Pentecost 2025 and Beyond

Story by Becky St. Clair

In 2025, the Columbia Union Conference embraced a renewed commitment to evangelism—a call to reach its communities with the love of Christ and to share the message of His soon return.

Throughout the year, across the Columbia Union, members prayed, planned and participated in the mission of bringing hope and healing to their neighbors. A special part of this renewed focus was the Pentecost 2025 initiative—a movement that united unions, conferences and members across the North American Division (NAD) with one goal in mind: to share Jesus with everyone, everywhere.

“Across cultures, languages, races and generations, there is a growing and contagious revival, united by one shared purpose: to exalt Jesus Christ and reach those who are suffering without hope,” says José D. Espósito, assistant to the president for Evangelis in the Columbia Union.

Prayer and Preparation
Before anyone planned an event or launched a campaign for Pentecost 2025, leaders from the Columbia ?Union and its eight conferences, schools and health care organizations turned first to God. Then, leaders and members gathered online monthly seeking the Lord's wisdom and guidance, bathing every plan in prayer.

Over the span of a year, more than 800 churches and 70-plus schools in the union presented approximately 2,000 evangelistic weeks and countless acts of compassion, resulting in 7,097 baptisms and professions of faith-surrounding the number of commitments to Christ in 2024 by 971. Here are some highlights from those meetings.

Having a 'BLAST'
Prior to the start of its Pentecost 2025 evangelism series, Marius Marton (pictured below), pastor of Ohio Conference’s Elyria church, which previously had 100 members, told his church board he was praying for 150 new members.

By the end of the meetings, 161 new members had joined the congregation, more than doubling its membership.

Marton credits the remarkable results to the church members' wholehearted participation in Total Member Involvement (globaltmi.org), which united the congregation in harmony and mission.

The series, lime many that were held across the conference, used the BLAST (Building LIVES Around Solid Truth) evangelism model that blends acts of service with the gospel by meeting the community's basic needs while sharing a Bible-centered message. Church members distributed groceries, diapers, clothes, laundry supplies and dinner at each evening meeting. 

Kojo Twumasi, speaker and conference Evangelism director, commended the Elyria members for being filled with the Holy Spirit, noting their passion for soul winning and their determination to do even more for the Lord. He emphasized that members bathed the series in prayer from start to finish, and he underscored the importance of the congregation’s retention program, which began immediately after the campaign concluded. “Last Sabbath morning, the church was filled with both old and new members,” he said with joy.

“Now the praises are being shouted from the rooftops, and the church is eager to do it again!” Marton says. “Soli Deo Gloria!”

Several of the Allegheny East Conference (AEC) churches, including the Mt. Olivet church in Camden, N.J., took a similar approach.During its 11-day Compassion Project 2025 event, the congregation formed relationships with attendees through fun events, luncheons and giveaways.

The series featured conference evangelist Conklin Gentry, who presented soul-stirring messages every evening. Giveaways included clothing, sneakers, gift cards, bikes and scooters. These community-building efforts led to 109 individuals giving their hearts to Jesus. The event ended with a welcome party where current members got to know new members.

While some seeds were planted during Pentecost 2025, others were gently and lovingly cultivated by the Spirit many years prior to the initiative. For example, in the Pennsylvania Conference, Christian Ekoto, pastor of the Mount Pocono Haitian church, had been praying for his friend Anna for nearly 30 years. Last summer, Anna studied the Bible with a church member she knew and respected.

“To my surprise,” writes Ekoto, “she decided to visit our church for the first time last October for our Hope for Humanity series!” Ekoto goes on to share that Anna was greeted with friendly smiles, hugs and love. “It’s never too late to allow God to touch your heart,” he concludes. “There’s always hope for those who seek God, and I am thankful for all the love given to Anna.”

Supporting the Community
In the same spirit of strengthening relationships in the community, the New Jersey Conference (NJC) hosted a two-day health fair in the fall, during which 140 volunteers provided a variety of health services, including dental, vision and general health care, as well as specialized care from a pulmonary doctor and chiropractor. Additional offerings included guidance from a nutritionist, beauty treatments from salon professionals and more.

Organizer Jean-Michele Etienne, conference Health Ministries director, reports that more than 400 attendees were served. “We made a big impact in the community,” he says, noting that he hopes the clinic will inspire a lot of new people to visit local churches. Plans are already underway for another health fair later in 2026.

In Baltimore, volunteers from across the country joined forces for a series of events supported by the Allegheny East and Chesapeake conferences, the Columbia Union, the NAD and It is Written, including a free medical, dental and vision clinic at AEC’s

Miracle City church. Hundreds of uninsured or underinsured people received care—from dental cleanings and extractions to free eyeglasses, screenings and mental health resources.

“This clinic was such a tremendous blessing,” comments Trevor Kinlock, AEC president. “We were able to serve hundreds in need, and I’m especially grateful for all the volunteers who came from as far away as Iowa to help.”

Michael Hasel, professor of Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology at Southern Adventist University (SAU) in Tennessee, later hosted a biblical archeology seminar. These events led into Revelation Today: Hope for Humanity, a month-long evangelistic series at Goucher College, featuring speakers G. Alexander Bryant, NAD president, and John Bradshaw, president of It Is Written (IIW). Robert Costa, speaker/director for Escrito Está, IIW’s Spanish-language ministry, was the speaker for the Spanish event. “[These events were] unprecedented for the largest city in our conference territory,” commented Jerry Lutz, then Chesapeake Conference president. “It was the result of much prayer, planning and collaboration.”

A Little Child Shall Lead Them
God doesn’t just use adults for His purpose; He moves among young people too.

In the summer of 2025, the Allegheny West Conference Children’s Ministries and Youth and Young Adult Ministries departments collaborated with 42 youth and young adult evangelist missionaries to host and preach at proclamation series held in English, French, Creole, Spanish and Portuguese across seven churches.

The group also hosted health fairs, helped at a local food pantry, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, distributed 350 bags of supplies and participated in training events. In total, 20 young people were baptized as a direct result of their friendship and involvement in ministry initiatives during Pentecost 2025.

Schools in the Mountain View Conference territory had a 100 percent participation rate in Pentecost 2025. The Parkersburg church and school were among those that built strong relationships with families from the wider community (pictured below). Their continuing ministry includes monthly vespers, family weeks of prayer and a children’s church that connects families to Christ through community and worship—planting seeds of faith that will, prayerfully, continue to grow.

Renewed for Mission
Churches across the union developed creative methods of reaching their communities in specific, targeted ways, utilizing Pathfinders, Women’s Ministries, school-based evangelism, community service and health evangelism. One church even tapped into people’s interest in history to engage their neighbors.

At Potomac Conference’s Far West End church (FWEC) in Rockville, Va., Pathfinders led the charge in getting youth involved in Pentecost 2025, marking the first time the congregation has had its own club actively engaged in conference-wide ministry and events.

The church’s Pathfinder director, Aiana Matias, and secretary, Jessica Assis, “inspired the young people, and they were very quickly united in purpose and enthusiasm for [Pentecost 2025],” expresses Junnie Pagunsan, FWEC pastor. “Our Pathfinders joyfully served throughout the series, demonstrating leadership, service and spiritual growth.”

This volunteering led to three Pathfinders committing their lives to God through baptism. Pagunsan says, “Pentecost 2025 was not only a highlight for our Pathfinders, but a testimony of God’s work through youth leadership, dedicated mentorship and a church united in mission.”

Espósito adds, “One of the greatest blessings of Pentecost 2025 has been the renewal experienced by churches that were previously declining or plateaued.

A renewed sense of purpose and confidence has emerged, reaffirming that we are a church of victory—moving forward, not backward—committed to fulfilling our mission under the guidance ... of the Holy Spirit.”

One particularly noteworthy outcome has been the restored enthusiasm among many small churches.

“Many congregations that had not conducted evangelistic outreach for years due to various challenges have been deeply encouraged by this initiative,” says Espósito.

“I feel humbled to be part of what God is doing,” comments Lillian Torres, assistant director of Evangelism for the Pennsylvania Conference. “Evangelism is a driving force in all we do here, and all of us—pastors and members—are excited about the momentum we’re seeing in our church as a result of Pentecost 2025. Some of our churches which haven’t had meetings in 20 years had several guests coming as early as the first night of meetings.”

Allegheny East Conference also used Pentecost 2025 as a time to intentionally nurture nine churches that hadn’t seen as much growth recently. Because of this focus, churches like the East Lansdowne (Pa.) church, which normally has 40 attendees, baptized  40; the Rehoboth church in Reading, Pa., baptized 67; and the Sharon church in Baltimore baptized 126.

Near the end of 2025, NJC’s Woodbury church (pictured below) hosted Astonishing Discoveries and Prophecies, a series centered on archaeology. The event opened with more than 90 guests waiting to hear about Egyptian Wonders in the Lost Cities of the Dead, featuring Matthew Bronson, assistant professor at SAU.

Bronson brought the world of the Bible to life through compelling discoveries from ancient Egypt, Israel and Babylon, connecting biblical history with archaeological evidence. The church then hosted an evangelistic series that resulted in nine individuals committing their lives to Christ.

“Woodbury hasn’t hosted a series in probably five years,” comments church clerk Marla Maybrook. “I don’t remember so many people ever being baptized here at one time, and I have been a member for 60 years.”

Many smaller churches are now actively planning new, high-impact evangelistic campaigns in their communities for 2026, Espósito says, demonstrating a lasting and multiplying effect beyond 2025.

Pentecost and Beyond
Union leaders, pastors and members are not content to let 2025 be a standalone year of growth, energy and involvement. Many churches and conferences have already set and begun acting on goals for 2026, using the guiding word for the union this year: Equip.

“The passion for evangelism did not diminish at the conclusion of 2025; rather, it continues to grow,” Espósito comments. He says that every conference within the union is already implementing “dynamic and faith-filled plans” for the year. For example, Ohio Conference is preparing a major evangelistic initiative involving 21 churches with a collective goal of baptizing 1,000 individuals in a single week.

Marcellus T. Robinson, union president, has out-lined a strategic plan for 2026 to intentionally train and equip members.

The plan includes initiatives such as small group development, home and church evangelism, joint evangelistic campaigns and other outreach efforts tailored to the unique demographic realities of each conference, Espósito says. This includes “Share Your Table,” a follow-up initiative to Pentecost 2025 and  the union’s ongoing “Garment of Faith” program.

In February 2026, NAD evangelism directors met to develop evangelism strategies for the next five years under the extended initiative, Pentecost and Beyond.

Robinson comments, “Too many people come in the front door and go out the back door because no one is there to care for them. The best way to close that back door is to care for them and love them.”

Robinson adds that this concept is driving their efforts across the union in 2026—tightening up the in-reach of church ministry and continuing the out-reach. “We want to continue to experience the mission while we engage with God and people and let the Holy Spirit equip us for what we need to do,” he says.

Espósito agrees. “The church exists, not merely to look inward, but to look outward to its communities, where many are burdened by despair, loneliness, financial hardship, moral challenges, family struggles and spiritual emptiness,” he says. “When the church intentionally serves its community, internal challenges are addressed and Christ’s commission is fulfilled: to go into all the world and  preach the gospel—the good news of salvation.”
 

V. Michelle Bernard, Ricardo Bacchus, Kelly Butler Coe, Anthony Chornes II, LaTasha Hewitt, FrancisTuffour and Evan Knott contributed to the reporting of this article.