Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in Argentina, along with colleagues from the South American Division, met for a quinquennial business session on December 8 and 9 in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, the nation’s capital.
Since the Adventist message first reached Argentina in 1894, the movement has grown substantially and has made an impact throughout the nation. Now, every five years at the business session, leaders of the church’s administrative regions, as well as its institutions and delegates, the latter made up of church members representing each Association and Mission, evaluate what has been done in the previous five years and the administrative team of the Union and the Missions are formed for the next five years.
The congress had the guidance and guidance of Pastor Erton Köhler, president of the Adventist Church in South America in the formation of an organizing committee and the subsequent voting.
Under the authorization of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and following strict health protocols, the congress had moments of technical references, but also emotional moments. Men and women who dedicated their lives to the service of God and who had passed to their rest were remembered in a video presentation.
Pastor Edward Heidinger, secretary of the Adventist Church in South America, gave the first day’s spiritual message. He highlighted two necessary elements that the Holy Spirit gives us: Freedom and humility. “God wants us to have the humility to listen and be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. By the grace of God we will leave this place confident, knowing that it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit,” Heidinger said.
On the second day, Pastor Bruno Raso, vice president of the Adventist Church in South America, had the morning message and highlighted four pillars of the life of the Apostle Paul: purpose, identity, mission, and passion. “Paul's life had a purpose. Since his encounter with Christ, he asked himself: what do you want me to do? For Paul, the mission was his passion. This led him to transcend all difficulties,” Bruno stated.
During the Congress, the actions of the last five years carried out by the Adventist Church in Argentina were shared with attendees. Also, there were presentations from the national branch of the Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA) and t the Universidad Adventista del Plata, and the Instituto Superior Adventista de Misiones, as well as health institutions Clínica Adventista Belgrano, and the Sanatorio Adventista del Plata.
Another of the special moments was the baptisms of Miryam Bareiro, who returned to the church with her husband Daniel Vega, who found Jesus after participating in the last months of a marriage-focused small group. By the grace of God, Daniel dedicated his life to God during the Congress. Karina Urcola, who returned to the Church after taking interactive online Bible studies during the pandemic, was also baptized during the Congress. And, the baptism of Sandra Esquivel, a 17-year-old girl, reflected the work of a church determined to carry out the mission, including giving Bible studies over the phone with her parents. Today, she is sharing her faith with other friends and at her home, on Saturday afternoons, she runs a children's Bible class coordinated by her and her parents who have just finished their Bible studies.
Retiring Pastors Darío Bruno and Iván Samojlúk were recognized for the work carried out during so many years of ministry, not only in Argentina but in various countries, as in the case of Pastor Iván. “Pastor Iván, I know you are going to keep saying: I'm going. When Christ comes, God will put a crown on your head, one that will be incorruptible. God bless you in this new stage,” mentioned Pastor Bruno Raso.
In the final Congress session, Köhler said: “Our gratitude to God for this team that was formed to serve the Church. May this new team seek the help of the Holy Spirit and, through them, continue to grow in Argentina. We hope that all members of the church can say ‘I am going’ to do the best for the church and the world."
As the program concluded, Pastor Darío Caviglione, named president of the Adventist Church in Argentina for the next five years, challenged those present to move forward together and unified. “There is no way to grow faster and stronger if we don't unite more. With humility we will continue to do our best, depending more on the Lord than on ourselves. We must remain integrated and united, with the mission of growing more than we have been able to do so far. Just like the pioneers, we need to be the first to say: ‘I'm coming,’” concluded Caviglione.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Spanish site