Recently, a member of Gulf States Conference donated approximately $5,000 worth of silver 50-cent pieces, with the only stipulation that the coins would be given to young people in our schools and churches who will pledge to read & study their Bibles.
Both our Conference President, Pastor Brian Danese, and our Executive Secretary/VP, Pastor Martin Fancher, have been following up the request throughout our Conference during their visits to churches and schools.
In the beginning weeks of 2024, Pastor Danese began to visit the eleven elementary schools in our Conference, and he shares this:
“Silver is most often mixed with other ores requiring a refining process. It is very rare to find “silver nuggets” unlike gold. So, it almost always requires a refining process to separate it from the ore. A good silver mine in Jesus’ day would require two thousand pounds of ore to get ten pounds of silver. What a fitting symbol representing us and our need to be “refined”. In Psalms 12:6 the words of the Lord are compared to pure silver, refined seven times. We remind the students if you are looking for pure words, which are hard to find these days, you can find them in the Bible."
Pastor Fancher has visited Pensacola Junior Academy in Pensacola, FL, University Parkway SDA Church, & Gilbertown SDA Church in Gilbertown, AL, and he has challenged the students & youth with the following analogy:
“Silver is not found in a pure state. It is the lightest of the precious metals and melts at an extremely high temperature of 1,764 degrees Fahrenheit. It must be refined & purified more than any other precious metal.
The same applies to us as humans: We have a physical side and a spiritual side, and we must also be refined and purified by the Holy Spirit.”
Every young person has been given a silver coin to represent their commitment to read and study the Bible for themselves.