A New Evangelistic Youth Venture
Every evangelist is looking for new ways of telling the good news. Feeling that what we are doing may prove helpful in other large centers, I take the opportunity of reporting on what we call "The Best Saturday Night in Town."
Just what is the Best Saturday Night in Town? It is an evangelistic youth venture that has within two years grown to a popular Australia-wide evangelistic medium operating in every capital city of Australia. The idea has reached London, at the New Gallery, and is securing a packed house there with a similar program. Requests are also in from South Africa and America for information on how to conduct the B.S.N.T.
W. R. Beach, who recently visited Australia, and who was guest speaker at the Sydney and Melbourne B.S.N.T. programs, commented in the Review and Herald of January 5, 1956:
"The salvation and training of our young people is a matter of deep concern in Australasia. Youth activities are a prominent part of the church program. Several of the larger cities now have what the Missionary Volunteer department calls 'The Best Saturday Night in Town.' I consider this plan to be one of the most original and successful items on our Missionary Volunteer worksheet anywhere.
"It brings our youth together for a definite spiritual and missionary purpose. Each Saturday night the program is aimed at youth evangelism. Hundreds of young people from outside the Adventist Church are in regular attendance at these meetings."
We planned this program with the purpose of offsetting the worldly temptations of Saturday night. Something had to be done to offer a counterattraction that would hold our youth from these modern allurements.
Some of us were firmly convinced that a completely religious, live program emphasizing the best in Christian living and uplifting Jesus Christ as the theme would draw our youth and would be an avenue for youth to save youth. It was therefore named the Best Saturday Night in Town and was to be held at least once a month.
Despite the theory advanced by some that Sabbath school, church, and MV meeting are enough religion for one day, our first meeting in a small hall was packed, and hundreds were turned away. We shifted to a bigger hall month after month until we were forced to take the Assembly Hall in Sydney, holding twelve hundred people.
For more than twelve months we have packed this auditorium. It has been my pleasure to be the compere and to have a youth committee assisting in the organizing of the program.
As a result of this initial planning in Sydney, successful programs are drawing hundreds in other centers as mentioned. The dual evangelistic approach has no doubt helped to create this interest.
Our program is designed to appeal to Adventist youth and to non-Adventist youth who are invited by Adventist youth. We have also found that the youth appeal brings along a good adult audience.
Program Format
The Best Saturday Night in Town program is varied a little in each center, but most programs are following the original format. Following is a sample program that could be classed as typical:
7:30 Organ Prelude
7:45 Introduction—Quartet--Theme Song:
"All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus."
Compere Welcomes Audience Prayer
7:50 Christian Youth Newsette
7:55 "What the Lord Jesus Means to Me"
8:05 Chorus Time
8:15 Choir Feature—Sunshine Songs
8:30 Announcements and Offering
8:35 Bible Quiz Time
8:45 Musical Item
8:50 Guest Speaker
9:05 Film
9:40 Appeal.
9:50 Closing Chorus and Benediction
To make the program alive, every feature is tied together by the compere with organ background. The Christian Youth Newsette is read just like a radio news feature. The news covers all religions.
Testimonies of youth are introduced with the theme song "No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus," in the feature "What the Lord Jesus Means to Me." This is one feature extremely popular.
The Bible Quiz is arranged between four groups made up of city youth—two groups taking part in each program, and the winning team staying on to be met by another team. Various themes have been presented, such as the Bible, juvenile delinquency, temperance, religious liberty, missions, medical ministry, the sanctuary, heaven, Second Advent, et cetera.
We endeavor to find a religious film that is first class, and this topic suggests the talk by the guest speaker, gives the theme to the music and to the appeal.
Whenever possible, we endeavor to have on the program a prominent personality from the field of sports or public life. For example, we had the world champion woman swimmer, Lorraine Crapp, speak to us on temperance, and we had a representative from the Japanese embassy to support our program on racial tolerance. Ken Rosewall, champion tennis star and a regular Bible reader, presented a Bible award in a Bible reading poll, and a Christian policeman spoke when the theme was juvenile delinquency.
The Results
In Sydney we estimate that we have a regular non-Adventist attendance of more than 25 per cent of the audience. These are attending solely at the invitation of Adventist youth. Following the appeal, many decide to receive studies. A number make no response in the meeting, but through their youth friends they are encouraged to attend church, and in this way are led into church membership.
The program is helping our own youth to become evangelistic-minded. It encourages them to make decisions for Christ. One young lad took his stand for Christ for the first time at one meeting, and a few days later was killed in an accident. We therefore believe in not letting an opportunity pass to make some type of appeal for Christ. This is according to the instruction in Evangelism, page 280.
This evangelistic venture gives youth an opportunity to participate in the program. In Sydney the team of youth having some responsibility numbers 116. The whole program is conducted on a high plane to appeal to unbelievers both physically and spiritually. To please the eye each usherette is attractively dressed in a white frock, wearing a royal blue cape turned back on the left shoulder, with the words B.S.N.T. embroidered in gold on the white satin.
Interest among non-Adventists is also secured by offering free books and a Bible course. We have proved the following familiar statement true:
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!—Education, p. 271.
Because we are following divinely given counsel, we believe we are assured of a growing interest in the Best Saturday Night in Town programs as they continue to extend around the world.
