April 2023 Carolina's 10,000 P5

Embracing Carolina with the Compassionate Call of Christ

The 10,000 President’s Prayer Partners is a fast-growing group of Carolina Conference constituents who take matters such as these to their knees. We invite you to join us and make this monthly list a matter of prayer. Together we seek the Lord for His answers and provisions to every need we bring before Him.

Next weekend, a large delegation of 150 local church elders, along with some of their pastors, will gather at Nosoca Pines Ranch for CORE, an acronym for Carolina Officers Retreat for Elders, which used to be a bi-annual event. This year (2023), the Carolina Conference hosts CORE, and in the alternate year (2024), we plan to host WTTF (Welcome to the Family) as a spiritual weekend of revival for all those who were newly baptized or joined the church by profession of faith over a two-year period. Unfortunately, COVID derailed our schedule, but by God’s grace, we have survived the worst of that pandemic and are striving to get back on track with an emphasis on our ministries.

Due to limited space at our camp, this event is open to local church elders and their pastors in non-Hispanic churches, companies, and groups, as our Hispanic sister churches will have a separate training track.

The theme of this year’s CORE is “Filled with the Spirit,” with Pastor Pavel Goia from the General Conference as our primary speaker. He currently serves as the editor of Ministry Magazine, which is the primary church magazine for Seventh-day Adventist ministers worldwide.

During this weekend, our elders will learn how to train, equip, and mobilize members in their local churches to save souls and grow their church. Time is short, and we must be prepared to do our part for the Lord. Our Carolina Conference Officers and Ministerial Department pray that we will experience what it means to be “Filled with the Spirit” for this amazing work! Therefore, we are also striving to make this a very interactive weekend to give our elders the essential tools for training, equipping, and mobilizing their churches into action for the Lord.

Our elders represent the Aaron and Hur of Moses’ day, holding up the ministry arm of our pastors in the districts where they serve. The work of an elder in the local church is one of the most important within the body of Christ. Not because the work elevates individuals, but because the weight of leading churches alongside our pastors is crucial to the fulfillment of the Gospel Commission. The Apostle Paul said that “if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do” (1 Tim. 3:1 NASB). Why is it a fine work? Because overseers, elders, have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with our pastors to bring souls to the foot of the cross and to nurture the body of Christ.

Please join us as a Carolina family, uplifting our elders during this special weekend for their safety as they travel to and from NPR and for their spiritual renewal of being “Filled with the Spirit” during all that has been planned for our time together.

Remembering Our Quinquennial Goals in Prayer

Focus on Mount Pisgah Academy

With each issue of our President’s Prayer Partners, we focus on one of our goals and share developments that help us accomplish that goal. In March, we focused on our goal of engaging, empowering, and enabling young adults in the mission of the church. In this issue, we focus on ongoing efforts to enhance the ministry of Mount Pisgah Academy.

In 2019 and 2020, the Carolina Conference administration, the Office of Education, and the leadership team of Mount Pisgah Academy worked with 5by5, a research company based in Nashville, Tennessee, to conduct an extensive study of our academy. The study aimed to provide observations and recommendations to reach our quinquennial goal. The final report focused on nine areas of emphasis:

We have made several enhancements this school year, including hiring a full-time guidance counselor, a new mathematics teacher, and a new science teacher who will join our staff in fall 2023. Marketing efforts project an enrollment of approximately 130 students for the 2023-2024 school year.

The expansion of our music program, including the addition of a band program and enhancements to our choral music, has made a positive impact on our campus and the families of our students.

Our partnership with the School Growth organization has guided MPA toward ongoing staff development. The MPA board and administration continue to explore new programs and opportunities to make our educational ministry vibrant, practical, and progressive.

Pastor Mark Galvez has joined our campus as one of our Bible teachers and chaplain. He has formed wonderful relational connections with our students and staff on campus. The renewal of our ShareHim evangelistic initiative has impacted many hearts for heaven through our students in the Dominican Republic. Our motto, “Jesus Lives at Mount Pisgah Academy,” has a fresh vitality, for He lives within our hearts.

Join me in prayer as we uplift our academy, students, and staff, and continue to press on the upward way, keeping the light of our educational ministry at MPA shining brightly until Jesus comes!

​01 Protection from Satan Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8	02 Protection from Our Sinful Heart But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:14-15	​03 Deep Spiritual Encouragement For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. Romans 1:11-12
​04 Wisdom If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5	​05 Doctrinal Faithfulness By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:14	​06 A Healthy Body But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27	​07 A Strong Marriage & Family He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church. 1 Timothy 3:2-6

Praying for Our Department Ministries

Each month I highlight a department of the Carolina Conference to recognize the leaders and their faithful service in their respective ministries. Starting in November 2021, we transitioned to the Outreach branch which includes ASI (Adventist-laymen’s services & Industries), Missions, Carolina Evangelism, Publishing, Church Planting, Prison Ministries, Community Services, Adult Sabbath School, Disaster Response, Health Ministries, and Insurance.

Last month (March), we invited you to lift up our Carolina Disaster Response Department in your prayers. Unfortunately, with the recent transition of Pastor Cris Dutra Cazarine to serve as our Associate Youth Director and the Director of our Young Adult and Public Campus Ministries, we have not elected a new Health Ministries leader yet. Also, with the retirement of Elder Phil Rosburg, we have not yet established a director for our Missions’ emphasis outside of our ShareHim ministry, which is primarily designed to coach and guide our young adults with the evangelistic experience of leading lives to Christ in an overseas setting. Please keep these ministries and our future oversight for them in your continued prayers.

So during this month of April, we ask you to uplift our Publishing Department again under the dedicated leadership of our director, Lance Morrison, and the support of the secretary for this department, Lisa Moyer.

The Publishing Department is responsible for the literature ministry of the Carolina Conference. Their goal is to place as many truth-filled books, papers, and tracts as possible in the homes of the people of the Carolinas. Thanks to the support of our members, this type of evangelistic work is thriving in our conference.

Because of this funding, they have been able to provide the following:

• An annual 10-week Magabook student evangelistic campaign

• An elementary school Magabook fundraiser

• A GLOW tract website (personalized for Carolina Conference) to order online (www.glowcarolina.org)

• A new website through Georgia-Cumberland Conference Home Health Education Services (GCCHHES) where anyone can purchase Adventist literature and books (www.familyhomechristianbooks.com)

Saturated With the Word

As the President’s Prayer Partner, we invite you to cultivate a deep relationship with the Word of God. As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe in 28 Fundamental Truths that are solely based on the Bible. In December 2021, we began our third cycle of emphasizing these essential beliefs, which are centered on Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Let’s continue to prayfully meditate on His Word throughout this month. I carry a set of these passages in my car and recite them aloud as I travel from place to place. My aim is to recite one verse at least five times a day for a week, thereby embracing the promise of God’s Word: “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11).

Repeat these passages until they become a part of your very being. You can also choose to do more, so consider how you can immerse your soul in God’s Word every day.

Pray for the Ministry of Adventist Education

We recently started uplifting the principals, head teachers, teachers, and staff of our church schools who are making a profound impact on the hearts and minds of our children and youth across the Carolinas. This month, we will uplift the next three church schools in our prayers.

Let us pray specifically for:

• Our Superintendent of Educationt, Rick Anderson, and his Associate Superintendent, Cara Simonds, as they lead the ministry of Seventh-day Adventist education for our conference family. Let us pray for the successful recruitment of a replacement teacher at Tri-City Christian Academy that will allow Cara to transition to the Office of Education and render her support to all our schools across the Carolinas.

• God’s protective care over our teachers, parents, and students during this school year. Let us pray for the powerful presence of heavenly angels to surround our schools and protect them from the dangers of the world, such as the tragedy of the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, a few months ago.

• Wisdom and happiness in the lives of each of our principals, head teachers, and teachers as they mentor and prepare our students for a life of service on this earth and for their citizenship in heaven.

• School boards and church boards as they manage the operation of each of our church schools as centers that are consecrated for the salvation and education of our children and youth.

• This month let’s uplift these three schools (above, left), their leadership, along with their teachers and the staff that undergird the ministry of the children they serve.

Uplifting God’s Anointed Leaders

Be part of God’s praying church across North America by uplifting these leaders of our church who guide God’s work in these territories of God’s vineyard: