Eager to launch a city-wide, youth-foryouth soul-winning effort, the young people's leaders and their pastors in the greater Washington area gave study, over a period of weeks, to the matter of what type of project could be used. In response to the kind invitation of the Capital Memorial church board, it was decided that a public evangelistic effort be held in this downtown church. Committees were chosen by the young people to sponsor the various phases of the project. With a wide vision and an eagerness to intrigue the imagination of our young people, as well as the young people of the world, these youth began to make large plans.
The committee on advertising, upon investigation, found that radio time could be procured over Mutual's key station, WOL, between eight-thirty and nine o'clock on Saturday nights. It had been previously planned that our public meetings would be on Saturday night, because that would be the most convenient night for our young people, and that is the night the "Youth for Christ" movement has successfully used. Careful investigation revealed that the station management was willing to give us their class-C rate for this class-A time on Saturday nights. In other words, a remote control broadcast from the Capital Memorial church for the half-hour would cost only $98 for each broadcast. The idea of broadcasting a portion of our evangelistic meeting thrilled our youth, and the various societies quickly pledged sufficient amounts to assure payment for the first eight weeks of broadcasting. Six weeks have now passed, and the young people voted for the present to continue the program indefinitely.*
Upon the suggestion of radio station officials we have called our project "The Saturday Night Camp Meeting." This was recommended because it was felt that the ordinary staid religious broadcast, such as might be appropriate for Sunday morning, would hardly get a listening audience on Saturday night. "Camp Meeting" suggested a more informal and evangelistic type of meeting—the type which we planned to put on.
The evening's program consists of a song service from seven-thirty to seven-forty-five, at which time the songs we plan to use in the broadcast are sung by the congregation. Then about ten minutes is devoted to special music, prayer, and announcements. From seven-fiftyfive to eight-ten a young man gives an evangelistic sermonet. Thus far, college ministerial students have been doing this for us. Just now one young man is giving a series of talks. He is enthusiastic, clear, and logical in his presentation. We are going right through the doctrines just as an evangelist would in a regular series of meetings. From eight-ten to eight-thirty the time is spent in practicing and preparing for the broadcast.
In our regular cast of participants I act as master of ceremonies, and one of our young ministers acts as producer. We also have an organist, a pianist, a young man who reads the three-minute, signs-of-the-times news feature, and another young man who reads the Bible one minute. Two young men and two young women participate in a round-table discussion. In addition to these participants we usually have one or two items of special music. The radio station supplies us with an announcer and an engineer at the church. Our format is as follows :
8:30:00 Theme up and under (Hymnal, no. 543, by congregation)
8 :30:30 Station announcer
8:31:00 Theme up and under
8:31:30 Station announcer introduces M.C. Wittenberg
8:31:35 Organ under, M.C. takes over
8:32 :30 Community sing
8:34:00 Rollin Rittenhouse reads the Bible
8:35:00 Community sing
3:37:00 Round-table discussion
8:45:00 Special music
8:47:00 Community sing
8:49:00 Signs of the times, Wendell Fogg reporting
8:53:00 Vesper time, Community sing
8:55:00 Vesper thoughts, appeal, prayer
8:56:30 Theme
8:57:30 M.C. parting words
8:59:00 Station announcer
8:59:30 Off the air
As can be seen by the format, our program is fast moving and includes many varieties and changes. Though the foregoing format gives a general idea of the plan, it is by no means the schedule which we follow every night. During the minute devoted to reading the Bible a group of texts especially addressed to young people, or one of the parables or stories of the Bible may be read. The reading of these texts is practiced very carefully, sometimes with a wire recorder, so that the young man can hear himself.
The signs-of-the-times feature covers current material from the newspaper or the radio which is a revealing fulfillment of Bible prophecy. This is proving to be one of the mosttalked-of features on the broadcast.
The high point in our broadcast and the period during which we give the message most effectively is the round-table-discussion time. During this period four young people, without script, spontaneously and informally discuss some topic assigned them. The master of ceremonies for the entire broadcast is also the moderator for this feature. The four young people and the moderator sit around a small table on the platform with two microphones before them. Seven or eight minutes is devoted to this discussion. The moderator usually propounds questions which the young people answer in a lively and enthusiastic way. The following subjects were discussed in the first six broadcasts :
- Why I Choose to Be a Christian
- Why I Accept the Bible as My Guide
- I Believe Christ Will Return
- Why I Believe Christ Is Coming Soon
- Religious Liberty
- The Value of the Law of God in the Lives of Young People Today
In the fifth discussion Frank H. Yost, of the Religious Liberty Department, participated. A young man and a young woman directed questions to him. This type of discussion was so profitable that we plan to use it on such subjects as temperance, smoking, and the calendar change.
Although the young people participating in the round-table discussion do not read from script, they do have notes before them, and we practice with them before the broadcast. During the week preceding the broadcast, they often practice from four to six hours. At our first practice we announce the subject, and ask each young person which phase he would prefer to discuss. Then we work together in making a brief outline of our procedure. Oftentimes at this first meeting we practice a sample discussion and make a wire recording of it. Sometimes we make as many as five or six recordings before we feel ready to go ahead with the broadcast. We strive to make the discussion sound sincere and spontaneous. A great deal of time is devoted to congregational singing. We find that this is much appreciated by our listeners. It also gives the young people who attend the meeting the thrill of participating in the broadcast. The radio station men reason that everybody likes to sing, and singing on our program is the audience participation feature that gives a similar impression to applause on other programs.
In connection with each broadcast we make two announcements of our Bible correspondence school offer. We are receiving letters and requests for enrollment in our Bible school.
The latter part of our program is devoted to what is known as vesper time. Previous to this part of the program the songs used have been of the evangelistic type. But when we come to vesper time we have the congregation or a soloist sing one of the great hymns of the church. The tempo of our program slows down very markedly. The master of ceremonies quietly and thoughtfully, reads a poem or Bible verse, or tells a story to illustrate the theme of the vesper period. Usually a .brief, personal appeal to accept Christ is made, and a short prayer is offered.
Our attendance at the church on Saturday nights has averaged about 300. It has been steadily increasing. The largest attendance was 370. A very good percentage of those who attend are young people, and a few non-Adventists are present each time. It seems that the non-Adventist attendance is also increasing.
A Seventh-day Adventist visiting one of the popular downtown Protestant churches in Washington, D.C., on a recent Sunday heard a prominent preacher say the following from the pulpit : "There are Seventh-day Adventists in the world today. I was listening over the radio to a discussion by four of their young people about the second coming of Christ. They believe He will come in a literal body very soon." Then this preacher made a few other comments which conveyed the idea that he listened regularly to the Saturday night broadcast, and felt that the young people were doing a remarkable work.
One of our members was in a downtown store on a recent Saturday night and heard our program. In talking with the manager, our church member learned that this man liked our program and tuned in to it at his store every Saturday night.
One of our church members enthusiastically told us that our Saturday night broadcast is doing wonders for her home. Her husband is a very strict Catholic, and, previous to this, had refused to listen to any Protestant broadcasts or read any Protestant literature. But this sister turned on our program, and, without knowing who sponsored it, her husband listened attentively and seemed to enjoy it. At the close of the broadcast he recognized the announcer's statement that it was coming from the Seventh-day Adventist church, so he remarked to his wife, "That's your church, isn't it ?" Now he listens regularly every Saturday night, and, after the last broadcast, remarked how wonderful it would be to have children and know that they were participating in the broadcast on Saturday night rather than doing as the average young people of the world do today.
A Government official told one of our ministers the other day that he and his family gather around their radio every Saturday night and eagerly listen to every part of our youth camp meeting broadcast. He expressed great enthusiasm concerning the high quality of the program, and the unlimited possibilities of good that surely will result.
A very fine letter was recently received from a soldier stationed in a large Army hospital across the Potomac from Washington. He heard our program, because the hospital authorities had released it over the public-address system in the hospital. We recently called on this young man and found that, although he belongs to some other church, he has relatives who are Seventh-day Adventists, and he wants to know about our teachings. He asked, even upon this first visit, to be prepared for baptism. He is twenty years old and intelligent. He states that our broadcast has thrilled his soul. This young man reports that others of his companions are also interested.
One Seventh-day Adventist young woman, who recently participated with us in the roundtable discussion, works in one of the embassies here in Washington. On the night she took part, the entire embassy staff listened to our broadcast.
The effect of the project upon our own young people is one of the most cheering things that we have seen in our ministry. In all our Missionary Volunteer Societies and churches, our young people speak of the Saturday Night Camp Meeting as their broadcast. They have gladly raised the funds to keep it going. They are enthusiastic about inviting their friends and neighbors to listen in, and to come and participate. A college student reported that one Saturday night a group of girls in the dormitory gathered about the radio to hear the broadcast. No whispering or talking was permitted, because the girls were so keenly interested in catching every word. Upon the completion of the broadcast the girls entered into a discussion of the second coming of Christ. They got their Bibles out and read many texts.
Note:
* More on later developments.
