Believers from Seventh-day Adventist churches across the country being dipped into the Stadium pool on Saturday during the church's Pentecost & More evangelistic campaign which climaxed at the National Arena. (Photo: Karl McLarty)

ITS target was 3,000 but on Saturday the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) baptised more than 30,000 believers, a feat which has served to strengthen the position of the church as the fastest-growing protestant denomination.

The believers were baptised in simultaneous ceremonies across the 15 unions that comprise the IAD. The West Indies Union, which hosted the climax of 'Pentecost & More 2008' at the National Arena, accounted for more than 3,000 of the total.

One of several worldwide administrative divisions of the church, the IAD includes the countries of the Caribbean, Central America and the northern tip of South America. And according to its president, Israel Leito, Saturday's mass additions were only an indication of things to come.
"It's the beginning, not the end," he told the Observer.

"We don't just want it [worldwide church membership] to double, we want it to finish. We want to fill the nations with the glory of the Lord," he said.

"We're happy to see 10, 30, 40,000 people come in, but when we compare it with the millions who have not heard of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, yet, it tells us that there's still a great work to be done," Leito added.

Pastor Leito was making references to the church's plans for 'Pentecost & More 2009... It's my time', which was launched at the National Arena on Saturday. The plan for next year's programme is for each member to bring at least one person to be baptised. If that is realised, worldwide membership will jump from the current approximation of 15 million to 30 million.

But Leito is being cautious. "It won't be necessary for everyone to bring one; that's an elusive goal because our membership is comprised of the elderly and children who cannot participate, but...we want to inspire every church member to be involved," he said.

Of Saturday's mass baptisms, which were uplinked from several of the participating territories by satellite and broadcast on regional television stations as well as on the Internet, the IAD president said the church's goal was not merely to add numbers but to extend itself deeper into the community.

"The significance of it is not so much the numbers that we were able to achieve today," said Leito. "It is the fact that the whole church in Inter-America was involved in evangelism over the last two weeks because the members, pastors, everybody alike, was involved."

"The church worldwide has three strategic issues. They are growth, unity and quality of life. We want to improve people's lives when they join the church. It's not just to have a number in the church. We want to have the best citizens, the happiest people. We want our people to be the best neighbours in the neighbourhood. So church growth for us has an indirect added result of improving the communities where these people are," he said.

Pentecost & More started last year, and the church is now contemplating whether it will become an annual or biennial event on the church calendar.

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