ASI Portugal holds first convention in Lisbon
ASI Portugal held its first annual convention Sept. 25-26, 2009, in Lisbon. The convention theme was "Sharing Christ—Now!" with Mark Finley as keynote speaker.
The Friday night meeting at the Lisbon Seventh-day Adventist Church was filled to capacity, with 500 attending. Following an ASI Overview, Finley gave a sermon on the power of Christ to transform lives from within.
The Lisbon University Convention Center, with an attendance capacity of 1,600, overflowed Sabbath morning with more than 1,800 people—almost one-fifth of the approximately 10,000 Adventists in Portugal. Some were turned away by guards because of safety policies. Finley spoke on the power of Christ to act through individuals to reach others, challenging listeners to "act now" for Him.
Sabbath meetings included powerful personal testimonies, ministry reports, musical numbers, and a Sabbath school presentation by Victor Pires of It Is Written. A number of youth reported on their own active ministries in Portugal. Finley closed the meetings with stories of how Christ is "acting now" in the worldwide church.
After the meetings, a LUSA reporter interviewed Finley and Ruben Dias, president of ASI Portugal. LUSA is a news agency that distributes content throughout Europe.
During the interview, Dias shared, "As professionals and entrepreneurs, we have business goals and objectives in the business world, but for us [these goals are] not the most important." Finley prayed with the reporter after the interview.
The convention offering of 55,000 euros (approximately $80,000 US) well exceeded the goal of 33,000 euros.
ASI Portugal was established during organizational meetings in September 2008, with Dias elected as president.
Visit the ASI Portugal website (Google translation).