The Seventh-Day Adventist Church dedicates every year to the promotion of its mission, because it recognizes that Mission is vital for the Church.
Adventist mission work today touches lives in more than 200 countries and areas of the world. Adventist mission workers preach the gospel, teach relevant living skills, heal people through Adventist hospitals and clinics, spread the gospel on radio and television, run development projects to make better lives for people, and provide comforting relief in times of suffering.
Its commitment includes a worldwide humanitarian work, an international volunteer program, satellite television and shortwave radio blanketing the globe, a huge publishing program, thousands of schools, a large network of hospitals and clinics, the Global Mission pioneer program, and hundreds of overseas missionaries.
Through the years, Seventh-day Adventists have generously supported mission through their tithes and mission offerings because they believe the gospel commission. They believe we're called to help the less fortunate, the poor, the sick, and those who don't know about Jesus.
The story of Adventist Mission around the world centers is the story of everyday people who answer the call to touch the lives of others in the name of Jesus.
There is for example the story of Lesly Seetso, a Global Mission pioneer in Botswana, who thinks that “people are really thirsting for the word of God, especially the true word of God".
Global Mission pioneers, such as Lesly, are church planters working to start new congregations of believers, often in difficult areas. Pioneers often spend a couple years working within the culture on just a small stipend. Despite the hardships, but they also find rewards. “This is my community. I work here and everyday I look forward to coming to this place and interacting with the people who live here, and offering them the message of hope," says Lesly.
Pioneers often face many challenges, but also earn the reward of seeing people give their lives to Christ. When asked what he’d like the world church to for him, Lesly said, “I’ll ask the Global church to pray for is availability of people who are willing to partake in this work. I just yearn to see the lives of people being changed because I know that there’s a lot that God wants to do here in the lives of so many people. Just like he has impacted my own life. That’s what’s really keeping me going day and night.”
More about the Adventist Church's Mission Work
The mission of the Adventist Church is carried out through a series of initiatives, campaigns and projects. Among the main ones are Adventist Mission, that touches lives through medical care, media, education, mission workers, Global Mission pioneers, outreach resources and so much more; Life Hope Centers are an integrated evangelistic outreach. They provide an opportunity for lay people to be involved in ministry using their unique gifts. They also involve pastors and other church workers, departments, institutions, services, and Global Mission pioneers; Global Mission Initiative focuses attention on the most unreached people groups in the world. From the 10/40 Window to the secular and postmodern, Global Mission sends pioneer frontline workers and supports innovative projects; Mission Spotlight features three monthly video mission reports and 13 weekly Mission 360˚ video mission stories about the 13th Sabbath offering along with stories about mission from around the globe.
To find more resources, please go here.
To learn more about Adventist Mission in the European territory, please go here.
Pictures: 1. Some of the Seventh-day Adventist Church members in Nicosia, Cyprus, circa 1956. Two of Movses Boursalian’s grandsons are pictured: Movses Elmadian, second from left, and my father, Garabed Keshishian, third from right. 2. Missionaries aboard the floating church rejoice in reaping God’s harvest.
