A
special ASI Leadership Training workshop took place at the Inter-American
Division Headquarters in Miami, Florida, March 26-27, 2014. The event was held to
strengthen the Adventist-laymen and Services Industries (ASI) organization
chapters across the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division
(IAD).
Dozens
of ASI chapter leaders and members met to learn the basics of ASI and its role
in partnering with the church, review the ASI constitution, maintain chapters
and develop sustainable projects, identify needy projects in the community,
report on funded projects, fuel their leadership skills, and focus on ASI’s
mission to share Christ in the marketplace.
“This
training was necessary to make the leadership more effective in mission and in
contributing to the development of ASI in the Division,” said Dr. Marston
Thomas, ASI Inter-America president.
The
leadership training workshop was designed to focus on ASI’s mission “to provide
spiritual nurture, foster professional growth and commercial networking and to
cooperate with church leadership while creating unique ways to proclaim the
everlasting Gospel,” emphasized Thomas.
A
panel of ASI chapter leaders discussed methods and initiatives to boost
membership growth in existing chapters and shared various approaches to
maintaining a close partnership with church leadership.
The
workshop was the first of its kind to be held in Inter-America since the ASI
Inter-America organization was established in 1997.
With
21 ASI chapters functioning in 12 of the 22 IAD unions, plus an initial
presence in two other regions, the challenge is to establish a presence in the
10 remaining unions of the IAD and to revive some chapters that have faded,
according to Thomas.
Pastor
Leon B. Wellington, vice president of the IAD and secretary of ASI
Inter-America, said that although much of the ASI growth depends on local
professionals and local church leadership partnering to seek to reach mutual
goals and objectives, ASI Inter-America leaders have traveled extensively
during the last four years to promote and train for a better understanding of
ASI and its role.
Pastor
Wellington, secretary of ASI Inter-America, says: “the level of interest is
increasing as people come to see the value that can be added to their ministry
and mission through the work of ASI.”
Last
year, projects to fund the launch of Esperanza TV in Costa Rica, and the
support of funding young people in mission service called ASI Mission and
Beyond from the Caribbean boosted more interest in local and territory-wide
support, said Pastor Wellington.
ASI
Inter-America leaders are gearing up to support the local chapter in Puebla,
Mexico, where this year’s annual convention will be held from Aug. 13-16.
Adventist-laymen’s
Services and Industries is an organization of Seventh-day Adventist lay people
involved in professions, industry, education, and/or services and exists to
challenge, nurture, and provide experience in sharing Christ in the marketplace,
as well as supporting the global mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
For
more on ASI Inter-America, visit asi.interamerica.org
