ONE HUNDRED and three participants from across Sepik Mission concluded a landmark three-day Digital Discipleship Training on April 9, 2026, at Gander Youth Hall in Carltex, Wewak, sending home a newly equipped cohort of Digital Disciples ready to use their mobile phones as instruments of gospel mission.
The training centred on practical smartphone content creation, covering a range of digital skills including graphic design, video editing, branding, and the use of artificial intelligence. Sessions were primarily facilitated by Sepik Mission’s Communications Director, Minister Joe Philip, who guided participants through hands-on exercises that immediately produced results.
MOROBE MISSION JOINS VIA INTERNET
The training was further enriched by a special guest presenter. Mr. Joe Meya, the Communication Director of Morobe Mission who joined the event via internet to facilitate sessions on Adventist Branding and the Concept of Graphic Design, bringing an inter-mission perspective that added depth and context to the program’s broader vision of unified Adventist digital communication.
The AYM coordinators also attended the training alongside the regular participants. Their leadership sessions were scheduled in the afternoon, allowing them to take full part in the Digital Discipleship Training program during the morning sessions, an arrangement that ensured both groups received the training without conflict.
The excitement in the room was tangible throughout the three days as participants created their own flyers and edited their own videos—many for the first time. Pastor James Knox, who was among the dedicated attendees, summed up the sentiment shared by many: a simple but significant shift from observer to creator. “I am glad that I attended this training because I can now design my own flyers and graphics, and also edit my own videos," he added.
ORDINARY TOOLS, EXTRAORDINARY PURPOSE
The program concluded with a moment that drew on the biblical example of Moses and his ordinary staff, a simple tool placed in the hands of a willing servant that God used for extraordinary purposes. In that same spirit, three ordained pastors offered a dedicatory prayer over the mobile phones of every participant, commissioning the devices and their owners as Digital Disciples for the mission field.
The training also carried a timely message of responsible digital stewardship, encouraging members to understand that the same mobile phone in their pocket, used wisely, can be a blessing and a vehicle for the gospel. Used irresponsibly, it becomes a curse. The program aimed to tip that balance firmly toward the blessing.
