This year will make one hundred years since the Inter-American Division (IAD) was officially organized as an administrative region of the Seventh-day Adventist World Church. It was established for the purpose of fulfilling the mission of preaching the gospel in the forty-two countries and territories that comprise it.
When it was organized, there were 8,146 members and 221 churches. Today, there are 23,817 churches and groups where more than 3,700,000 members gather to worship. In 1922, the Church was administered through two unions (administrative regions) and twelve local fields. Today, twenty-four unions (administrative regions) and 156 local fields give oversight to fulfilling the mission and carrying out the evangelistic program of the IAD.
To celebrate this 100th milestone, the IAD has organized several activities throughout 2022. Among them is the Centenary Celebration Family Worship Day. Because the IAD recognizes the importance of the home and the family in the lives of human beings, the IAD Centenary Celebration Committee has set aside April 15, 2022, as the day when Adventist families across the division will be asked to gather their families for Friday evening worship and invite their friends and neighbors to join them as they welcome the Sabbath at the set of sun.
As one of the 24 unions (administrative regions) of the IAD, members across the Atlantic Caribbean Union (ATCU) will actively engage in celebrating the IAD Centenary Friday Evening Family Vesper Service.
Pastor Peter Kerr, president of ATCU, stated, “In every Adventist home and family in ATCU, members of the household will gather to celebrate and welcome the Sabbath and seek God’s blessings upon us and our families. It is to be a celebratory event that will have a significant spiritual impact on all in attendance.”
In celebrating this special Centenary Family Worship to affirm the value of the family, families can consider incorporating four activities to enhance this family-togetherness experience.
1. A time for worship when families take the time to sing favorite hymns.
2. A time for thanksgiving when those gathered in worship remember the blessings of God towards the family members and all others apart of the vesper worship experience.
3. A time for consecration when everyone reviews the gifts God has given each family member and inviting each person to renew their vows of consecration to God.
4. A time for prayer when participants take the time to pray for the requests of everyone gathered for the worship.
Pastor Michael Smith, Family Ministries director for ATCU, is encouraging all members in ATCU to make this a time for family togetherness. “Our hope is for families to pause and take this time to come together and reflect on how God has guided them over the years. As they share this time together, we know it will bind families closer to God and each other. The strength of our nation is the family, and this time of family togetherness can only help to enhance the social fabric of the countries that comprise ATCU.”
With a membership of 33,130, ATCU, which is headquartered in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas, comprises four fields, namely, the Cayman Islands Conference, the North Bahamas Conference, the South Bahamas Conference, and the Turks and Caicos Islands Conference. In addition, Northern Caribbean University, which is located in Mandeville, Jamaica, is jointly owned and operated by ATCU and the Jamaica Union.