BANGKOK, Thailand — Delegates from the East Central Philippine Union Conference joined church leaders, administrators, and departmental directors from across the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) at the Baiyoke Sky Hotel in Bangkok for the OneVoice27 Strategic Alignment and Collaboration Summit. Running from September 20-23, the four-day event aims to align resources, digital strategies, and missional frameworks under a unified vision.
With the overarching mission encapsulated in “OneVoice27: Mission for All,” the summit began Sept. 20 with a devotional and welcome remarks from Pastor Roger Caderma, Southern Asia-Pacific Division president; Pastor Jacinth Adap, division treasurer; and Pastor Alex Ott, associate secretary for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Pastor Ott delivered the opening message, while Pastor Arnel Gabin, SSD vice-president for IEL-NDR, spoke for the first plenary session. In his discussion, he emphasized the importance of seeing the “whole picture” of the OneVoice27 initiative, setting a clear spiritual and strategic tone for the rest of the event.
A Roadmap for Integrated Mission
Workshops, plenary sessions, and administrative panels over the next three days focused on key structural components of the OneVoice27 framework.
Anthony Stanyer of SSD Media and Edward Rodriguez, assistant director for communication, led sessions that unpacked the terms of reference, the five touch points of a missional pathway, and the integration of the unified calendar.
Angelina Pagarigan, division undertreasurer, led discussions on aligning budgets, resources and partnerships to support mission work across the division.
Recognizing the power of digital evangelism, leaders dived into practical workshops on building robust media repositories, mobilizing digital missionaries through initiatives like “The Power of 10,” and executing simultaneous digital programs such as Finding Hope 2.0.
Unified Mission and Interconnected Roles
Pastor Sugih Sitorus, SSD ministerial secretary, and Pastor Arnel Gabin, SSD vice president for IEL-NDR, guided delegates through Hope Care Teams in action, bridging departmental events, and structuring prayer-and-baptism harvest goals.
During the sessions, Pastor Godofredo “Jonbye” Romanillos Jr. highlighted a central question designed to unify the church’s collective efforts: “How can every ministry help more people encounter Jesus, connect with his church, and become disciples?”
Reflecting on the collaborative framework presented at the summit, Pastor Romanillos quoted Pastor Caderma, who emphasized each department’s interconnected role in advancing the mission: the treasury makes the story, NDR-IEL writes the story, ministerial inspires the story, communication shares the story, and Hope Channel shows the story.
Action and Commitment
Moving beyond theory, the summit emphasized practical execution. Participants engaged in departmental group activities to formulate concrete 30-60-90 day action plans, culminating in interactive fireside chats with division leaders.
Reflecting on the summit’s deeper significance, Pastor Eliezer “Joer” Barlizo Jr., president of the East Central Philippine Union Conference, emphasized that the initiative’s strength lies in coordinated action. “When we work together and use every available platform, we can reach more hearts and help move the mission forward in this generation,” Pastor Barlizo stated, echoing the conference’s dedication to unified digital and traditional outreach.
As the summit drew to a close, organizers outlined a clear practical objective to guide participants forward: ensuring that shared decisions translate into a coordinated strategy where every department knows what is being done together, who is responsible, when actions will take place, and how each component connects to the broader mission.