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Lead Seminar and Tell the World 2010 Goes to WVC
Friday, 19 March 2010 14:13 Last Updated on Friday, 19 March 2010 14:19
Initiated every year to update leaders on church leadership, reports, and programs, the Lead Seminar and Tell the World get hosted by West Visayan Conference this year. So, leaders from the different conferences/missions, hospitals, schools, and some district pastors throughout the union, gathered at West Visayan Academy last March 12-15 to benefit from it.
Dr. Luisito Tomado, formerly the Bible Chair and Professor at Central Philippine Adventist College but now the President of Negros Occidental Conference (NOC), gave the opening devotional. His talk centered on servant leadership, and he cited the prodigal son's story in Luke 15. He said the younger son in the story portrays what servant leadership is not. For in the story, he made his way at getting attention: he wants to be first, he wants to be served. He went away and wasted his fortune. Until then, at the mercies of inconsiderate circumstances, he came to his senses, thought of his father's love, decided to come home, and begged his father to accept him no longer as son but as a slave. To drive the point home, Dr. Tomado emphasized that until our Father's love transforms us, we can never be servant leaders, for servant leadership is not something we self-generate.
Later on in his talk, he mentioned about the concern of Jesus about His leaders. He said Jesus' concern wasn't about leaders that serve, but servant that leads. He quoted the incident in John 6 where Jesus hurriedly left the crowd after feeding them for they wanted to make Him king. He left the crowd wishing to make Him king to teach us a lesson that servant leadership is not about leaders that serve, but otherwise. What a profound thought to ponder upon during the lead seminar and to reflect on as a Christian leadership reference--always.
Pastor Alberto C. Gulfan, Jr., Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) President, gave the first presentation on the first day. In his opening statement, he congratulated Central Philippine Union Conference (CPUC) for having the most baptism for 2009, the year of Evangelism for the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide. He said the number of baptism CPUC had last year was unprecedented, and he said his praises to God for it. West Visayan Conference (WVC) alone contributed to almost 4 thousand of the total baptism CPUC had last year. And, according to Pastor Rolando Dolor, WVC's SS/PM Director, during the Sabbath School special presentation on the best practices of evangelism and soul-winning, where each conference/mission and institution gets represented, WVC's success last year resulted from the brethren's concerted efforts and the 67 simultaneous campaigns by the ShareHim.
Elder Joshua W. Mok, Executive Secretary, Elder Keith R. Heinrich, Treasurer, and Pastor James Brauer, Director for Adventist Muslim Relations, all coming from the division, also graced the seminar. Each got time to present respective topics. Pastor Leonardo Asoy, SSD's SS/PM Director, came later to present reports and feedback on the small group program. A few years back, a strong campaign was initiated for the implementation of the small group program. In fact it became the main in-reach and outreach program for the church throughout the division. Many came to know Jesus because of it.
Engr. Sam Pimentel also received time for a brief introduction of his e-Roster software, which he offers to the church for free. A versatile software, e-Roster's make up aims at helping the church have an exact and accurate church membership data. A day before he spent eight hours informing and equipping secretaries and leaders of conferences and missions, and some district pastors on the work flow of the software.
The seminar ended up in a high note when, during the commitment service, Pastor Agapito Catane, CPUC President, made an altar call for every one present. He challenged every leader who came up front to hold the banner of truth high and to keep the fire burning--the fire of telling the world that Jesus will soon come. Elder Mok offered the dedicatory prayer for every one who responded to the challenge.