"Fantastic Finds in Ancient Lands" was the subject that drew a crowd of more than 3,200 people to the four identical sessions at the opening of the evangelistic campaign in Adelaide, South Australia, on May 9, 1965. Adelaide, a lovely city of over 600,000 souls is quite conservative; a city of churches and a self-styled place of culture and morality. However, now fantastic finds of another kind are being revealed as we find men and women from all walks of life on whose hearts the Spirit of God is working, drawing them to Himself.
The 1965 Adelaide campaign opened in Her Majesty's Theater, which is a new, air-conditioned and very comfortable theater ideally suited to evangelistic preaching. However, owing to labor-union regulations we were unable to exploit the theater's advantages to the full. There was no musical instrument in the place, and we were very restricted as to the area of stage we could use. In spite of having to adapt ourselves to these handicaps we were delighted with our stay there.
Apart from the opening night, two identical programs have been conducted every Sunday. Two identical midweek meetings have also been held each Wednesday. Very early in the series the Wednesday meetings were formed into Bible marking classes, when Bibles, which had been donated by our church members, were given to all who enrolled to read and mark for themselves at the meetings. It was a great thrill to see almost the entire audience turn to a text and then to hear them read in unison. It was even more satisfying to see men and women who had never handled the Book before gradually become adept in turning the sacred pages and finding the texts without assistance from us.
At the time of writing we have conducted one small baptism, and another large group of people will be in the next baptism in a month's time. Other baptisms are planned at regular intervals till the end of the year. We are now in the middle of presenting our distinctive truths, and can see men and women preparing to come out and enter the fold of the Good Shepherd.
Public evangelism is without doubt one of the most exacting and constant areas of work in the church, but how rewarding it proves to be. "As we work with all the strength that God grants us, and in humility of heart, putting our entire trust in Him, our labors will not be without fruit. Our determined efforts to bring souls to a knowledge of the truth for this time will be seconded by holy angels, and many souls will be saved."—Evangelism, p. 38. Thank God for this promise.
