Back to News

SECRETARIAT : EVALUATION OF THE UNIONS AND PROMOTION OF VOLUNTEERISM

Posted on Juin 13 2023

SECRETARIAT 
EVALUATION OF THE UNIONS AND PROMOTION OF VOLUNTEERISM

[Photo - Selom Sessou: West Sahel Union Mission]
The month of May 2023 was a busy one for the Western Sahel Union Mission, Northern Nigeria Union Conference, Western Nigeria Union Conference and Eastern Nigeria Union Conference as they hosted the secretariat team from the General Conference (GC) and the West-Central Africa Division (WAD).
Gerson P Santos, GC Associate Secretary and also liaison officer to the West-Central Africa Division, and Elbert Kuhn, GC Associate Secretary and Director of the Adventist Volunteer Services visited to conduct a targeted evaluation of selected Unions that are due for evaluation and to engage entities in the disciple making and reclaiming of members, as well as  to whip up volunteerism as a way of engaging church members in the disciple making process.
The GC team together with the WAD Executive Secretary Selom Kwasi Sessou started the visit from Cape Verde to meet with the Portuguese-speaking brethren from May 19-20, 2023. The Church secretaries, clerks and church leaders, pastors and elders were trained in Praia, Cabo Verde. Special emphasis was laid on the use of Adventist Church Management System (ACMS) to monitor and to care for church members.

[Photo - Selom Sessou: Evaluation of the West Sahel Union]
WAD Associate Secretaries Frederick Falayi and Nathan Teye Odonkor joined the team at the Western Sahel Union (WSUM) in Dakar for the secretariat evaluation from May 22-24. In the end the GC team was positively impressed with the functioning of the administration and awarded the score: APPROVED with DISTINCTION.
The GC and the WAD secretariat team continued the working visit to Abuja in Northern Nigeria Union Conference ( NNUC) for the Secretariat Nurturing and Evaluation on May 25, 2023. The NNUC also was also awarded the score APPROVED with DISTINCTION. The major set back for this similar score the failure of this two Unions WSUM and NNUC the lack of storage on the cloud to store documents.
 
[Photo - Selom Sessou: Northern Nigeria Union Conference Evaluation]
Other professional recommendations  of the secretariat such as education in Human Resource Management and counseling skills were made in anticipation of the highest score of APPROVED with EXCELLENCE. 
The team also visited Babcock University on Saturday May 27, 2023 to promote Adventist Volunteer and to discuss Babcock University’s training of volunteers for missions. Elbert Kuhn preached the sabbath sermon and in the afternoon, the team gave presentations on re-focusing for missions through volunteerism.
   
[Photo: Selom Sessou - Sabbat at Babcock University] 
In attendance were faculty, staff students and Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) Vice President/Adventist Family Ministries Director Jongimpi Papu and some staff of SID who were in Babcock for a study tour. The VC of Babcock Prof Tayo embraced the mission refocusing volunteering spirit and pledged support and job security for faculty and staff to go on missions as volunteers in WAD territories and beyond.
The GC team returned to base on Sunday May 27 while the WAD team headed by the executive secretary Selom Sessou continued conduction of the secretariat and ACMS training at the Western Nigeria Union Conference (WNUC) Headquarters in Maryland, Lagos.  
 
[Photo - Selom Sessou: Eastern Nigeria Union Conference Training] 
The final working visit of WAD team for the Secretariat Training was started at Aba on Wednesday May 24, 2023 in the Eastern Nigeria Union Headquarters auditorium. In attendance were the Union Secretariat team headed by team leader Opara, Onyebuchi, ENUC entities’ secretaries, associates, assistants and institutional heads. The climax of the Training and worship experience took place on Saturday June 3, 2023. Participants have been fired to reach a 100% upload of members on the ACMS. Keep praying for the Executive Secretaries, Associates, Assistants and Institutional Leaders who were in attendance to reach their goal.

Nathan Teye Odonkor
WAD Associate Secretary