Seventh-day Adventists across the Inter-American Division (IAD) sealed the Adventist World Church’s 100 Days of Prayer initiative today after completing a 24-hour prayer relay across the territory. The prayer relay concluded with an online program highlighting unified efforts since March to engage members to pray for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on the Church, and to empower members for mission during the coronavirus pandemic.
Adventist World Church President Ted N.C. Wilson praised the prayer commitment of thousands of church leaders and members throughout the IAD and the World Church who gathered together virtually, in homes, or individually in earnest prayer, supplication, and praise to God.
The 100 Days of Prayer initiative originally planned to focus on praying for this year’s General Conference Session in Indianapolis, which was pushed back to 2021, but quickly took on a new focus on the pandemic, Wilson said. “God knew…the timing for this initiative far in advance and what a better time to be pressing together as the Church seeks God in prayer, looking for strength in this time of crisis as well as the Holy Spirit’s power for mission.”
Wilson encouraged all members to share their experience with answered prayers to encourage others as well as strengthen their faith. “There are so many blessings that prayer brings into the spiritual life of the Church,” he said. “It invigorates the life of the members, it brings peace and harmony as we submit our will to the will of God, and it brings focus and purpose to the mission.”
In spite of the worldwide crisis, Wilson said, “God calls His Church to go forward in the mission He has given to us to proclaim His message of love and hope found in the Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14, to let the world know there is a Savior who died for them, who lives today making intercession for them in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and who will come again as a conquering King to take us home to be with Him.” Wilson challenged men and women across Inter-America to pray and take God at His Word, to rest in His love and trust in God’s grace and rejoice in His power.
IAD President Elie Henry thanked church leaders and members for their participation in prayer sessions, seminars, spiritual messages and comprehensive media campaigns across the territory during the 100 Days of Prayer focus. “We want to thank the Lord for the way He leads us, inspires us and talks to us,” said Henry. “We give thanks to the Lord because He has been hearing our prayers. Thank you to all prayer coordinators across unions, conferences, missions and churches, for I believe we have learned some great lessons to know that we have to continue to cherish the time we spend with God, and continue to do our best to do His will.” Henry encouraged viewers to keep experiencing a renewal through the Word of God.
The online program included Bible readings and statements by children, young people, music, testimonies by health care workers, chaplains, teachers, Women’s Ministries leaders, pastors, literature evangelists, members, community impact and more.
The online event, which was coined as a jubilee celebration of faithful prayer, will represent the beginning of a new culture across the territory when it comes to intercessory prayer, said Samuel Telemaque, Sabbath School director and main organizer of the event. “It was a blessing to have had the opportunity to celebrate what God has done in the lives of His people through the ministry of intercessory prayer during the past 100 days.”
“We see this initiative as a catalyst for all the ministries of the Church to be carried on the wings of a movement of intercessory prayer that emerged as a result of the ‘100 Days of Prayer’ initiative,” he said.
It’s the type of coordination that will carry through after the closing of the 100 Days of Prayer initiative celebration, where each of the 24 unions with a designated prayer coordinator oversaw the intercessory prayer ministry in their respective regions, said Telemaque.
Beginning July 3, each of the 24 IAD unions took part in the prayer relay. Each union had a specific hour of prayer time to focus on God’s intervention during the pandemic, thanksgiving for God’s blessings and specific prayer requests. The 24-hour relay ended with the online event from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on July 4th and was carried in English and Spanish.
This article was originally published on the Inter-America Division’s website