Two things characterized the 2013 SID Leadership Summit – February 5, 2013:
- A Commitment to the reading of God’s Word, the Holy Bible. This is a regular practice throughout the entire SID Territory. Seventh-day Adventists, together with others are enriched and blessed with the systematic reading of God’s Word following the Revived by His Word initiative of the World church. Indeed, God’s Word has an inherent power to change lives.
- Secondly, prayer is not only foundational for Christian growth and service, in the Southern Africa Indian Ocean Division, it is recognized as the hallmark of all great leaders. When Dr Araujo, Vice-President of SID, knelt to prayer, just before the morning devotion, it was clear that the strength of Leaders that God uses is not evident when they stand up but instead when they kneel down. Prayer is more than talking with God, it is connecting with the source of ALL power. And connected to that Omnipotent power, Christian Leaders rise from their knees confident that with God All things are possible.
As Leaders from the entire Southern Africa Indian Ocean Territory, submitted to God in prayer, two things were self-evident. Firstly, as leaders strive for excellence, the starting point is not in delivery and performance but in submissive recognition of their total dependence and reliance on God’s strength and not their own.
Secondly, the example is clear. The call is for all members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the SID territory to seek the Lord in unison, and solidify their relationship with God. And in that relationship, God is calling us to be powerful examples of the transforming power of God’s grace in an individual’s life. Dr Ganoune Diop, the appointed Devotional speaker for the Summit, highlighted the fact that Seventh-day Adventists are called for a specific purpose. “Indeed the connection of Christian Leaders with Christ compels us to reconcile with others. To reconcile is not an option but a mandate to be carried out daily by those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ,” he said. He continued: “Reconciled to Christ with His righteousness, Leaders and lay-members, then reach out to others.” Dr Paul Ratsara (President, SID), in his prayer, pleaded that God should give each leader, the heart of God, a heart of reconciliation.
When Christian Leaders get up from their Knees, they rise to continue the ministry of reconciliation. The call is clear: let us, each one, be God’s agent of reconciliation.
Dr Paul Charles
SID Communication – We Connect
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