The AIIAS week of prayer from September 26 to October 3, 2015 presented an opportunity for all participants to grow in the light of our divine calling. The theme for the spiritual emphasis “Faith of our fathers” invited listeners to contemplate the faith ‘our fathers’ espoused with great ardor.
The topics treated during this period were the great controversy, the state of the dead, and the remnant. Experienced facilitators handled these topics with great admiration. “It redirected us to the spring of living water that we may forsake the broken cisterns that hold no water,” observed one student leader.
“The week of prayer this time was conducted in a unique way,” says Vice President for Student Services, Dr. Bryan Sumendap. “To ensure active participation, attendees were divided into three groups during each morning sessions.”
The interactive nature of the discussions brought satisfaction to the souls of listeners. To makes sure that everyone benefits from each lesson, the facilitators were rotated with the topic they handled in each group. This grouping system was attested to by participants as very beneficial. It was therefore not surprising that students were willing to worship each morning after lectures and were punctual too.
The evening sessions which were handled by both lecturers and students were equally ‘brilliant’ and soul searching. Interesting topics such as the spirit of prophecy, the heavenly sanctuary, the righteousness of Christ, and the later rain were treated.
The main speaker of the program was the communication director of North Philippine Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Jose Orbe Jr., who began his topics on Thursday morning with “The three angels message and the judgment”.
With his in-depth knowledge of scripture and great communication skills, he immediately had an impact on his listeners. This week of prayer indeed afforded all participants to be revived in the kind of faith the heroes of the scriptures had.
The week of spiritual emphasis would not have been complete without the different genre of music rendered by various groups and individuals. Music added beauty to the whole program as it prepared the hearts of listeners to receive the faith of our fathers.
The climax of the program was the organization of the Lord’s Supper. In the spirit of togetherness and love and with faith like our fathers, worshipers partook of the emblems and exuded in faith, looking forward to the coming of the Lord even in the midst of serious academic studies.
By: Ebenezer Danquah
