July 2024 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.

PRAY FOR THE LATTER RAIN AS WE PREPARE FOR CHRIST’S SECOND COMING

Beginning with this issue and continuing through 2025, I would like to invite our

President’s Prayer Partners to come together in an earnest and heartfelt appeal for

the power and presence of the Holy Spirit as we near the soon return of our Savior.

Each of the issues of our P5 from now through December, 2025, will focus on a specific aspect of how we can engage in a meaningful way to prepare our hearts as we ask the Lord to grant us a deeper spiritual growth for us to recognize the latter rain of the Holy Spirit when it is falling.

Pentecost 2025 is the launching of a bold plan of the North American Division to experience 3000 proclamation events across the expanse of this great division

of God’s remnant church. It is a plan that will only be successful through prayer and the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

Here are 7 specific involvement suggestions that we can pray about with this

initiative:

1. Engage in regular Bible study to deepen our understanding of gospel.

2. Pray for us to foster healthy relationships within and outside the church – creating opportunities to share the gospel and invite others.

3. Dedicate specific times each day for both personal and small group prayer – seeking God’s guidance for the proclamation meetings.
   

4. Prayerfully and personally invite friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues to attend the meetings.

5. Pray for skills to utilize digital platforms for witnessing, sharing testimonies, and promoting the proclamation meetings.

6. Pray that God convicts our hearts with divine opportunities to volunteer to help with event organization, supporting the logistics, planning and attend trainings.

7. Pray for courage and conviction to share personal testimonies to encourage growth as we continue to nurture and disciple others.

In God’s vineyard of the Carolinas, we are making this effort a prayer call – “Let it Rain.” As we pray for an unprecedented 2000 kingdom growth of souls to be added to the church in one year - 2025, it is vital that we daily walk in the Holy Spirit in

order to grow spiritually and be prepared to receive the latter rain of the Spirit. Reflect on this counsel from Ellen White as God’s messenger to His end time church:

“The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual; grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of Man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection.” The Faith I Live By, Page 333

Next month (August 2024) marks a very special milestone memory for my brother Lester, my sister Lorraine, and for me. Sixty years ago, the three of us arrived together in

America on August 9, 1964, with our mom. After waiting for almost three years for Dad to raise the funds and procure our visa documents, we were finally reunited with him in our new homeland leaving behind our heritage home of India.

Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of America as one step closer to Heaven! Sadly Social unrest has jolted our society and the political climate of our nation has become more bitter, toxic and divisive than I have ever seen it during the 60 years since I came to America as that young boy in 1964.

For many Americans, the most significant part of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, can be summed up in the stirring preamble penned by Thomas Jefferson – who would eventually be the third president of the United States:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We are just months away from a momentous election campaign that will determine the course of events and the direction of our nation. The issues facing our nation are complex. The world is watching. The entire universe is watching how prophecy will unfold in the climactic events of our nation. Can it really be true—the United States in Bible prophecy? Absolutely! When you think about it, it makes sense that the most powerful and influential nation on earth will play a vital role in the final stunning events of the world’s closing history.

“I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). This nation arises “out of the earth” instead of out of the water as did the other nations mentioned in Daniel and Revelation. A backlash against terrorism, lawlessness, immorality, permissiveness, injustice, poverty, ineffective political leaders and many similar woes could easily precipitate a demand for strong, specific laws to be rigidly enforced. The United States will experience a counterfeit revival and will insist that religious laws be passed to force every person to participate (represented by “an image to the beast” in Revelation 13:14).

By the time you receive this July issue, we will have celebrated our nation’s 248th birthday. Let’s ever be mindful that America is only our pilgrimage home as we await our Heavenly Home. As the melody of that song by Jim Reeves reminds us –

“This world (America) is not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me, From heaven’s open door. And I can’t feel at home in this world (America) anymore.”

Clouds of political uncertainty envelope our nation as we anticipate a coming storm. As we pray for our leaders and our nation, let’s remember and claim these promises of God for our own peace and hope:

“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:1 (NKJ)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NKJ)

With each issue of our President’s Prayer Partners (P5), we continue to focus specifically on one of our goals and share some of the developments that are helping us in our journey toward accomplishing that goal.

This month, we continue to focus on our first goal of fostering a climate of discipleship.

The second wave of our discipleship emphasis took place during the months of April and May when all of our pastors were given a book entitled Deep Calling - on Being and Growing Disciples by Tara Vincross, Senior Pastor of the Azure Hills Church in Grand Terrace, California. This book serves as a companion Book to the Discipleship Handbook that was utilized across our conference in 2022 and 2023. Her book focuses of a wholistic discipleship movement. It focuses on making space for God every day, bearing witness to God’s transformation by knowing and experiencing truth.

Our Hispanic pastors received Mientras Vamos: Aprendiendo Del Maestro El Discipulado Auténtico [As We Go: Becoming Like The Master Through Authentic Discipleship] by Alejandro Bullun. Pastor Bullun currently lives in Brazil and his greatest passion is public evangelism and communicating the gospel by radio, television, and the Internet.

Pray for our pastors as they guide our churches toward becoming and making faithful disciples who love Jesus and desire to follow Him with all their hearts. Pray for our church families as they learn to listen to the voice of God and as disciples, put into practice what they can do to remain connected to Christ and what they can avoid to make more room for Christ in their life. I love this quote that Tara Vincross cites from Ellen White from Steps to Christ, Page 57:

“While the work of the Spirit is silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact.”

​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

During this July issue, we ask you to uplift in prayer our Youth Ministries Department under the dedicated leadership of our Youth Director, Hector Gonzalez, Associate Youth Director, Cris Cazarine Dutra, and our gifted secretary to this department, Vanessa Arana.

Youth Ministry is a vital part of the Carolina Conference. With thousands of young people in our Pathfinder and Adventurers clubs and other programs, we are training the youth of our church to be future leaders for Jesus.

Our summer camp, Nosoca Pines Ranch, is a big favorite among all ages, allowing even our college students to get involved as camp staff.

In August, a huge delegation of all our Pathfinder clubs will join other clubs from around the world at the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming. Let’s pray for their safe travels and an amazing experience for these young people as they embrace the

theme of “Believe the Promise” based on the story of Moses. Everyone in the Carolina Conference is excited about Youth Ministry, so let’s keep this department in our special prayers.

Next month, we will begin the cycle all over again by remembering each of the departments of ministry that are vital to the overall ministry of your Carolina Conference.

As a President’s Prayer Partner, we invite

you once again to be truly a people of the

Word. As Seventh-day Adventists, we adhere to

28 Fundamental Beliefs that are based solely on

the Bible. We began our third cycle of focusing on

these vital beliefs, which are centered in Christ as

both our Savior and Lord, in December of 2021.

Let’s continue to thoughtfully place His Word

in our hearts every day this month. I personally

carry a set of these passages in my car and recite

them aloud as I drive from one place to another.

My aim is to say one verse prayerfully at least

five times a day for a week, thus internalizing the

promise of God’s Word: “Thy word have I hid in

mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

(Psalm 119:11)

I encourage you to repeat these passages until they become a part of your very being. Of course, you’re always free to do more. Please consider, in a prayerful manner, how you can saturate your soul with His Word and make it a part of your heart every day.

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: