Family Togetherness Week of Prayer is scheduled during the first week of September, beginning with the first Sunday and ending on the following Sabbath with Family Togetherness Day of Prayer. Family Togetherness Week of Prayer and Family Togetherness Day of Prayer highlight celebrating families and the church as a family.
Together, we set aside time to show respect and acknowledge God as the guiding force in our lives and our household. This shared experience strengthens our connections and brings us closer to God. Each family has the freedom to shape their family worship, including the methods and tools they use. This might involve reading the Bible, singing, and praying as a family. The ways to engage in family worship are as diverse as families themselves. Since each family is unique, the family altar can be customized accordingly. The constant factor is directing our attention toward God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of humanity.
Worship involves showing reverence and praise to God, expressing humility and gratitude. During this time, we make our requests to Him. In ancient times, animals were offered as sacrifices on altars, but now we offer our time and personal commitment. When “family” is added to worship, it means coming together as a family to honor God. This is a chance, particularly for parents, to guide their children and teach them about worship.
Together, we set aside time to show respect and acknowledge God as the guiding force in our lives and our household. This shared experience strengthens our connections and brings us closer to God. Each family has the freedom to shape their family worship, including the methods and tools they use. This might involve reading the Bible, singing, and praying as a family. The ways to engage in family worship are as diverse as families themselves. Since each family is unique, the family altar can be customized accordingly. The constant factor is directing our attention toward God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of humanity.
The enditnow Emphasis Day holds a place on the global church calendar. General Conference Women’s Ministries (GCWM) manages the creation and dispersal of enditnow Emphasis Day resource packets. These materials are developed with input from six other co-sponsoring General Conference departments: Children’s Ministries, Education, Family Ministries, Health Ministries, Ministerial Association, and Youth Ministries.
This year’s enditnow Emphasis Day centers on “Deceptive Figures Among Believers: When Professed Followers of Jesus Cause Harm.” Both the Old and New Testaments liken God’s people to sheep, the believers to a flock, and our Lord to the Shepherd. However, our churches consist of imperfect individuals, leaving room for a potential wolf in sheep’s or shepherd’s guise. While we might associate abuse with violence, none of the instances discussed in the sermon involve physical harm. None of the “targets” resisted the mistreatment or even identified it as such at the time. Nevertheless, the power imbalance led to a violation in each case.
The Education Department’s role involves coordinating, promoting, training, and ensuring the quality of the global educational program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This program encompasses 9,489 educational institutions, including schools, colleges, and universities, with a total of 111,360 educators and 2,044,709 students.
In close collaboration with Education Department directors across 13 world divisions, the team offers services to boards, administrators, and faculty members of Adventist educational institutions worldwide. Additionally, the staff provides assistance through the world divisions to educational leaders at union/conference/mission levels, as well as teachers in Adventist primary and secondary schools. The goal is to integrate the Adventist philosophy of education and faith-and-learning principles into the fabric of each institution.
Through collaboration with AMiCUS, the Department partners with Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries and Youth Ministries Departments to nurture the faith of Adventist students attending non-Adventist educational institutions globally.
The World Day of Prayer for Children at Risk is a special day of prayer scheduled annually on the last Sabbath of May.
Thousands of children around the world are at risk. Many face abuse, neglect, trafficking to other countries, hurt and much more. Children at risk need to be protected and helped so that they can use their God-given talents to their fullest. They need our prayers.
2023 Global Youth Day with the titled “Love us a verb” is centered on demonstrating true love.
Date: March 18-25, 2023
SERMONS: 1. Sabbath: To love is to sacrifice 2. Sunday: To love is to be thankful 3. Monday: To love is to forgive 4. Tuesday: To love is to trust 5. Wednesday: To love is ti obey 6. Thursday: To love is to worship 7. Friday: To love is share 8. Sabbath: To love is to wait
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Yeury Ferreira An ordained pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, S. Yeury Ferreira holds Master’s degrees in Leadership, Systematic Theology, and Biblical Preaching and a PhD in Preaching from Andrews University. He has worked as a pastor and evangelist and currently serves as the Hispanic Ministry Coordinator for the Greater New York Conference, and as an adjunct professor at Andrews University. He is the author of several books, including Preach the Word: Guide to Sermon Preparation and Preaching, The Preacher and Preaching; and Living Without Fear. His book, Living Without Fear, was chosen as the North American Division’s 2021 Book of the Year. He is happily married to Mariel Ferreira and is the father of two children, Ernesto and Elizabeth Ferreira.
