United 'In One Accord'

Story by Lillian Torres

Jesus’ prayer for all of His disciples in John 17:21 is “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (NKJV). Unity brings strength, and if the church is to give the last warning message with power, we must seek to answer Jesus’ prayer for unity.

The Holy Spirit brings unity as we worship together, pray together and do mission together. The book of Acts records multiple incidences of the power of God manifested upon its people when they were united in one accord. The Pennsylvania Conference seeks to be intentional in uniting its leaders and members through its “In One Accord” five-year evangelism initiative. Each year of this quinquennium will intentionally focus on a specific part of evangelism in which to unite:

• 2024: “Pray in One Accord”

• 2025: “Empowered in One Accord”

• 2026: “Engage in One Accord”

• 2027: “Proclaim in One Accord”

• 2028: “Rejoice in One Accord”

On Aug. 17, 2024, more than 2,600 leaders and members from across the conference gathered at one of nine “upper room” sites to pray in one accord for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They went door-to-door in these communities praying with people and leaving doorhangers at homes inviting neighbors to share their prayer requests online. As prayer requests are being shared via the website designed for this event, they are being distributed to church teams who are praying and connecting with those who submitted them.

The year 2025 will focus on being “Empowered in One Accord,” kicking off in the spring with a special family Sabbath across the state. Throughout the year, churches will create opportunities to connect with their community and invite families to events and ultimately to the “Pentecost 2025” evangelistic series, which will happen in churches across our conference and the North American Division in the fall.

Our emphasis on “In One Accord” will continue as the Evangelism Department partners with churches, schools and conference ministries to reach communities where there is no Adventist presence, raise more than a million dollars in evangelism funds to support the plans and efforts of local congregations, train members and “Rejoice in One Accord” in 2028, as members reflect on how God moved and celebrate the number of lives changed and impacted for eternity.