Flags is a publication that exists to establish a good image of AIIAS for student recruitment, for fund-raising purposes, to report the events that happen at AIIAS, and to share stories from our alumni around the world. The magazine is mailed to Seventh-day Adventist universities and libraries internationally. AIIAS is a global community. When students and faculty of AIIAS travel, Flags is included as a promotional material to be brought to various places around the world.
Read below a report by Pastor Watson Mbiriri, an alumni currently taking Doctor of Philosophy in Religion at AIIAS, during one of his recent trips in Zambia:
“My first contact with AIIAS was through a promotional leaflet that somehow got into my hands as I was leaving church in Harare years ago. Because of that, I am a firm believer in the value of promotional materials which is why I saw a service request from Zambia as an opportunity to promote AIIAS there. Arrangements were made with the Public Relations Office for promotional materials to be prepared for that purpose.
The occasion was a week-long camp meeting for Kabulonga Mission District under the leadership of Pastor Mulendema where members of the four churches in the district were camped. The meetings were held in Lusaka, the Zambian capital which also has the highest density of Seventh-day Adventists of any major city in the world. The highest attendance was on Sabbath, with a turnout of about 5,000 attendees. This is the day on which AIIAS promotion was done with prior arrangement with the pastor as well as the leaders of the program.
A brief discussion on AIIAS was given, highlighting the programs offered by the institution, its excellence in academics and service, as well as its being a melting pot of cultures from all around the world. The online programs which the institution offers were also highlighted. After this promotion, all four of the education secretaries from the gathered churches were called to the front and each was given 25 copies of the latest Flags to share with their respective churches. The education secretaries themselves were given folders containing copies of Flags, application forms, and business cards with contact details of the institution. Some of the folders were given to the Conference education director and the executive secretary, both of whom were in attendance, the district pastor, and the other leaders. The 110 copies that were distributed proved to be too few as many were still unable to receive a copy of the publication.
After the meetings were done, an opportunity presented itself to take pictures with some of the recipients of the magazine. A few persons even expressed keen interest to one day study in AIIAS. At least one person is already working hard to make this dream a reality. A day after the camp meeting was over, I went to Rusangu University, a growing institution south of Lusaka with enrolment approaching 5,000 students. Two AIIAS alumni, Dr. Edward Moyo and Dr. Warren Simatele, are currently serving there with distinction. AIIAS, press on!”
Share your photo with Flags to flags@aiias.edu to be featured in one of our future publications.
Visit www.aiias.edu/flags to view the AIIAS Flags Online Library.
Flags Magazine is a semi-annual international magazine for alumni and friends of AIIAS, a graduate-level institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters.
Photo credit: Watson Mbiriri
