From January 3 – 9, 2011, 2 500 delegates from the 22 countries comprising the West-Central Africa Division, met at Babcock University, Nigeria. This meeting, the first of its kind for the Division, was also the first meeting for all the leaders in the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the beginning of the 2010-2015 quinquennium.
This initiative, strongly supported by the Division President, Pastor Gilbert Wari, was a challenge in terms of human mobilization, fund raising, and most of all, spiritual enthusiasm.
The theme of this big gathering was “Revival and Reformation”.
The peculiar thing about this meeting was the attendance of the pastors’ wives. Like an army ready for mission, 900 shepherdesses in uniform were single-minded to show, by the side of their husbands, their total adherence and commitment to the progress of God’s work in this part of the continent.
In his welcome address, Professor Makinde, Vice Chancellor of Babcock University declared: “This retreat will give a new orientation of the work during this quinquennuim.”
Pastor Oyeleke Owolabi, President of the Northwestern Nigeria Union Mission, and host of this meeting underlined: “We are here to seek (look) for solutions with the Master, and we wish that He will inspire and orient the work throughout this quinquennium.”
For Pastor Gilbert Wari, this retreat must bring forth a true revival and a deep reformation for the leaders first, and then for all the church members: “We are here to claim from God the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. We have fasted and prayed for this outpouring to be effective so that we can finish the work in our Division.”
In a surge of solidarity the General Conference was represented by Pastor Jan Paulsen who served as a deacon, the Couple Janet, with Janet as the Shepherdess International Coordinator, and Elder George Egwakhe.
At the end of the meeting, all participants expressed their satisfaction and determination to make this wind of revival and reformation blow in their respective fields. They urged the Division Administration to make this meeting a regular one.