Nearly every seat was occupied in the little community hall, which had a seating capacity of around 175. As characteristic of a meeting where a moving picture is to be shown, eager boys and girls filled the front rows of seats. The last hymn of a recorded prelude by the King's Heralds of the Voice of Prophecy had faded into organ music, and a pleasant young man stood before the audience.
"Good evening, everyone " he said. "As a representative for the Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast, it gives me pleasure to welcome each of you to this program of moving- pictures and filmstrip. We feel sure that you will enjoy the time that you will spend with us this evening."
He then put the minds of his audience at ease in regard to some plain white cards that had been passed out at the door while the people were entering the hall, but he did not dis close what they were to be used for. This, of course, promoted curiosity.
"And now," continued the speaker, "in harmony with the great objectives of the Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast, which is now heard in nearly every corner of the world, and in keeping with your faith in a great and living Saviour, I think that you will agree with me that we should begin this service with prayer."
He then uttered a short, concise prayer, mentioning the work of the Voice of Prophecy and related endeavors, which promote peace on earth and good will toward men. A short introduction was given to the moving picture, The Birth of a New World. The projector began to purr, and the lights faded.
At the end of this moving picture presentation of Daniel 2 the speaker was again on the platform telling the people with a smile that now there was a part of the program which only they could make a success the offering. After the ushers were well started in this work, the speaker unveiled the mystery of the plain white cards. He explained about the service of the Bible correspondence school that the Voice of Prophecy offers free to anyone who desires to study the great themes of the Bible, such as the one that had just been witnessed by his audience.
Then, after enumerating several intriguing Bible subjects covered by the lessons, he asked whether anyone needed a pencil. "For," said he, "this is an excellent opportunity for you to enroll in this fine, systematic Bible correspondence course, which is designed for busy people. All you need to do is to write your name and address plainly on your card. If you are between the ages of eleven and fifteen, please write 'Junior' on your card, for we have a special course for you."
After only a brief pause the speaker continued, "But we will not spend any more time for this now. The second part of our program is a presentation of one of the lessons .of the course in a beautifully colored filmstrip." (It is not wise to pressure people into signing for a Bible course. Also the folks at the service who are not interested in the course must not be kept waiting.)
After the filmstrip Will Christ Come in Our Day? was shown and explained by the speaker, another opportunity was given for the audience to write their names and addresses on the cards' while a postlude of more hymns by the Kings Heralds was played. The service was closed with prayer, and the cards were gathered at the doors.
The number of names received through this method is usually about one quarter of the audience attending such a service. As far as we can compute at the present, about 10 per cent continue with the course. Some very fine interests have resulted. It is still too early to see the full results of this method -of making new contacts, but it has proved to be a very effective and inexpensive way of getting names here in the Maritime Conference.
The Voice of Prophecy is a favorite religious broadcast in the Maritimes. Generally speaking, the offerings well covered the cost of advertising, the hall rent, and the film and projector rent. The program was advertised in the usual way. The advertisements carried the notation:
"Presented by [name of speaker].
"Representative for the Voice of Prophecy Radio Broadcast."
