Bible readers from the 14 countries of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) assembled on September 1, 2021, via Zoom, to celebrate the first anniversary of the SSD Youth Corporate Bible Reading Project. The project which spans over three years aims to lead the youth to read 1,189 chapters of the Bible, 365 out of which were read in the past year (visit us on https://www.facebook.com/SSDYouthBibleReadingProject). This celebration was the first amongst many milestones to come.
It was remarkable to see over 30 participants joining from a single device from the Bangladesh Union Mission.
The celebration commenced with the Bible genius game. Mr. Ernie Jhun and Miss Liza Salvani were the lucky pair who won the game, and each received his or her very own Youth Bible.
Special music was offered by Miss Ester Supriyati and MusicVerse. Miss Noahdel-Hallel Suson shared her heartfelt personal testimony on Bible reading and studying. She related how she used to follow the examples of others and tried to complete reading the Bible as fast as she could but later realized that it was not a race or a competition. The Holy Spirit guided and helped her establish good Bible reading practices. She even went on to start a Bible study group. She concluded by saying, “We need to aspire to become like Christ, that is the purpose of reading the Bible”.
The speaker, Pastor Petronio Genebago, youth director of SSD enjoined the attendees to diligently search the Scriptures daily and make it a safeguard against subtle errors and teachings. He began by sharing the importance of praying before studying the Bible. Pastor Genebago said, “Make the Word of God your safeguard in these last days. Fortify your mind with the Word of God. Read the Word of God daily and exert all effort into studying the Word of God… we need to humble ourselves when we approach the Word of God, we need to meditate, fast, and pray.”
A monthly Bible study and fellowship was introduced, and it’s called “The House of Bread”. It is being held every first Friday of every month. The name had been derived from the Hebrew words ‘Beth’, which means ‘House’ and ‘Lechem’ which means ‘Bread’.
The attendees were also encouraged to join the first Biblical interpretation Seminar to be held on December 3-4, 2021.
The SSD youth corporate Bible reading project was founded to lead the youth of SSD to love the Scriptures as their standard of living while reflecting a Christlike character. The project is led by Miss Beulah Vidayo and her 14 trusted Union coordinators from each country. Youth and young adults are invited to be a part of this project.
Christina Ingram, Sri Lanka Adventist Mission