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Recognizing the dire need for spiritual renewal, the Central Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church holds a Week of Prayer from Jan. 6-11, 2024. It aimed to seek God's guidance and direction for the year ahead, aligning its goals and aspirations with the Divine will.

Held at the CPUC headquarters in Gorordo Ave., Cebu City, the event features Pastor Foday Sellu as the guest speaker during the morning and afternoon sessions of the week-long program.

Pastor Sellu, a Ph.D in Religion candidate with an emphasis in Old Testament and cognate in World Mission at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in Silang Cavite, hails from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Before coming to the Philippines, he served as an instructor in the Theology Department at the Adventist University of West Africa in Liberia.

With the event's theme, "In Times Like These," Pastor Sellu centers his messages on maintaining spiritual zeal through tough and challenging times. He explores the lives of biblical figures, examining their failures, struggles, and ultimate victories to illustrate pathways to spiritual stability amidst challenges.

In his opening message on the first day, he reached the hearts of the listeners through his topic, "Shine Like Gold." He talked about King Rehoboam's decline in national wealth and power when King Shishak of Egypt invaded the kingdom, taking away the palace and the temple's golden treasures and shields.

With these losses, King Rehoboam instructed the smiths to make bronze replicas to replace the golden furniture sets. He further stated that the guards would display these replicas every time the king walked through the temple and the palace.

Pastor Sellu pointed out King Rehoboam's spiritual decline, symbolized by the loss of the gold shields, as a consequence of turning away from God. He further emphasized that the king attempted to mask this decline by replacing the gold with inferior bronze substitutes, creating a facade of strength and prosperity.

Drawing a parallel to contemporary spiritual life, Pastor Sellu cautioned the attendees against the temptation to substitute genuine faith with outward appearances. He warned against clinging to past spiritual achievements and relying on superficial substitutes to maintain a facade of spiritual vitality, much like King Rehoboam did. He urged them to assess their spiritual standing constantly and never allow themselves to replace gold with brass.

Throughout the three days of this six-day event, streamed live on CPUC's official Facebook page, Pastor Sellu tackled a series of inspiring messages, bringing CPUC workers into a deeper connection with God. Among his topics were "The Puzzle of Life," "Why Settle for Good When Better is Available and Best is Attainable?" "Productivity," and "Not a Luxury Liner."

His next topics for the fourth day and beyond will include"It is the Man, Not the Position," Why Gehazi," and "Soar Like an Eagle." To the workers, all his messages in the past three days left deep impressions in their hearts. With these experiences, they also look forward to more inspiring and uplifting messages until the event's culmination.

Pastor Fernando Narciso, CPUC vice-president for Integrated Evangelism Lifestyle/Nurturing, Discipleship, and Retention and leader of the CPUC religious committee who facilitated this event, shared his views on this spiritual emphasis.

"After a busy and distracting holiday season, the Week of Prayer provides dedicated time to refocus on God, deepen our spiritual connection, and allow us to rededicate ourselves to faith and service," Pastor Narciso said.

Adventh Joy Montesa-Cabulay, Hope Channel Central Philippines scriptwriter, shared how blessed she was with the messages. "Pastor Sellu's message about losing our gold is a wake-up call for me. While he was elaborating, I silently pleaded with God to help me bring back the gold and allow me to have a deeper connection with Him again."

Pastor Eliezer "Joer" Barlizo, president of CPUC, expressed gratitude to God for the success in 2024 and appreciation for the dedication of all workers, including the administration, directors, and staff. With the annual spiritual enrichment program designed for spiritual renewal, he anticipates a more meaningful year.

"May our productivity in 2025 be greater, our dedication stronger, and our evangelism more intensive and widespread," he said. He also shared that, together with CPUC, most of the churches under the missions and conferences also hold their first Week of Prayer for 2025.

This event will culminate on Saturday with a communion service, a deeply meaningful and symbolic act of worship that connects God's people to Him, to each other, and to the central message of the Gospel.