September 2025 Carolina's 10,000 P5
- Leslie D. Louis
- Sep 8
- 11 min read
Embracing Carolina with the Compassionate Call of Christ
The 10,000 President’s Prayer Partners is a fast-growing group of Carolina Conference constituents who take matters such as these to their knees. We invite you to join us and make this monthly list a matter of prayer. Together we seek the Lord for His answers and provisions to every need we bring before Him.
Pray the Gifts of the Holy Spirit – The Gift of Gentleness
Pentecost 2025 is the launching of a bold plan of the North American Division to experience 3,000 proclamation events across the expanse of this great division of God’s remnant church. It is a plan that will only be successful through prayer and the intervention of the Holy Spirit. In Carolina, we have added a prayer-plea tagline to the Lord – “Let it Rain!”
What began with our July (2024) issue of P5 and will continue through 2025, we invite our President’s Prayer Partners to continue coming together in an earnest and heartfelt appeal for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit as we near the soon return of our Savior.
Galatians 5: 22-23 provides us with a listing of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit as: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Beginning with our February issue of P5, we launched our prayerful focus on asking our Heavenly Father to bless us with each of the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit as we continue praying for the outpouring of the latter rain across the Carolinas as we experience Pentecost 2025. In our last seven issues we focused on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness.
In this, our September issue, let’s pray for the eighth fruit of the Spirit in Galatians which is GENTLENESS.
Gentleness is often misunderstood as weakness, but biblically it means strength under control—a spirit that is humble, kind, and patient.
The Greek word prautēs (translated gentleness or meekness) carries the sense of humility, courtesy, and self-restraint.
The Bible affirms the gift of the Holy Spirit when it is manifested through gentleness in these passages of scripture:
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Jesus words in Matthew 5:5)
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” (Jesus words in Matthew 11:29)
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Solomon’s words in Proverbs 15:1)
I love the example of Jesus’s character. Jesus embodied gentleness without ever compromising truth. He welcomed children, restored the broken, and corrected with patience. Even when confronting sin, His approach combined firmness with compassion.
Gentleness transforms how we deal with others:
In situations of conflict, a person that has the gift of the Holy Spirit responds with calmness instead of aggression (Galatians 6:1).
In the ministry of teaching, correction always takes place with humility
(2 Timothy 2:25).
In leadership, a gentle spirit views himself or herself as serving rather than domineering (1 Peter 5:2–3).
Gentleness is not passive—it’s actively choosing kindness when we could choose to react with harshness. It’s not a natural human trait but a supernatural fruit of the Spirit. It grows in us as we surrender to God’s Spirit, shaping our responses to reflect Christ. Gentleness reveals spiritual maturity by showing our trust in God’s strength rather than our own. Our culture often prizes assertiveness, harshness, or “winning” arguments. The Spirit calls us to stand out by living gently, demonstrating God’s love in a world that’s so quick to respond in anger.
Pray to Receive and Repeat the Fruit of Gentleness as a “Spirit-led” Practice:
As we focus specifically on the Holy Spirit’s gift of gentleness, let’s prayerfully ask the Lord to bless us in how we practically apply this in our daily lives. At home, pray that we will speak kindly to family members especially in moments when we are stressed out over a host of matters. At work, let’s pray that God will help us handle our disagreements respectfully. In our ministry and in our daily interactions with those with whom we work, pray that God will graciously show patience with those who struggle. When we utilize social media or resort to online dialogue, let’s choose words that heal rather than those that wound.
It was my special honor to be invited by the Carolina Eduction & Ministerial Advisory (Known as CEMA) to be the featured speaker for our joint convention last month that included our entire ministry team of pastors and educators.
This summer I began my 53rd year of service to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Well over half of those years of service (32 years to be exact) were dedicated to the ministry of education.
Sadly, even within God’s end time church, I see some alarming trends where there is a distaste for the rock solid truths that are founded on God’s word. Many among our own people are straying away from honoring the sacredness of the Sabbath hours. Many are not reading the Spirit of prophecy as God’s precious gift to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Many who identify as Adventists barely spend time reading their Bibles. It is estimated that of the 27,000+ members of the Carolina Conference, approximately 40% return a faithful tithe to the Lord. What could happen if that changed in the accomplishment of God’s work? I believe that we wouldn’t be experiencing the same challenges now that Jesus spoke about the plentiful harvest and few laborers in the Gospel of Matthew 9:37–38 and a similar statement that appears in Luke 10:2. Here’s the passage from Matthew 9:37–38 (NKJV):
“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”
The utilization and distribution of the tithe dollars covers a vast array of ministries, the largest of these being the salary and benefits of our pastors. All conference workers – including IT directors, accountants, auditors, and even our conference janitors are paid 100% with tithe dollars. However, by current North American Division (NAD) church policy approximately 30% of tithe is appropriated for our church school teachers and the remaining funding for a church school teacher comes mostly from the local church and non-tithe dollars of the conference— if a church can afford to operate a church school. In most places our local church schools pay approximately 70% of the teachers’ salary & benefits package.
How does this practice coincide with this counsel of God’s messenger to His remnant church?
“Our conferences look to the schools for educated and well-trained laborers, and they should give the schools a most hearty and intelligent support. Light has been plainly given that those who minister in our schools, teaching the word of God, explaining the Scriptures, educating the students in the things of God, should be supported by the tithe money. This instruction was given long ago, and more recently it has been repeated again and again.” 6T 215:1
In this year of Pentecost 2025, we have been praying for the outpouring of the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit across North America and more specifically, here in the Carolinas. I believe that we will experience such an outpouring when God’s people conscientiously choose to be faithful in our worship, our time spent with the Word of God, and the faithful rendering of God’s tithe and our free-will offerings. Perhaps then, we will be in a better position as a church to experience the full blessing of truly recognizing our teachers as Christ’s ministers by following the counsel so long given to His church by Ellen White.
Beginning with this September issue of P5, I invite you to pray for these precious men and women who are the ministers of education – representing Jesus -- to the children and youth of our churches and communities as we have just begun our 2025-2026 school year.
With each issue of our President’s Prayer Partners (P5), we continue to focus specifically on one of our goals and share some of the developments that are helping us in our journey toward accomplishing that goal.
Last month we returned to reporting on the progress being made toward our first goal – that of focusing on measurable steps in discipleship in the churches of the Carolinas.
During this month of September, I invite you to pray for our continuing initiatives toward the fulfillment of our second goal -- that of engaging, empowering, and enabling our young adults in the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Here’s an update from Pastor Cris Dutra Cazarine, our Director for Young Adult and Campus Ministries:
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Young Adult Ministries: New Chapters, New Connections, and a New Church Online
The Young Adult and Campus Ministries Department continues to witness steady growth and deeper connections across the Carolinas. God is moving—especially in new, exciting ways.
A Third ACF Chapter Launching at UNC Charlotte
We are thrilled to share that a third Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) chapter is now forming at UNC Charlotte, supported by Pastor Sergio Quevedo and the University City SDA Church. This chapter is already drawing interest from Adventist students and friends on campus who are seeking spiritual support, a sense of community, and a safe place to explore faith. With three ACF groups now active (UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Raleigh, and UNC Charlotte), young adults in the Carolinas are stepping up to create spaces where faith can grow in secular settings.
ACFI Conference in Seattle: NAD Gathering
In July, young adults from ACF chapters joined peers from across North America for the annual ACF Institute Conference in Seattle, Washington.
This week-long gathering included:
Powerful worship and prayer moments
Leadership development training
Breakout sessions on evangelism, mental health, and discipleship
Networking with campus ministry leaders from different regions
Students returned encouraged and better equipped to lead their chapters with boldness and clarity.
A New Ministry Outreach: Online Church for Young Adults
This summer, our department launched a new outreach effort called “The Way Community” an online ministry for young adults who are not currently connected to a local church.
While we continue to encourage in-person fellowship as the ideal, we recognize that many young adults today are facing spiritual struggles, doubts, or logistical barriers that keep them from attending a traditional congregation. This online ministry is a bridge, not a substitute. It’s designed to meet them where they are and help lead them back to deeper engagement with Christ and His church.
Here’s what “The Way Community” offers:
Sabbath video messages and live discussions every week for 8 week-seasons at 3 PM EST, focused on topics young adults are wrestling with
A spiritually grounded environment rooted in Scripture and Adventist faith
A place for honest questions, biblical answers, and meaningful connection
Many who attend were raised in the church but have drifted away. Others are watching quietly before taking the next step. What unites them is a desire to grow spiritually and reconnect with a faith that feels personal and real.
We see this ministry as part of our mission to seek the lost, strengthen the weak, and support the next generation in their walk with God.
If you know a young adult who would benefit from this ministry, invite them to text “church” to (833) 579-4590 to receive the link every week.
Please continue to keep this work in prayer as we reach those who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
Registration Now Open: Young Adult Life Tour – Oct 24–25, 2025
Register now: https://d.io/YALifeTour2025/0e6ff5
The Young Adult Life Tour is a Southern Union-wide event hosted by the Carolina Conference, taking place at Raleigh First SDA Church (4805 Dillard Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606).
This two-day gathering is for:
Young adults (ages 18–35)
Church leaders of all ages
Anyone passionate about youth and young adult ministry
We’ll come together for:
Leadership training grounded in Scripture
Honest conversations about faith and church life
Worship, prayer, and connection
Practical tools for discipling and empowering young adults
No official title needed—just a heart for ministry.
Spots are limited, so we encourage early registration.
Let’s invest in the next generation—together.
Whether it’s through a campus ministry, a cross-country conference, or a quiet moment watching a Sabbath message online—young adults are seeking a deeper walk with God. And through your faithful partnership, they are finding Christ-centered community, guidance, and hope. Thank you for walking with them. Let’s pray for and continue to build a church where every generation grows—together.
We are on our third cycle of remembering these departmental leaders and their ministries. Our purpose is not intended to report all that these departments have been or are accomplishing, but rather to simply uplift all our leadership team and their faithful service in the respective ministries that they oversee in our prayers.
We continue our focus on the Outreach Ministries of the Carolina Conference. They include the following departmental branches:
• ASI
• Carolina Evangelism
• Church Planting
• Community Services
• Disaster Response
• Health Ministries
• Missions
• Publishing
• Prison Ministries
• Adult Sabbath School
During the month of June, we prayed for our Community Services Department. Then in July, we took a pause to pray for our General Conference Session and in August we prayed for the Russell Family in the loss of our beloved Kathy, who served as our Carolina Conference Children’s Ministries Director since 2007.
This month we wish to highlight our Health Ministries Department under the leadership of one of our most recent directors – Elder Dexter Richardson and the gifted secretary to this department, Chana Gentry.
Our desire as Seventh-day Adventists is to be shining examples of healthful living to share Christ’s desire for all to have a happy and healthy existence.
Throughout the Carolinas, programs such as training workshops, health screenings, health fairs and wellness camps have been implemented to aid in bringing our members—and their communities—into a healthier lifestyle. We hope by doing so, we may convey a representation of Christ’s character and bring others to Him.
Let’s take time this month to prayerfully uplift our Health Ministries Department and
all their endeavors and initiatives to nurture an environment of health and well-being
across the Carolinas.
As a President’s Prayer Partner, we invite you once again to be truly a people of the Word. As Seventh-day Adventists, we adhere to 28 Fundamental Beliefs that are based solely on the Bible. We began our third cycle of focusing on these vital beliefs, which are centered in Christ as both our Savior and Lord, in December of 2021.
Let’s continue to thoughtfully place His Word in our hearts every day this month. I personally carry a set of these passages in my car and recite them aloud as I drive from one place to another. My aim is to say one verse prayerfully at least five times a day for a week, thus internalizing the promise of God’s Word: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)
I encourage you to repeat these passages until they become a part of your very being. Of course, you’re always free to do more. Please consider, in a prayerful manner, how you can saturate your soul with His Word and make it a part of your heart every day.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
Romans 6:1-4 (NKJV) “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried
Galatians 3:27-28(NKJV) “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 2:12 (KJV) “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
Be part of God’s praying church across North America by uplifting these leaders of our church who guide God’s work in these territories of God’s vineyard:
Carolina Conference Online Donations
I was playing Block Blast during a super rainy day and the cozy atmosphere made the whole game feel perfect. The moment I cleared 3 lines in one placement felt like a warm win.