As our great Pan American Clipper left the airport at Santurce, Puerto Rico, and headed northeast, winging its way high above the Greater Antilles, there came over me a strong feeling of satisfaction and confidence that the soul-winning efforts of our pastors and evangelists in the island fields of the Antillian Union will be more successful than ever during 1947. In company with H. E. Baasch and H. B. Lundquist it was my privilege to assist in the evangelistic institutes held during January and February, 1947, in Santa Clara, Cuba ; Port-au-Prince, Haiti ; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Approximately a hundred workers in all attended these three institutes. Studies in public evangelism were the main feature of the daily program, together with studies in pastoral problems and fundamental doctrines, followed by enthusiastic round-table discussions. Special emphasis was given to studies on the art of soul winning and the securing of decisions in public evangelistic efforts. Also the challenge of the evangelization of the great cities was held before our workers in each institute. Plans and methods of entering these big cities were studied and discussed. As a result careful plans are now being made by the local mission committees for several large city efforts in such strategic cities as Havana and Camaguey, Cuba; Port-au-Prince, Haiti ; Ciudad Trujillo, Santo Domingo; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
H. B. Lundquist, president of the Antillian Union, is giving strong enthusiastic emphasis to public evangelism as well as to lay evangelism. Truly this union is proving to be a most fertile field for soul winning. During the past year, 1,689 souls were baptized in the Antillian Union. This number represents a 30 per cent increase over 1945. In fact 1946 proved to be the greatest soul-winning year in the history of the union, exceeding all former records in baptisms. The soul-winning goal fixed by the union committee for 1947 is two thousand. However, at the close of these evangelistic institutes the workers have set as their individual goals the total of 2,644 souls. With renewed vision and enthusiasm for public evangelism, together with a strong program of lay evangelism, 1947 should be a banner year in the Antillian Union Mission field.
