The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America celebrated big in Jamaica as more than 8,000 crowded the Montego Bay Convention Center and outer court to worship, praise and witness the results of intense evangelistic efforts and community impact events across the island and other parts of the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory.
More than 200 new believers were baptized on site and hundreds more joined the church across Jamaica, the Atlantic Caribbean islands, as well as parts of Central America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, organizers said.
The event, which was streamed online, represented Inter-America’s annual baptismal celebration convention coined as “Lord Transform Me”—an initiative which involves motivating every church member to pursue a transformation in Jesus through a daily study of the bible and a prayerful lifestyle for total involvement in action plans and activities in sharing the gospel within their communities.
More than 7,000 crowded the Montego Bay Convention Center while 1,000 more sat outside under a tent to be part of Inter-America’s Lord Transform Me Convention celebration on Feb. 9, 2019, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Photo Karim Chambers/IAD
Focus on wholistic health
Pastor Balvin Braham, assistant to the IAD president for evangelism and main organizer of the event, praised the work of hundreds of leaders, local pastors, lay preachers and active church members in the IAD who actively spread the good news of salvation and engage in social projects and health impact activities across dozens of communities.
The focus this quarter is on wholistic health for personal and national transformation, said Braham. “As a church we believe that we have a strong health message that speaks to the whole concept of healthy lifestyle and prevention and we are able to utilize this valuable resource to make a significant difference in the lives of individuals, families, and society at large,” said Braham.
The annual territory-wide celebration was moved earlier this year than it’s usual April event to coincide with the visit of Adventist world church leaders attending the 12th annual Global Leadership Summit Feb. 4-10, 2019. The summit focused on practicing good health. World leaders joined local leaders in taking part in a health expo where hundreds received free health screenings and medical services in Montego Bay.
