Intro and Closing music provided by Ralph Carmichael
"Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus." - Elton Trueblood
"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed." - Hudson Taylor
It is exciting to hear about the many events being held by churches in Northern California as part of Share the Hope, the 2009 initiative of the North American Division. Click here to learn more about this program at the NAD's website. Churches are developing creative ways of doing evangelism in order to reach their communities.
Read below to learn about some recent evangelistic efforts at Northern California Conference churches:
Southgate Tongan Church Plant
The oldest of ten children, Tu'anaki Vaihi Toki was born in Tonga to Mormon missionary parents. After serving in several other mission fields, his family moved to Ontario, Calif., where his father was a branch president over the LDS Tongan community. Toki actively participated in the life of his church, playing in his father’s band for church functions and special occasions.
When he was 19, Toki married and eventually had two daughters and a son, but he drifted away from his church. “I started living an ungodly lifestyle and, as a result, left my family and had two more daughters,” he said. Eventually, his belief in his marriage covenant made him reconsider his decisions, and he went home to his wife.
He and his family moved to Sacramento in 1989 for a fresh start. Toki threw himself back into church work, and in 1994 he became an LDS bishop, serving until 2000. “It was a humbling experience, and I’m forever thankful for that opportunity to serve,” he said.
However, his life again took a wrong turn, and he ended up in jail. “Due to bad decisions, Satan got the best of me, and it caused me to be ex-communicated from the church. I never experienced loneliness that way; I felt so worthless,” he said.
He knew that he could probably reconcile with the LDS church and get re-baptized after he finished serving his parole. However, he believes that God had other plans for him.
“Not knowing what the Lord had in store for me, I started attending a two-week evangelistic meeting that was held by Pastor Douglas Na’a and Pastor Sione Latuhoi,” he said. Toki was especially impressed with what he learned about the seventh-day Sabbath and the health message.
At the completion of the evangelistic meetings, he prayed: “Lord, if what I was hearing was You, and if what I was feeling was from You during these evangelistic meetings, then please accept me as a sinner. Please give me the opportunity to live right with You and share Your goodness with others. If it is Your will for me to be baptized, then let it be!”
On July 4, 2009, he was baptized into the Adventist church. Toki is thankful for a new beginning: “I went from feeling hopeless and unworthy, to being accepted by God.”
Oakland-Elmhurst April - September by Kathy M. Batchelor
A succession of outreach programs conducted by the Oakland-Elmhurst church in 2009 has been instrumental in connecting souls to Christ.
Last April, the church formed a small group, which studied a variety of Bible topics, including prophecy and Revelation. By its last meeting at the end of August, four people were preparing for baptism.
During the summer, the Elmhurst church continued its outreach by way of Vacation Bible School. Over 30 children from the community learned about Jesus through songs, Bible lessons and crafts.
Immediately after VBS, the church, in conjunction with the Hayward church, held a weekly seminar for six weeks at the San Leandro Public Library, which was a culmination of the church’s long-term goal to reach out to the community.
The church’s young people are also working to win souls. Recently a weeklong revival was conducted by youth ages 5–17, with a different young person speaking at each evening meeting and three kids speaking on Sabbath.
Another soul-winning event was conducted by Raiford Woods, speaker and executive director for the Better Living Series Inner-City Training Institute. Two meetings, presenting Bible principles and health messages, were held at the House of Unity in the Eastmont Mall in the heart of Oakland.
“It was a tremendous success, and several of those who attended are now a part of a small group Revelation seminar with baptisms to follow,” said Oakland-Elmhurst Church Pastor Willie Johnson.
Sacramento Slavic
Russian Language Media
The Sacramento area hosts one of the largest Russian populations in North America. Sacramento Slavic church Pastor Volodymyr Hrynevych and his church members have been reaching this group through Russian language media—radio, television and print.
Hrynevych can be heard on local Russian language radio five times a week. He preaches, or he and a church elder study books from the New Testament, and they answers callers’ questions.
In addition, a local Russian language television channel airs his Adventist evangelism programs. Sometimes Hrynevych preaches, and sometimes he shows sermons by Mark Finley, Doug Batchelor, and other speakers, interpreted into Russian. His programs are also aired on a nationwide Russian network, Impact Television. “This is the best way to reach the Russian people of the United States,” he said.
He is also responsible for one page in each issue of Diaspora, a 40-page bi-monthly newspaper for Sacramento area Russians.
Hrynevych said that many Russians are at first disturbed by the Adventist message because they believe they are already following the truths of the Bible. “This is not easy for them. They think they are strong believers. Many were Orthodox, and then the Baptist message and Pentecost message were open to them. They are confused,” he said. “They ask their pastors about our message, if our message is correct. They ask many, many questions. Sometimes pastors call me and say, ‘Don’t preach about Sabbath.’”
Please pray for the work of Pastor Hrynevych (and his soul-winning team), as he continues to preach, teach and answer questions.
Pittsburg
June 7 by Kathy M. Batchelor
More than 60 residents of the El Pueblo community in Pittsburg, Calif., took advantage of the blood pressure screening and the BBQ lunch sponsored by the Pittsburg church at a local senior center.
Before neighborhood residents could enjoy the tantalizing treats of the lunch, they had to sign in and have their blood pressure taken. Church members registered residents while four nurses from the church took blood pressure readings and provided feedback.
Residents were given tips on reducing stress, lowering their blood pressure and staying healthy. The church also provided free Bibles and information on having a balanced life, health care services, Bible studies, and counseling and parenting resources. Approximately 27 people signed up for Bible studies.
As they exited the senior center, residents were greeted by church members who served them lunch and fellowshipped with them. Church members were excited to be part of this outreach and felt blessed to have the opportunity to get to know the people in the community.
“We want to have an ongoing presence in the community” said Pittsburg church Pastor Gregory Johnson. “We want to do outreach other than evangelistic meetings.” According to Johnson, the plan is to adopt the El Pueblo neighborhood and provide services, seminars, Bible Studies, and children’s programs to help meet the people’s needs.
Santa Rosa
May 16 by Kathie Morgan
Members of the Santa Rosa church created a float entry for this year’s Luther Burbank Rose Parade in downtown Santa Rosa.
The two-part float consisted of a box van pulling a flatbed trailer. The van displayed large pictures of the church’s four locations during its history in Santa Rosa and proclaimed it the “first SDA church west of the Rockies.” The trailer was decorated with fresh greenery and fresh and artificial flowers.
Forty church members accompanied the float dressed in costumes representing the church’s 14 decades of continuous service to the community. Some rode on the trailer, playing guitars and singing. Others marched alongside, singing and interacting with the enthusiastic watchers.
Parade judges awarded the church float the Thomas P. Keegan Award for best entry using local history and a second-place award for nonprofit float.
Young church members stood on the sidewalk outside the church, offering free water and face painting to passersby. Each water bottle carried a label identifying it as a gift from the church and quoting John 6:35.
"I really enjoyed visiting with our neighbors as they passed by our church,” said Santa Rosa church Assistant Pastor Garrison Chaffee, who worked with the youth. “It was fun to see their defenses go down as they realized the water and the face painting our youth were offering were truly free, just like the grace of God."
Lakeport
April 24 - May 3
Renewed Heart Ministries speaker Herb Montgomery presented a 10-day series titled “Life Unlimited” at the Lakeport church.
“It was a real spiritual blessing to the church members. The people from the community were very impressed with the way Herb Montgomery explained God’s character and the Bible themes (doctrines). The seminar put our church name out into the community,” said Lakeport church Pastor Bruce Nicola.
Writing on the Renewed Heart Ministries website on May 4, 2009, Montgomery reported: “To date, this is the largest attended series we have held as a ministry.” He said that one non-Adventist who attended was a woman who runs a local public broadcasting station. “We did an hour-long interview on the radio about the series, who and what God really is, and the dynamics of the spiritual journey of discovering God that we are all on, whether we recognize it or not.” See his full report: http://www.renewedheartministries.com/
Nicola and his church members plan to continue reaching out to those who attended the series. Each non-Adventist who came received a year’s free subscription to the magazine Signs of the Times. The church has hired a part-time Bible worker to study with the 20 people who requested Bible studies.
The Lakeport church is also working hard to plan more outreach activities, such as financial planning, health events, a county fair booth, a community garden, etc., and more evangelistic seminars are scheduled for this year and next.
Antelope Hills
Easter Baskets
During the past year, 42 new homes were constructed across the street from the Antelope Hills church. Pastor Michael Kontes and his congregation wanted to reach out to these new neighbors in a way that would attract them to Christ and not scare them away.
The church group decided to give away Easter baskets to welcome people to their neighborhood. They filled baskets with homemade cookies and bread, small bottles of sparkling cider and an invitation to the church’s upcoming Easter program.
They also gave away a little booklet containing useful information for people new to the area: frequently called telephone numbers, local maps, evacuation plan ideas, a list of local parks, and more.
It was hard to find people at home, but by the time Kontes and his church members finished ringing doorbells on April 5 and 6, they had spoken with people at 21 houses and presented them with baskets.
“People were visibly taken aback,” said Kontes. “Many at first seemed skeptical, but no one rejected the gift. . . . We said, ‘Listen we’re not here to sell anything . . . we just want to welcome you to our neighborhood.’”
The church plans to give Christmas baskets to these same neighbors in December. Said Kontes, “We want to be a church that models unconditional love to our community.”
Pleasant Hill Youth
March 14-21
More than 175 teenagers attended “Jesus Loves Jeans,” a youth evangelistic series, at the Pleasant Hill Church, March 14-21. The event, which coincided with many of the students’ spring break vacations, involved youth from a number of East Bay Adventist churches, as well as 35 teens who claimed no church affiliation.
“The part that I’m happiest about was the level of involvement and excitement from the kids and adults at our church,” said Associate Pastor Chris Estay, of the 46 people who were involved with audio-visual, decorating, music, food, attendance, registration and small groups.
“Kids who wouldn’t ordinarily be involved were taking ownership, and they did a really fantastic job,” said Estay, who headed the event. “It was like a mentorship program. They got to work side by side with adults and get involved in hands-on ministry.”
The speaker for “Jesus Loves Jeans” was Alex Martinez, youth pastor for the Fallbrook church in Southern California. Each evening, during a question and answer period, titled “Ask Alex Anything,” Martinez answered students’ questions, ranging from the fun: “What’s the coolest thing you can do?” (answer: a back flip) to the serious: “Am I good enough to go to heaven?”
On three different afternoons during the week, some of the teens were involved in community service projects: sorting food at a local food bank, cleaning an elderly widow’s house and car, and picking up trash at a beach.
Oakland Spanish
March 21
The Oakland Spanish church celebrated a special Visitors’ Day on Sabbath, March 21. In preparation for the day, church members gave formal invitations to family members and friends. As a result, the church welcomed 62 visitors, 38 of whom were attending the church for the first time. Each guest received a special gift package containing books, outreach magazines, music CDs and other items.
Many of the visitors indicated that they wanted to receive Bible studies and keep attending church. Many also responded when Pastor Paul Guevara made an invitation for people to receive Christ as their Savior.
After the service, members and guests shared a special meal on the former Golden Gate Academy campus. They ended the Sabbath together with an evening concert by well-known violinist Jaime Jorge at the Golden Gate Academy auditorium, which was full.
“Thanks to our gracious Lord and the tremendous work of our congregation, the whole Sabbath program from start to finish was a tremendous success,” said Pastor Guevara.
The church has launched its innovative Missionary Cell endeavor—groups of four or five people setting up booths at various plazas and parking lots in the area to distribute books, magazines, music and sermon recordings. They will also offer Bible studies and the chance to enter a drawing for a special family Bible. “Please pray for this effort,” said Guevara.
Stockton-Mayfair
March 6-7, 13-14
The Stockton-Mayfair church held an evangelistic event over two weekends (March 6, 7, 13, 14), conducted by Dexter Thomas, assistant pastor of the Oakland-Grand Avenue Church. As a result, four people were baptized and 12 more joined a baptismal class.
When the members of the church prepared to hand out fliers to promote the meetings, Pastor Lanston Sylvester told them: “If people don’t know you, they are just going to throw the flier away.”
The Mayfair congregation works hard to be known in the Stockton community. Sylvester’s goal is to discourage passive worship attendance. “They’re not here just to sit down and enjoy the service. They also have to become ministers,” he said.
Sylvester has divided his congregation into six tribes, each headed by an elder. The members of a tribe work together as a mini-congregation, hosting potlucks, engaging in friendly competitions, fundraising for the church's building project, etc. One major responsibility for the tribes is evangelism. Each tribe has been assigned an apartment complex near the church to reach for Christ. Their mission during the first year is to discover people’s needs — health, family, financial and more.
"They are building relationships, finding out what people need, not simply asking, 'Do you need a Bible study?'” said Sylvester.
The church plans to host another evangelistic event June 21-28, to be held in a tent on the church property. Some of the planned activities include a Vacation Bible School, a financial seminar and a job fair.
Eureka
February 13-14
The Eureka church hosted the video seminar “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage” on February 13 and 14. In all, 130 people attended the two-evening event, including many non-Adventists. By the end of the second evening, eleven people had requested Bible studies.
The seminar, presented via video by popular speaker and pastor Mark Gungor, employs humor to educate people about the components of a successful marriage. On site, the seminar was led by presenters Randy and Rebecca DeWater (shown in the photo with Debbie and Pastor Jon Spoolman).
“Refreshments were served during intermission, which gave our members a chance to get acquainted with non-members,” said Frances Dale, Eureka church communication director. The church received positive feedback from non-members: “We made friends; we want more events like this.” “You Adventists are OK!” “This seminar was fun.”
The church created TV commercials to promote the event, with the help of members Mark and Windy Dare, who work for local television stations.
The church followed up the seminar by inviting people to free movie nights. So far, 30-45 people have attended each movie night to watch a Christian film and enjoy popcorn, cookies and juice.
"We just love making friends for the Kingdom, and we are having so much fun getting to know our community!" said Spoolman.
Lodi-Fairmont
January 30-March 7
Before the Lodi-Fairmont church's Prophecy Expo evangelism event began, a personal letter of invitation was sent out to about 100 former Adventists and other potential interests. About a third of these people attended the meetings, and the majority of people baptized so far were from this specially invited group.
Contact lists from the Voice of Prophecy and 3ABN were also used to invite other potentially interested people in the area. “The large colored handbills still work,” said Senior Pastor Bill McVay, who conducted the five-week series that began at the end of January.
This prophecy seminar was the 51st series of meetings for McVay, a former evangelist. “We placed a lot of emphasis on the love of God and we avoided—completely—looking down on other faiths,” he said.
At the end of the meetings, 14 people joined the church. On the Sabbath after the last meeting, the church had a family welcome service and introduced each new member to his or her spiritual mentor. Each mentor publicly took a pledge to watch over and keep in touch with the new member for the first year of membership. "When new members work with spiritual mentors, 92% are still involved with church one year later," said McVay.
Hayward
January 18-February 27
Rather than asking people to come to their church building, Hayward church members took their evangelistic efforts to the community. For the first four weeks of their series, elders preached at two different venues—at a senior community center in San Leandro and in a community room at the Southland Mall in Hayward.
Then both groups transitioned to the Hayward church, where Pastor Paul Penno preached for the last three weeks of the series. Eleven people have been baptized so far, with more expected.
One couple was invited to the meetings by their Adventist estate planner. They came practically every night, and they started bringing a friend; all three are now attending church on Sabbath morning. The man, who is a security guard, has asked his employer to accommodate his new Sabbath beliefs, and the couple plans to be baptized.
Penno and his church believe it’s important to develop relationships with people who may not have close ties to the church. “Several elders have committed themselves to keeping in touch with new people and lapsed members,” said Penno. The church has also hired a part-time visitation pastor to foster relationships.
Roseville
January 10-February 7
Roseville Church Senior Pastor Roger Cain says the downturn in the economy has made people realize their need for God. “The economy is making people aware that some of their security may not be there,” he said. “People in other countries feel their spiritual needs. Here in America, we are behind. If we offer—as we do overseas—that there is a better life, Americans will respond.”
And people did respond during the four-week evangelistic series at the Roseville church, conducted by evangelist Lyle Albrecht. He is familiar to viewers of 3ABN, so his name caught people’s attention when they read the series invitation in the local Penny Saver or received one of the 80,000 brochures mailed out to local neighborhoods. Church members also helped promote the series by inviting their friends.
On the first evening, 123 non-members attended, and the 350-seat church was overflowing. Chairs had to be set up in the aisles to accommodate more people. More than 30 non-members attended throughout the series of meetings. At the end, pastors baptized 30 people.
Foresthill Company/Georgetown/Shingle Springs
Community Communication
Jovan Ilijev, pastor of the Foresthill Company/Georgetown/Shingle Springs district, used to work in real estate. In order to get potential customers to open his marketing letters, he would address each envelope by hand and use a first-class stamp.
Ilijev and the Shingle Springs church decided to use the same strategy to introduce their neighbors to their local Adventist church. They addressed 1,300 envelopes by hand, put a newsletter in each one, and mailed them all in February.
The church plans to mail other editions of the newsletter to the same recipients in order to establish a marketing base and generate interest for their evangelism event this coming fall.
"Two things are important in marketing - to market the right stuff and to be persistent," said Ilijev. "We have more than the right stuff, but we have to be consistent and persistent."
The oldest of ten children, Tu'anaki Vaihi Toki was born in Tonga to Mormon missionary parents. After serving in several other mission fields, his family moved to Ontario, Calif., where his father was a branch president over the LDS Tongan community. Toki actively participated in the life of his church, playing in his father’s band for church functions and special occasions.
A succession of outreach programs conducted by the Oakland-Elmhurst church in 2009 has been instrumental in connecting souls to Christ.
by Kathie Morgan
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