima, Peru
Thousands of evangelism centers, located in homes, sports fields, coliseums, and schoolyards, among other places, were the main sites where the Adventist Church in northern Peru shared the Word of God, allowing the seed of faith to spread throughout the world.
Throughout the northern region of the country, Adventists developed an evangelistic series titled “The Last Victory,” which included nights dedicated to evangelism and the active participation of the church. As a result, 5,048 people were baptized and are now preparing to become disciples of Christ through a program known as “Growing in Christ,” where the church will be responsible for caring for, preparing, and guiding each person.
During the evangelistic series, local church commitment was paramount and evident in bringing those interested in learning more about the Bible as the event reached over 70,000 people in cities throughout northern Peru such as Chiclayo, Cajamarca, Trujillo, Tarapoto, Callao, and Lima.
Event organizers also emphasized the participation of younger generations through evangelism centers for children, where teachers dedicated time, talents, and resources to make each night a special experience for the young attendees by dynamically transmitting biblical stories and Jesus’ message for them.
“By observing social networks, I have been able to confirm the commitment of the church in the Northern Peruvian Union, where Pastor Alejandro Bullón accompanied the church for one week with the candidates,” said Daniel Montalván, president of the North Peru Union Mission in the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“We thank God for the great movement that has taken place in the local church and in the countryside throughout the Northern Peruvian Union during Holy Week. Glory to God for the great triumphs of the Cross at the end of this week!”
