"I have a vision for our country," Madagascar's president, Marc Ravalomanana, told some 30,000 Seventh-day Adventists gathered on May 5 for the opening day of an outreach effort in Mahamasina (Sacred) Stadium in Madagascar's capital. Referring to the effects of deforestation on the island country, Ravalomanana urged those gathered to help make Madagascar a "green island" once again.
He indicated that the Adventist Church can and is playing a significant role in the environmental development and moral health of the country and its people. He especially noted the work of the development work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Madagascar.
Turning to the spiritual impact of Adventists in the country, Ravalomanana congratulated them for "daring to share your faith in such a large public gathering, and in such a place as this." He then urged the audience to "convey such a faith not only here, but in the rest of the country."
President Ravalomanana was joined by the president of the Senate and the prime minister. Several other high-ranking government officials were also present including Adventist Senator and member of the Pan African Parliament, Raberdison Jeanot.
While Ravalomanana was pleased with the church's role in the environmental development and moral health of the country and its people, he was concerned about the condition of Adventist church buildings.
"People will judge your faith by the appearance of your buildings," he said. "Lift up Christ through your places of worship too."
He then thanked the Church for the special offering taken up at the meeting for the victims of the recent cyclones which devastated parts of the countryside.
The meeting was held in the same place where one monarch used to throw Christians off cliffs. That place formed the backdrop for this Christian gathering with "Lift up Christ" as its theme.
This meeting marked the first day of a one-week series of public meetings that is the culmination of four months of small group evangelism and Bible study programs. In January church members handed out Bible study invitations in their communities.
As a result, trained church members are now leading about 1,100 small group Bible studies. The small-groups were invited to the public meetings with speaker Pastor Paul Ratsara, president of the Adventist church in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.
A native of Madagascar himself, Ratsara encouraged the crowd to "Lift up Christ," by accepting His salvation and by allowing Christ to live in and through them.
"If we do this," he preached, "it will have a positive impact on our own lives, our families and our country. This is how we contribute as a Church to the well-being of the nation," Ratsara said. He invited the crowd to attend the campaign meetings each night throughout the week and the final meeting on May 12.
Ravalomanana is a vocal Christian who is currently the head layman of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM), a Protestant Church of Reformed tradition.
Ravalomanana was re-elected president last December. He is highly regarded by development agencies for his sound fiscal policies and anti-corruption measures. Ravalomanana is also revered by environmentalists who have been buoyed by his aggressive conservation initiatives to protect the island's unique wildlife, which includes dozens of species of lemurs.
