THE giant double tent was packed to capacity on the night of July 4, 1965. This was the opening of the Long Island Crusade, which at this writing has resulted in 404 souls newly baptized into the faith, about 60 rebaptized, with others to follow.
This was "total effort" at its best with the pastors and laymen of the area bearing major responsibility for planning and executing this campaign for lost souls. A car pool was established, feeding the meeting from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Buses came in from New Jersey and from points north. The Holy Spirit bathed the message with light from heaven and gave power to the spoken word. Sinners repented, the church was revived, and backsliders returned to the foot of the cross. The meetings were billed as "interfaith, interracial, and interesting."
The two large tents in which the meetings took place were pitched side by side next to a fire station. The firemen would attend the meetings and "scramble" when an emergency arose. Two police officers also were assigned to protect the camp. They too expressed appreciation for the interesting program.
A prayer band sat to the right of the platform nightly praying for the speaker. These were deacons and deaconesses from the participating churches. This added prayer gave power to the message.
The truth was so plain that even the blind saw it. Two blind persons were baptized, also a long-distance telephone operator, one of three dietitians at Queens General Hospital, several registered nurses, school teachers, and office secretaries.
During the effort the Long Island press carried most of the newspaper advertisements. The young woman who did the copy work was baptized. She had no trouble getting the Sabbath free. Another young woman who had lost her way was rebaptized during the effort. She brought her husband and three children with her.
Two others who were baptized persuaded an aunt and two cousins to follow.
A welfare program was conducted during the campaign, and a ten-week miniature "war on poverty." Three community citizens were selected to superintend food distribution. A large barrel was placed at the front of the platform, and the audience was invited to bring nonperishable items to be given to the poor. Twenty barrels of food were thus distributed. The food distribution committee was baptized.
A Loma Linda graduate and his wife, outside the fold for over 20 years, went forward in baptism. This highly successful physician has contributed heavily through ten ministers in the field for six weeks of intensive training. The students participated fully in the program in all phases.
A veteran of the fiercest fighting on Okinawa returned to New York to walk its streets in a vain search for peace. For years he visited church after church—but found not that for which he sought. On July 4, 1965, he was present at the Big Tent. He testifies that thereafter, he knew that "the religion of the people of the Tent would become his own."
A young Hindu lady came to this country from Bombay in search of Christianity. She found it at the Big Tent. Alone in a large impersonal city, she has found warmth in fellowship with Christ as revealed to her through Adventism.
Our worker force was a miniature United Nations, with at least seven nationalities represented. Visitors to the meetings could see in the staff an example of the gospel of reconciliation—man to God—and man to man. In this sense, the meetings were a Christ-centered masterpiece in human relations.
A school of evangelism was held in connection with the campaign. Fourteen students from Andrews University joined ten ministers in the field for six weeks of intensive training. The students participated fully in the program in all phase.
The meetings were held six nights a week for ten weeks. On the Sabbaths, two meetings were held. Then followed four weeks of follow-up work with three nights of preaching each week the years to the program of the church. It brought joy to all to welcome him home and also his good wife who was baptized for the first time.
In conclusion, the Long Island campaign proves three things: (1) The power of God is in the Advent message. (2) People will still come nightly for many weeks to hear the message preached. (3) Public evangelism is neither dead nor ailing. "The harvest truly is white , . ."