Outreach.
Women's Ministries reclaiming project promotes reunion of church friends
The result of this year-long discipleship process has been hundreds of baptisms.
South American Division (SAD)
[Brazil] On October 21, 2017, the Reunion program in North of Brazil brought together about 220 women in an auditorium. Half of them, however, were former Adventists. Planning begins early in the year, when it is proposed that every Adventist woman try to “rescue” a woman who has previously been a member of the denomination. During the following months, through friendship and relationship, the invitations were made and, finally, the day of the event celebrates all the work done.
The whole concept of the Reunion program, pioneered in the territory of the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, was based on rebuilding life. The event starts with a skit where a clay pot is broken, symbolizing the end of the "old" life. At the end of the program, a potter makes a new pot from scratch, which represents what Jesus can do in the lives of those who allow themselves to be molded.
"Motivating Christian women to reach out to other women who were part of the Adventist family, inviting them to participate in the projects developed by the Women's Ministry, such as Tea with Friends, prayer groups and others," is how teacher Ironildes Bussons, organizer and leader of the women for part of the North of Brazil, defines the project.
To crown the whole project, four women were rebaptized in the first edition of the Reunion. Adventist women who were by their side throughout the process accompanied them. The strategy became a model and was developed in other cities as well. In Macapá, capital of the state of Amapá, many women were baptized. In all, between 2017 and 2018, 527 women were baptized as a result of the project.
The next edition of Reunion will be in the state of Maranhão, in São Luis. It is expected that 400 people will participate in the event and achieve the goals. To reach the goal of baptizing former Adventist friends, 2,587 volunteer missionaries participate in the step-by-step of the discipleship process.
Testimony
Rose Santos is one of the people impacted by the project. She lives in the city of Breves, on the Marajó Island, and went to Belém to share her experience with those present. On stage, she told her story with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the reasons that led her to abandon her religious practice. With much emotion, she also described the events that made her decide to return. "It was a privilege to have this chance to tell a little about my life to so many people who, perhaps, go through the same situation and still have not found the strength to change," she says.
Published in Mosaic newsletter, Summer 2018
