Pastor Abner De los Santos, President of the Inter-American Division (IAD), opened the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (JAMU) two-day 3rd Quinquennial Session on February 17, 2026, with a strong spiritual appeal to delegates to live the gospel before proclaiming it.
Speaking to the theme “Living the Mission,” at the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church, De los Santos addressed a gathering of over 200 delegates and representatives and emphasised that the Church’s witness must be grounded in a personal experience with Christ.
“The gospel is a person before it is a proclamation,” De los Santos declared. “Before we can introduce Christ to others, we must experience Christ for ourselves.” He framed the gospel not primarily as doctrine, but as a relationship that transforms the believer. “Christianity doesn’t begin with philosophy or doctrine; it begins with a person. The gospel is not merely about Jesus; it is Jesus.”