From the front lines of mission—straight to your inbox

7dh1763952342639.jpg

fsE1763952331941.jpg

CC71763952320315.jpg

qVm1763952302958.jpg

Related topics Mission Offerings Reach $72.8 Million, Strengthening Worldwide Mission
Church leaders thank members as giving rises nearly 10 percent over the same period last year. Church members’ faithful mission giving continues to grow, with world mission offerings up nearly 10% in 2026, strengthening global outreach, missionaries, schools, churches, and ministries around the world.
Seventh-day Adventists from around the world showed their commitment to sharing the gospel through increased support of mission. According to a report, presented during Annual Council on October 12, mission offerings received by the General Conference (GC) totaled $72.8 million through August 2026, nearly 10 percent higher than the same point last year, according to GC Treasurer Paul Douglas Behind those figures are gifts from church members whose generosity helps sustain missionaries, support schools and churches, and share the gospel in communities around the world. While ongoing mission stories paint a picture of a global church work, in recent years a call to refocus mission efforts on three challenge areas, and more recently to be grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission may be drawing attention to the fact that Christians make up only one third of world population. Presenting the financial report, Douglas pointed to God’s provision amid economic uncertainty. “There are lots of uncertainties around us; lots of economic concerns around us,” he said. “But God has provided the resources we need to mobilize them for His mission.” Resources Shared Around the World World mission offerings provide essential support for ministry in places where local resources are insufficient, Ray Wahlen, GC undertreasurer, explained in an interview. The GC distributes funding to the church’s world divisions, which in turn help support mission within their territories. Depending on local needs and established guidelines, these funds can help build schools, student dormitories, churches, sustain outreach programs, and so much more. They also contribute to the non-tithe portion of subsidies for Adventist colleges and universities and help support media ministries, Wahlen explained. The reach of mission offerings extends beyond individual projects. Regular giving also helps equip and support cross-cultural missionaries and the ministries through which they serve. This shared funding enables work to continue in communities that cannot support it through local giving alone. “We really want to thank the church members around the world who have supported world mission offerings over the years, allowing the church to grow and expand in new areas and reach people for the kingdom,” said Wahlen. Members participate through Sabbath School offerings and other giving plans. In North America, World Budget giving helps support the World Mission Fund while a portion of the Combined Offering plan used in much of the world provides a portion, as well. While the ways offerings are collected vary, the purpose remains the same: sharing resources so the church can carry out its worldwide mission. A Tradition That Continues An early milestone in this shared approach came in 1890, when adults and children contributed Sabbath School offerings to help build the mission ship Pitcairn . The vessel carried three missionary couples to Pitcairn Island, where 82 people were baptized and a church was organized, before continuing its work elsewhere in the South Pacific. Those offerings enabled members who remained at home to participate in taking the gospel overseas. Today, the means of reaching people have multiplied, but the principle of congregations combining their resources for mission remains central to the church’s work. Regular mission offerings help provide continuing support, not simply the funding to launch a new initiative. Schools need resources after their doors open. New congregations need nurturing. Missionaries need support throughout their service. Members’ consistent giving helps sustain that work. For Gary Krause, director of the Office of Adventist Mission, the value of regular mission giving lies in the support it provides across many countries and ministries. “Thank God for church members generously giving their mission offerings every week!” says Krause. “It may not be as glamorous as giving to specific projects. But mission offerings make those projects possible, and they’re like a life-giving river supporting mission around the world.” Get to know the region More Stories Topics

Church members’ faithful mission giving continues to grow, with world mission offerings up nearly 10% in 2026, strengthening global outreach, missionaries, schools, churches, and ministries around the world.

Mission Offerings Reach $72.8 Million, Strengthening Worldwide Mission

Reclaiming a Lost Summer Camp
Friday, July 7, 2023 After only one Friday night service in their building, the Adventist property was confiscated and held by local authorities. A pioneer Adventist tells the challenges of the early days in Montenegro.
The Bay of Kotor [koe-TORE] is dotted with churches, beaches, and fortified towns. Visitors flock to these towns to enjoy nice weather year round. In fact, the country of Montenegro hosts almost triple the amount of visitors than its own population each year! Along the coastline in the town of Zelenika, the Adventist church has operated a summer camp for many years. Illija [illy-yah] was one of the first Adventists to pioneer this area. He remembers the challenges of the early days. “The work was organized here, it started somewhere in the 40s of the last century. The work was met with great resistance by the communist government, So the brothers and sisters who gathered in the houses had a lot of problems. They were forbidden to gather. When the laws loosened a bit and people relaxed a bit, religious services were held in homes and had to be reported. Eventually, the church bought this building here.” After only one Friday night service, the property was confiscated and held by local authorities. Adventist leaders found another property where they started youth camps in the summer, a risky move at a time when this wasn’t allowed. Danilo, who is now the local pastor in Zelenika, remembers attending the camps? as a kid and the influence they had on his decision to live a life of ministry. “On this field, 28 years ago we started youth camps. There were a bunch of tents around, a place for worship, singing, and studying the Bible together. For a number of years, this was the place where youth camp was held.” Almost 35 years later, the church managed to regain ownership of their original property. “So, when communism was overthrown, there was a change of government here in Montenegro. And not long after that, we got back this building that was taken from us.” The existing building on the property has been a venue where youth and children summer camps and mission camps have been organized for decades. This is where many youth have given their hearts to Jesus and been baptized in the nearby sea. But the building, being almost 90 years old, is rapidly deteriorating. It has been patched many times over the years, but has now reached a state beyond restoration. Considering updated health and safety standards, tearing down the existing building and creating a new structure is the best option. This quarter a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering will help restore this property. “As a people of vision, we are looking forward and praying for the new building that can serve not only this area, but also youth and adults all over our union and division year round.” In addition to continuing youth camps, the new structure can be rented to outside groups to provide funds to make it self sufficient. Adventists want to transform it into a center of influence where they can meet the needs of their community. Please pray for this project in Montenegro. Pray that these plans will touch the hearts of this community. Thank you for supporting 13th Sabbath Offering projects like this! More from this quarter Downloads Topics Related topics

After only one Friday night service in their building, the Adventist property was confiscated and held by local authorities. A pioneer Adventist tells the challenges of the early days in Montenegro.

Reclaiming a Lost Summer Camp

Related topics A School for Liberia Darlington's mother was very dedicated to the church, but his father was not so committed. He belonged to a secret society and, when Darlington was 7, he invited the boy to become a member.
To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 4. By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission B. Darlington Teah grew up in a Christian church where his father was a deacon and his mother prayed for ill members. Mother was very dedicated to the church, but Father was not so committed. He belonged to a secret society and, when Darlington was 7, he invited the boy to become a member. “Son, your great-grandfather and other ancestors were members,” he said. “You should join so you can replace me when I die.” But Darlington wasn’t interested in joining the secret society. He knew that members worshipped dead ancestors in the mountains of Liberia. Every so often, Father walked four hours from the village to the mountains to pray and make sacrifices to the ancestors. When it was time to plant crops, Father prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you today because we want to plant our farm, and we want the farm to prosper.” When Mother was pregnant, Father prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you to give our daughter who is bearing a child.” When an illness swept the village, he prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you because of the sickness in our village.” Every time, he sacrificed a chicken and offered plates of white rice to the ancestors. He left the plates and chicken on the ground and returned home. Later, he went back for the plates and, seeing that the food was gone, believed that the ancestors had agreed to honor his prayers. Darlington didn’t have any choice about joining the secret society. He couldn’t say yes or no. But Mother had a say, and she bluntly refused. Whenever Father prepared to go to the mountains, she took the boy to another village. “I want him to become a Christian,” she told Father. Darlington attended Sunday School every week, but he didn’t understand the Bible. When he was a young man, a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist came to the village and spoke about the seventh-day Sabbath. Darlington read about the Sabbath in the Bible for the first time, and he asked the Sunday pastor to explain whether Saturday or Sunday was the correct day. The Sunday pastor could not show any Bible verses that supported Sunday worship. “My son, the seventh day is the Sabbath,” the pastor said. “We worship on Sunday to remember Christ’s resurrection.” Darlington wanted to follow the Bible, and he was baptized into the Adventist Church. Father wasn’t pleased with the decision because he knew that it meant his son would never worship their ancestors. Mother was happy that her son loved God. Darlington longed to become a pastor, and he prayed about it constantly. The Adventist Church didn’t have a seminary in Liberia, so he would have to travel to Ghana or Nigeria to study theology. Knowing that his parents didn’t have money to help him, he worked hard to save money for tuition. Civil war interrupted his efforts and, in the 1990s, he entered politics and was elected to the national parliament. He thought, “If I can’t save money to study theology abroad, I can at least establish an Adventist seminary in Liberia so young people can study here.” A year after his election, he sponsored a bill creating the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. After six years in parliament, he left amid strong pressure to accept bribes and to join secret societies. He enrolled in theology classes at the Adventist University of West Africa. Today, Darlington is a pastor and the president of the South-East Liberia Mission, which will receive part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to construct a K-6 school in the city of Buchanan. “I am very thankful that the Lord has called me to work in His service in preparing people for His soon coming,” Darlington said. Thank you for planning a generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to construct an elementary school in Buchanan, Liberia, to replace a school destroyed in Liberia’s civil war.  Story Tips Watch Darlington on YouTube: bit.ly/Darlington-Teah . Download photos on Facebook bit.ly/fb-mq or ADAMS databank ( bit.ly/school-for-liberia ). Download photos of Thirteenth Sabbath projects: bit.ly/WAD-2020 . Mission Post The GC Daily Bulletin of Oct. 24, 1889, referred to “Bro. Gaston from Liberia, who recently embraced the truth, and has gone back to his country to sow the seeds of precious truth among his kindred.” In reporting his 1892 visit to West Africa at the January 1893 General Conference Session, Lawrence C. Chadwick appealed for a missionary to be sent to open a mission “at or near the home of Brother Gaston” (GC Daily Bulletin 5:2, Jan. 29, 1893). However, Liberia had to wait another 33 years for the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionaries. On April 30, 1930, the first four Adventist converts were baptized at Seahn. Among them was Willie Helbig, who later became the first Liberian ordained minister. About 85.5 percent of Liberia’s population practices Christianity, and Muslims comprise 12.2 percent of the population, mostly Malikite Sunni, with sizeable Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities.  More Youth & Adult Mission Stories Topics

Darlington's mother was very dedicated to the church, but his father was not so committed. He belonged to a secret society and, when Darlington was 7, he invited the boy to become a member.

A School for Liberia

Related topics Adventist Visit With Angolan Leader Takes National Spotlight
It is an answer to prayer for a church leader who was falsely accused of corruption. It is an answer to prayer for a church leader who was falsely accused of corruption.
By Andrew McChesney Seventh-day Adventist Church leader Ted N.C. Wilson sought to meet Angola’s president to thank him for intervening in a horrific case in which six Adventists were falsely accused of kidnapping and extortion. But he and other church leaders say the Holy Spirit blessed the presidential meeting exceedingly abundantly above all that they could ask or think by using it to put a national spotlight on the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the power of prayer, and the importance of claiming God’s Word in everyday life. The meeting — during which Wilson prayed for the president and turned to the Bible to encourage him in a war on corruption — resulted in major coverage on television channels and front-page headlines in newspapers. For one of the six falsely accused Adventists, it was an answer to prayer. “From the day that I was put in prison, I prayed that God would use the situation to glorify His name to all Angola,” said Burns Musa Sibanda, treasurer of the North-Eastern Angola Union Mission, who spent 62 days in prison. “God has done just that.” President João Lourenço welcomed Wilson and a small delegation of church leaders to the presidential palace, and Wilson expressed gratitude on behalf of the Adventist Church for his role in the vindication of the six Adventists. “We thanked him for his intervention in the terrible, false accusations against some of our church leaders who ended up in jail,” Wilson said after the Feb. 13 meeting. “He helped them overcome the corruption in the system so they were liberated.” Four pastors, including Sibanda, and two laymen were falsely accused of kidnapping and extortion in a case that church leaders and the government have linked to epidemic corruption in the country. One of the laymen died after being brutally assaulted in police custody in an attempt to force him to testify against the others. Angola’s Supreme Court fully acquitted the Adventists in 2019 . Lourenço, who spoke warmly about the Adventist Church’s efforts to lift Angolan society, listened gravely as Wilson extended his thanks. “I remember the case,” he said. Angolan authorities have opened an investigation into the false accusations. Several government officials have lost their jobs, but no one has been charged. Story continues below Footage from two television reports about Seventh-day Adventist Church president Ted N.C. Wilson’s visit with Angolan President João Lourenço in Luanda, Angola, on Feb. 13, 2020. War on Corruption Wilson also thanked Lourenço for cracking down on corruption and urged him to keep up the fight, saying, “God is on your side.” With Lourenço’s consent, he shared three Bible verses, including Philippians 4:8, which he said would offer special encouragement in his fight against corruption. He read, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” The 30-minute meeting ended with Wilson praying for Lourenço, his family, the government, and the people of Angola. National television channels featured the meeting on their news broadcasts that night and on regular news bulletins throughout the next day, emphasizing Wilson’s encouragement in the fight against corruption and highlighting the Bible verses that he shared with the president. At least one news program showed Wilson praying with the gaggle of journalists who interviewed him after the meeting with the president. The day after the meeting, the main front-page headline in the country’s largest newspaper, Jornal de Angola, read, “Adventist World Church Leader Backs Fight Against Corruption.” The accompanying news article quoted the entire text of Philippians 4:8. Church leaders who accompanied Wilson on the visit praised God for the outcome. “This was good,”said Solomon Maphosa, president of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. “God is good.” “The was a very, very important meeting,” said Justino Junior Paulo, president of the North-Eastern Angola Union Mission. “It was important that he gave a Bible study and prayed with the president.” Follow Pastor Ted Wilson's trip on Facebook More Visits and a Stadium Wilson also expressed appreciation to the country’s attorney general, Hélder Pitta Grós; parliamentary speaker, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos; and interior minister, Eugénio César Laborinho, for their assistance in the case of the falsely accused Adventists. At each of the three meetings on Feb. 14, Wilson shared verses from the Bible and prayed with the leaders. Ganoune Diop, director of the Adventist world church’s department for public affairs and religious liberty, said he was grateful to God for the support and work of the attorney general and ministers during four trips to Angola during the ordeal. “I still keep praying that our Lord will help our brothers and their family heal from this traumatic experience,” he said via WhatsApp. Wilson, recounting the government meetings during his Sabbath sermon to 35,000 people gathered in a sports stadium, called on all Adventists to be honest and mission-minded. He noted that the instigators of the false accusations were Adventists. “The people who made false accusations need to fall on their knees and ask God for forgiveness,” he said. “They need to fall on their knees and ask forgiveness from those whom they have hurt.” “It doesn’t matter which tribe you come from, which local language you speak, or which people group you are from,” he added, according to a summary of his sermon on his Facebook page . “All of us who love Jesus are one in the Lord, and we ought to be focused on one thing: the mission of the church. Do not tear down other people or claim your rights. Instead look to Jesus and His mission. I want to ask all of you in Angola to unite in the mission of telling others that Jesus is coming soon!” Read other stories from Pastor Wilson's three-week trip: On Adventist appeal, Angola reviews Sabbath exams Ted Wilson touts TMI to Malawi’s president Ted Wilson prays with Ghana's president World church leaders back creation of leadership institute Adventist school expands drastically in Jordan Comforting a Family On Sabbath afternoon, Wilson comforted the widow and other family members of João Alfredo Dala, the Adventist layman who died at age 45 from internal injuries suffered as a result of the violent police interrogation. “Our hearts are heavy,” he said. “He died as a martyr for Jesus. He is a hero. God knows the future, and I believe that he will be resurrected again. We want you to know on behalf of the world church family that you are in our prayers that your sacrifice has been beyond what most people endure. God will bless you. Know that our hearts beat in harmony with you.” The church has plans to create a trust fund for the widow and her 10 children. Sibanda, the union treasurer, who was jailed for 62 days, also described Dala as a martyr for Jesus. “If he had agreed to tell a lie against us as he had been asked to do by the authorities, we would still be in prison,” he said. “I owe him the freedom that I am enjoying today.” More Stories Topics

It is an answer to prayer for a church leader who was falsely accused of corruption.

Adventist Visit With Angolan Leader Takes National Spotlight

Related topics On Adventist Appeal, Angola Reviews Sabbath Exams
Church president secures pledges from Angola's president and parliamentary speaker. Church president secures pledges from Angola's president and parliamentary speaker.
By Andrew McChesney Angola’s president and parliamentary speaker agreed to consider excusing Seventh-day Adventist students from Sabbath exams in state universities and other public schools at the request of church president Ted N.C. Wilson. A crowd of 35,000 Adventists shouted and clapped with joy when Wilson announced the government’s pledge during a Sabbath sermon in a sports stadium in Angola’s capital, Luanda. Sabbath observance is a major challenge for many Adventist students in the African country. Wilson raised the issue of Sabbath exams during a 30-minute meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço in the presidential palace on Feb. 13. Thanking the president for the religious freedom provided to Angolans, he said the country would contribute further to the development of society by extending freedom of conscience to everyone. “It’s a matter of morals and freedom of conscience,” he said. He pointed out that many of the church’s 650,000 members in Angola are young. An estimated 80 percent of the 210,000 baptized Adventists in Luanda alone are under the age of 30. Lourenço, who opened the meeting by thanking Wilson for the Adventist Church’s efforts to lift up society, agreed to take a serious look at rescheduling Saturday exams. A Christian himself, he suggested that the exams could be moved to Friday or Monday for Adventist students. Wilson made a second appeal over Sabbath classes while meeting in the parliamentary building with Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, president of the National Assembly. During the Feb. 14 meeting in the speaker’s ornate office, Wilson mentioned that he had spoken about a Sabbath reprieve with Lourenço a day earlier. Follow Pastor Ted Wilson's trip on Facebook 'We Will Do Our Best' Piedade said the issue was complicated and required research, but he called the request timely, noting that a senior lawmaker responsible for drafting religious legislation was present at the meeting. The lawmaker and a second man took careful notes as he spoke. “We will do our best,” said Piedade, a veteran politician who previously served as Angola’s vice president and prime minister. “Give us time.” Wilson made the request after, with Piedade’s consent, sharing a Bible verse and praying with him. Wilson encouraged Piedade to trust in God in his life and to claim Nahum 1:7, which says, “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” Piedade was visibly moved by the prayer, and he thanked Wilson profusely for asking God to bless and guide him, his family, his work, and Angola, “Angola has many problems and needs prayer,” he said. Pausing, he chuckled and added, “I also read the Bible.” He said he especially likes Psalm 91. Speaking in an interview, Wilson said he was encouraged by the response from Angola’s leaders, and he credited the Holy Spirit for inspiring him to bring up the issue in the first place. Sabbath exams were not on the agenda at any of the meetings, which church leaders had sought to thank the leaders for interceding on behalf of four Adventist pastors and two others falsely accused of a crime . Read other stories from Pastor Wilson's three-week trip: Adventist visit with Angolan leader takes national spotlight Ted Wilson touts TMI to Malawi’s president Ted Wilson prays with Ghana's president World church leaders back creation of leadership institute Adventist school expands drastically in Jordan Overjoyed Crowd A massive multitude gathered for the Sabbath worship service in Estádio 11 de Novembro stadium roared and burst into applause when Wilson spoke about his conversation about Sabbath exams with the president. “Let’s pray that our students will be able to take Sabbath exams on another day of the week,” Wilson said in his sermon, according to a summary posted on his Facebook page . Wilson’s appeal resonated with Adventists worldwide who were following his trip on Facebook. “Thank you for lending your voice to the appeal against Sabbath exams and things pertaining to Adventists in Angola,” Chioma Eti, of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, wrote on Wilson’s Facebook page. Nigeria is among the countries were Sabbath exams and classes have been a challenge for Adventists. “Thank[s] be to God for letting you intervene for the people of Angola, especially on the issues of Sabbath exams. God bless you,” wrote Patrick Kwaku Mensah of Kumasi, Ghana. Wilson has spoken previously about Sabbath exams with heads of state. In 2018, he raised the issue during talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and, within 24 hours, Museveni tweeted that exams would no longer be held on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays so people of all faiths could keep their holy days. In Angola, the Adventist Church has few schools for its members, leaving many with few options other than public schools. Hoping to change that, church leaders broke the ground for the first Adventist institution of higher education in Luanda during Wilson’s visit.The technical college, ISPAL, will offer business and computer courses and may open in 2022. More Stories Topics

Church president secures pledges from Angola's president and parliamentary speaker.

On Adventist Appeal, Angola Reviews Sabbath Exams

More from this quarter Related topics Stalin Murdered My Grandfather
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 The Adventist Mission director for the Euro-Asia Division shares his father's faith and consequence thereof.
 Downloads Topics

The Adventist Mission director for the Euro-Asia Division shares his father's faith and consequence thereof.

Stalin Murdered My Grandfather

Cambodia Under Fire: Missionary Memories
Wednesday, July 31, 2019 During the 1970's, a young missionary couple went to Cambodia during a turbulent time in the country's history. Join us as G.T. and Ivy Ng revisit Cambodia and Vietnam after many years.



Image Attribution:

Steve Dunne

Gary Wagner

USAF / CC-BY-SA-3.0

USAF/ Ken Hackman / CC-BY-SA-3.0

© User:Example / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
 Downloads Topics Related topics More from this quarter

During the 1970's, a young missionary couple went to Cambodia during a turbulent time in the country's history. Join us as G.T. and Ivy Ng revisit Cambodia and Vietnam after many years.



Image Attribution:

Steve Dunne

Gary Wagner

USAF / CC-BY-SA-3.0

USAF/ Ken Hackman / CC-BY-SA-3.0

© User:Example / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Cambodia Under Fire: Missionary Memories

Related topics No School? Join Parliament to Build One
Meet the pastor behind the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia. Meet the pastor behind the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia.
By Andrew McChesney B. Darlington Teah grew up in a Christian church where his father was a deacon and his mother prayed for ill members. Mother was very dedicated to the church, but Father was not so committed. He belonged to a secret society and, when Darlington was 7, he invited the boy to become a member. “Son, your great-grandfather and other ancestors were members,” he said. “You should join so you can replace me when I die.” But Darlington wasn’t interested in joining the secret society. He knew that members worshipped dead ancestors in the mountains of Liberia. Every so often, Father walked four hours from the village to the mountains to pray and make sacrifices to the ancestors. When it was time to plant crops, Father prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you today because we want to plant our farm, and we want the farm to prosper.” When Mother was pregnant, Father prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you to give our daughter who is bearing a child.” When an illness swept the village, he prayed, “O ancestors, we have come to you because of the sickness in our village.” Every time, he sacrificed a chicken and offered plates of white rice to the ancestors. He left the plates and chicken on the ground and returned home. Later, he went back for the plates and, seeing that the food was gone, believed that the ancestors had agreed to honor his prayers. Darlington didn’t have any choice about joining the secret society. He couldn’t say yes or no. But Mother had a say, and she bluntly refused. Whenever Father prepared to go to the mountains, she took the boy to another village. “I want him to become a Christian,” she told Father. Darlington attended Sunday School every week, but he didn’t understand the Bible. When he was a young man, a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist came to the village and spoke about the seventh-day Sabbath. Darlington read about the Sabbath in the Bible for the first time, and he asked the Sunday pastor to explain whether Saturday or Sunday was the correct day. The Sunday pastor could not show any Bible verses that supported Sunday worship. “My son, the seventh day is the Sabbath,” the pastor said. “We worship on Sunday to remember Christ’s resurrection.” Darlington wanted to follow the Bible, and he was baptized into the Adventist Church. Father wasn’t pleased with the decision because he knew that it meant his son would never worship their ancestors. Mother was happy that her son loved God. Darlington longed to become a pastor, and he prayed about it constantly. The Adventist Church didn’t have a seminary in Liberia, so he would have to travel to Ghana or Nigeria to study theology. Knowing that his parents didn’t have money to help him, he worked hard to save money for tuition. Civil war interrupted his efforts and, in the 1990s, he entered politics and was elected to the national parliament. He thought, “If I can’t save money to study theology abroad, I can at least establish an Adventist seminary in Liberia so young people can study here.” A year after his election, he sponsored a bill creating the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. After six years in parliament, he left amid strong pressure to accept bribes and to join secret societies. He enrolled in theology classes at the Adventist University of West Africa. Today, Darlington is a pastor and the president of the South-East Liberia Mission, which will receive part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to construct a K-6 school in the city of Buchanan. “I am very thankful that the Lord has called me to work in His service in preparing people for His soon coming,” Darlington said. B. Darlington Teah says he chose not to join a secret society because it would not be biblical to do so. (Andrew McChesney / Adventist Mission) Part of the third quarter 2020 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help to construct an elementary school in Buchanan, Liberia, to replace a school destroyed in Liberia’s civil war. More Stories Topics

Meet the pastor behind the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia.

No School? Join Parliament to Build One

Related topics Peru’s Parliamentary Speaker Honors Ted Wilson
“I am only a servant of God,” Adventist Church president replies. “I am only a servant of God,” Adventist Church president replies.
By Andrew McChesney Peru’s parliamentary speaker presented Seventh-day Adventist Church president Ted N.C. Wilson with an official certificate for making a positive contribution to Peruvian society, and Wilson immediately declared that the honor represents the commitment of faithful church members in Peru and around the world. Daniel Salaverry, whose official title is Congress president, welcomed Wilson and other church leaders to a 20-minute meeting in his ornate chambers in the sprawling marble national parliament building in Peru’s capital, Lima. Wilson spoke about the Adventist Church’s hospitals and schools in Peru, and a plan by the country’s oldest Adventist university, Peruvian Union University, to celebrate its 100thanniversary by distributing 2 million copies of a book on building better families. Salaverry expressed a familiarity with the Adventist Church’s work. “What your church has done has created value for Peru,” he said. He bestowed an official “certificate of honor” on Wilson in recognition of the church leader’s “religious work and contribution to improve the livelihood of individuals and families” in Peru. Wilson was visibly touched by the gesture, and he thanked Salaverry. “I am only a servant of God,” he said. “May this represent the commitment of the entire Seventh-day Adventist Church. May this represent our commitment to the values of the Bible.” Opening his Bible to Micah 6:8, he read, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (NKJV). He encouraged Salaverry to practice those biblical principles of justice, mercy, and humility. “I present this beautiful citation to you as you have presented something beautiful to me,” he said. Story resumes below See more photos and details on Pastor Ted Wilson's Facebook page Also from this trip, read: Ted Wilson Appeals to 52,000 to Have Beautiful Feet in Peru Ted Wilson Points Brazilian Governor to God 2,400 Literature Evangelists Proclaim Christ's Righteousness He’s No Pastor in Uruguay. He’s Simply ‘Carlos’ Paraguay’s Vice President Takes Bible Verse to Heart Salaverry also gave a certificate to Erton Köhler, president of the South American Division. Among the others in attendance were Wilson’s wife, Nancy; Köhler’s wife, Adriene; Magdiel Pérez Schulz, assistant to the world church president; Bill Quispe, president of the North Peru Union Mission; and Enzo Chávez, president of the South Peru Union Mission; and Edgardo Muguerza, education director of the North Peru Union Mission. Pastor Köhler prayed for Salaverry and the country of Peru. The Adventist delegation then presented Salaverry and his team with copies of the church’s 2019 missionary book “Hope for Today’s Families,” written by Willie and Elaine Oliver, directors of the family ministries department of the Adventist world church. The meeting took place on May 3, a day before thousands of church members distributed 2 million copies of the book in Lima. Peru’s parliament posted a photo of Salaverry, Wilson, and others holding copies of the book on Twitter. “Congress President Daniel Salaverry received Seventh-day Adventist Church world president Ted Wilson and church leader for South America, Erton Köhler, as part of Peruvian Union University’s 100th anniversary celebrations,” it tweeted to its nearly half million followers. Earlier May 3, Wilson and his team also met with a group of parliamentary lawmakers and encouraged with prayer, a promise of wisdom found in James 1:5, and copies of the book. Salaverry was among several politicians with whom Wilson met during a two-week trip through six countries of the South American Division. He also shared Bible promises and prayers with Paraguay’s vice president, a Brazilian governor, a Brazilian mayor, and the incoming mayors of Guayaquil and another city in Ecuador. The April 21-May 5 trip mainly aimed to inspire church members to be faithful and to actively proclaim the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 that Jesus is coming soon. In Ecuador, Wilson spoke with pastors and large crowds of church members at separate meetings in the capital, Quito, and the coastal city of Guayaquil, which the South American Division has designated at its Mission to the Cities outreach project for One Year in Mission volunteer missionaries in 2020. In Peru, he also inaugurated the new headquarters of Central South Peru Mission in Lima and sang an impromptu song with a men’s quartet called Asaf before speaking at a Friday evening worship service. On Sabbath, he preached at a new 5,000-seat church at Peruvian Union University and later addressed 52,000 people in a Lima stadium. In a first, Wilson posted live updates of his unfolding trip on Facebook and Twitter. “Thank you for having been with us for these past two weeks,” he said in a final video post outside the Lima airport on May 5. “Until the next time we are ready to interact and take another trip together, may God bless you as you participate in doing something for Jesus in a powerful way, helping everyone around you to know that Christ’s righteousness reigns in your heart and that soon Jesus will return to take us home. May God bless you as you engage in Total Member Involvement.” More Stories Topics

“I am only a servant of God,” Adventist Church president replies.

Peru’s Parliamentary Speaker Honors Ted Wilson

Related topics Ted Wilson Points Brazilian Governor to God
Adventist Church president also observes the South Brazil Union Conference’s “Each One Saving One” program in action. Adventist Church president also observes the South Brazil Union Conference’s “Each One Saving One” program in action.
By Andrew McChesney Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, invited the governor of Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul to seek wisdom from God in handling a regional economic crisis, and the governor thanked the Adventist Church for improving people’s lives in his state. The gubernatorial meeting came as Wilson made a two-day visit to southern Brazil, where he also observed the South Brazil Union Conference’s “Each One Saving One” program in action with stops at three urban centers of influence, three schools, three conference and mission offices, and two churches. Governor Eduardo Leite ushered Wilson into his ornate marbled office in the state’s capital, Porto Alegre, and smiled wryly when Wilson remarked about the elegance of his Greco-Roman-style headquarters. Leite, 34, said the massive building was constructed years before his state sank into billions of dollars of debt to the federal government. “With the fiscal crisis, we have less power to help the population, so we need your help as the church to help the people,” said Leite, who was elected governor in 2018. He expressed gratitude for the work that the church does for communities through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and other programs. With the governor’s consent, Wilson opened his Bible to Nahum 1:7, which provides a solution to all crises and reads, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (NKJV). “You are facing here a real financial crisis, and you need all the help you can get,” Wilson said. “If you place your trust in God as a stronghold, He will give you wisdom and insight.” Leite replied that he was learning to trust in God. He recalled encountering difficulties as chief of staff to the mayor of Pelotas, a city of 350,000 people located 170 miles (270 kilometers) south of Porto Alegre. He said that finding answers had been as simple as opening the door of the mayor’s office, which was located beside his chief-of-staff office. But when Leite was elected city mayor in 2013, he suddenly realized that he had no door to open for help. Motioning to an office window, Leite told Wilson that he looks at a neighboring cathedral whenever he faces seemingly unresolvable challenges. “I tell people, ‘Here is the door. That is what I look to,’” he said. “I look to God for wisdom, and I hope that He is with me so I can do things correctly.” See more photos and details on Pastor Ted Wilson's Facebook page Also from this trip, read: Peru’s Parliamentary Speaker Honors Ted Wilson Ted Wilson Appeals to 52,000 to Have Beautiful Feet in Peru 2,400 Literature Evangelists Proclaim Christ’s Righteousness He’s No Pastor in Uruguay. He’s Simply ‘Carlos’ Paraguay’s Vice President Takes Bible Verse to Heart Trusting in God Wilson emphasized that solutions come to those who place their trust in God. “God is that stronghold, and you can open the door and ask for wisdom anytime,” he said. “James 1:5 tells us, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.’ I claim this text every day.” Most of the meeting was in English, which the governor speaks fluently, but he and Wilson also enjoyed a conversation in French. Leite learned French while studying in France’s Normandy region, while Wilson served as a church leader for nine years in French-speaking Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa. Also present at the meeting were Erton Köhler, president of the South American Division; Magdiel Pérez Schulz, assistant to the General Conference president; Marlinton Souza Lopes, president of the South Brazil Union Conference; the local ADRA director; and several others. At the end of the April 26 talks, Wilson and the group presented the governor with several Christian books and a bottle of pure grape juice produced by Superbom, an Adventist-owned Brazilian food giant. He also prayed for Leite, his work, and Rio Grande do Sul state. Southern Brazil was Wilson’s fourth stop on a two-week trip that started in Paraguay on April 21 and also included Uruguay and a brief stop in Argentina. In Paraguay, Wilson won a pledge from the country’s vice president to apply the principles of Micah 6:8 to his personal life and work. He also will visit Ecuador and Peru. In Porto Alegre, Wilson visited two Centro de Vida Saudavel urban centers of influence that offer healthy cooking classes, language courses, and other community programs. One of the centers, located in the city’s north, has baptized 31 people and planted two churches in the past two years. Wilson prayed at one of those churches, which has 500 seats. The other Centro de Vida Saudavel site, located in the city center, is near a church-owned bookstore and health food store that also serves as an urban center of influence. Also in southern Brazil, Wilson encouraged 1,500 people gathered at the Adventist Institute of Southern Cross in Taquara, a city located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Porto Alegre, to be faithful in their Christian witness to others. “You might say, ‘I’m not a preacher,’” he said. “But everyone is a preacher. By your life and actions, you are preaching a sermon.” Also from this trip, read: Paraguay’s Vice President Takes Bible Verse to Heart He’s No Pastor in Uruguay. He’s Simply ‘Carlos’ 2,400 Literature Evangelists Proclaim Christ’s Righteousness Cradle of Adventism In Passos, Brazil’s cradle of Adventism, he spoke at the newly built Fazenda Passos Seventh-day Adventist Church and visited a neighboring church school, museum, and cemetery. The cemetery contains the grave of José Amador dos Reis, the first ordained Adventist pastor in Brazil, who received his credentials in 1920. Ivo Souza Adventist School, which opened 112 years ago, is the longest continually operating Adventist school in Brazil and has 150 students ages 4 to 14. Wilson also visited a church school in Porto Alegre and spoke with pastors at the three different church headquarters: the Rio Grande do Sul Conference, the Central Rio Grande do Sul Conference, and the North Rio Grande do Sul Mission, which is to be organized into a conference later in 2019. He spent at evening conversing with 17 young missionaries with the world church’s One Year in Mission initiative. The young people, representing the eight countries of the South American Division, are spreading the gospel for a year in Porto Alegre, which has a population of 1.4 million. The division choses a major city every year for One Year in Mission volunteers, and Porto Alegre was its target city for 2019. Souza Lopes, president of the South Brazil Union Conference, expressed appreciation for Wilson’s visit, saying it had inspired church members and lifted up the union’s “Each One Saving One” program, which is inspired by the world church’s Total Member Involvement initiative. “This visit was important for the unity of the church,” he said, noting that the last world church president to visit southern Brazil was Wilson’s father, Neal C. Wilson, who served from 1979 to 1990. “Most of our church members joined the church over the past 10 years and didn’t know much about our worldwide church,” he said in an interview. “Now they have learned that the church is the same all over the world and that our president is a normal person just like us. He is very kind, very spiritual, and has improved our spirituality through God’s grace.” More Stories Topics

Adventist Church president also observes the South Brazil Union Conference’s “Each One Saving One” program in action.

Ted Wilson Points Brazilian Governor to God

email

FIRSTNAME