Seventh-day Adventist leaders from the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) and the Inter-American Division (IAD) traveled to Nassau where they visited leaders and members during a two-day tour on April 12th-13th, 2024. They accommodated a request from SID leaders to see how the mission of the church is accomplished in the Inter-American Division territory. 

Henry expressed, “We are very happy, delighted to be here in the Atlantic Caribbean Union. We received the request from the Southern African-Indian Ocean Division. We thought that among the 24 unions of the Inter-American Division, let’s go to the closest one. We came to visit the church in Nassau in particular. And we are here in the South Bahamas Conference. We have the opportunity to be with the church, see the church in action here in the South Bahamas Conference. And we praise the Lord for the opportunity to be with you.” 

Pastor Harrington Akombwa, president of SID, said that to see what was done in the territory was history-in-the-making for the leaders of SID.

Akombwa said, “We are grateful that we have been here for the last three to four days, and what do I say about our visit. I think it’s more or less like the story of the Queen of Sheba who went to visit King Solomon. When she got over there the half was not told, that has been our experience. Not only that we have been well received, but it’s what we saw on the ground. I think the church needs to really pay attention to what is happening in this division. It is a good example to the world church, and no wonder even [the] membership is growing.” 

Leaders arrived in New Providence, The Bahamas, home to ATCU’s headquarters as well as home to the South Bahamas Conference on April 12.  They first visited  Bahamas Academy, where they were welcomed by the school’s band, taken on a tour of the campus facilities, given produce grown in the school’s garden, and updated on the school’s development plans. Leaders also saw the church in action on Apr. 13 when they attended a national evangelistic outreach campaign underway on the island. Pastor Henry expressed excitement about the passion and fervor demonstrated by the membership during the evangelistic meeting and the way the gospel was being preached in the territory. 

Henry said, “Today we have seen the church in worship and evangelism, extraordinary. And we know what you do in the service to the community, three main priorities of the Inter-American Division. We realize that you are really a making an action, the plan, the strategic plan we have for the Inter-American Division. Once again, we are thrilled to see you proclaiming the word of God, because it’s important to let the world know that Jesus is the only answer we have.” 

Leaders also attended a joint service of several Adventist Haitian Creole churches on the island, at the Grants Town Seventh-day Adventist Church where Pastor Akombwa shared an invigorating message with the members. 

Akombwa said, “Today I had the privilege of preaching at the French speaking church, full of life. And you can see that the church is like this definitely in bound to grow. So, it’s been a very great honor for me and my colleague Gideon to have been afforded the chance to come and see what is going on here, and we go away enriched.” 

The leaders reportedly were enthused by the ministry in the South Bahamas Conference and challenged the members to not give up on evangelism.

Akombwa continued, “When we came over here, we found you in the very act of evangelism, and that’s the reason why the church exists. You don’t talk evangelism, you do evangelism. The French church where I went today, they just finished their crusade and when we got here, we found that big tent. Anyone passing by the road will actually ask, ‘What is going on here?’ So pitching up tents, something that others think that, those are old-fashioned ways of doing evangelism we are living in a modern age so we need to change. I would like to repeat what I said earlier on, when you are doing something that is good and is paying off, don’t just change for the sake of changing. Yes, let’s bring other means of doing evangelism, but let’s not let go of that which has paid dividends.” 

Henry said, “Let us continue, united in preaching the gospel. Stay strong in Jesus. I saw a strong church. I see members who are looking for Jesus and trying to do their best to move ahead with the call the global church gave us. That word, I will go. I see you saying, ‘I will go’. So, keep up the good work be strong in Jesus, he is coming soon.”


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