A GREAT experience is now in the past. I spent seven months in Germany, having accepted the invitation of the Central European Division to conduct ministerial training schools and public evangelism throughout that country.
The people of Germany gave us a warm and friendly welcome. The administrators saw that we were well cared for personally and that everything was done to make the evangelistic program successful. The ministers and members prayed earnestly, worked diligently, and trusted God to work a miracle of soul winning in their communities. And God abundantly blessed more than we had thought possible under the circumstances. Some of the cities were evangelistically unpromising, but our fellow ministers and good members made working in difficult places a joy.
During the first two months we were associated with others in workers' meetings, revival services, the Autumn Council of the Central European Division, and evangelistic specials of a few nights to a week in many churches. It was a privilege to visit with our brethren in East Germany. What fine men I met there, doing miracles for the Lord. The first section of my work in Germany closed just before Christmas with a week of meetings in West Berlin.
Action '72
The major public evangelistic program, which covered five cities, began in Dortmund. We had the use of a fine, well-located auditorium. Here we had some of our largest audiences. We regret, however, that we had only ten nights available to us for public evangelism. Pastors Wolfgang Brunotte and Peter Joseit continued the evangelistic program in the church. They have had encouraging success with twelve baptized and more than thirty in the baptismal class. They also have a church project called Action 72 with the church organized so every home in Dortmund will be offered Die Bibel Spricht ("The Bible Speaks") plan by 1972. They are truly laying siege to a great city.
Audience Grew
Was public evangelism different in Germany? No. There are problems and specific difficulties to be found everywhere. The one that concerned me most was that all the preaching would have to be through a translator. Would the public react favorably? Would they come night after night? What a burden was removed from our hearts when we realized that preaching through a translator did not seem to militate against us, for the audience grew in attendance to the end.
We began our meetings in Freiburg, an old university city, at the peak of carnival time. The citizens go all-out pleasure seeking from Saturday, February 15 (when we opened our meeting), to February 19, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. There was a question whether we should open our campaign during this season. However, time was limited, and we could not afford to lose any nights. Surely there were good people in Freiburg who would want to do more than parade in the carnival. So we opened on schedule in the fifteenth century historisch Kaufhaus Kaisersaal, meaning the "historic emperor's hall." In this place a number of the kaisers were crowned, and paintings of these men of past history hung on the walls. How thrilled we were to find our auditorium filled with people in spite of the carnival.
In several places, including this one in Freiburg, the brethren could not obtain the auditorium for consecutive nights. We had to move back and forth between two halls, which any evangelist would consider a poor arrangement. Nevertheless, the audience faithfully shuttled back and forth with us. We believed that nothing could de feat that which God wished to succeed and that we should allow no adverse circumstances to be a hindrance to the advancement of God's work. God rewarded our confidence and demonstrated that He is able to draw men and women to Him no matter what the situation may be.
Fifty-seven Decisions
During the 20 nights we preached in Freiburg a good visiting list of 300 non- Seventh-day Adventists was gained. Fifty-seven individuals made their decision one night for dedication and baptism.
Toward the end of the second week we invited the people to worship with us in the church the next Saturday. Our members thought it would be almost impossible to have visitors come to their church on Sabbath morning. Such a thing as visiting a strange church was not done, especially in Freiburg. However, on that first Sabbath be tween twenty-five and thirty attended and the next Sabbath thirty or thirty-five. The members thought it a miracle to see so many non-Adventists in their little church.
Evangelist Heinz Hopf and Pastor Walter Mertinant are following up the program in Freiburg with public meetings in the church. Ten have already been baptized in their first baptism. There are forty-five in the baptismal class. Among those baptized was a cultured woman, a deaconess of a prominent Protestant church, who attended every night and each church service of our meetings. She was also a teacher of religion in her church, and it was not easy for her to change a lifetime of tradition and friends. However, her joy in the newly found truths of the blessed Book has brought rejoicing to the church membership. Among those baptized were a husband and wife, both medical doctors.
Also as a part of Heinz Hopf's follow-up program is a two-hour Bible study on Sunday afternoon with members of the Reformed Seventh-day Adventist Church of Germany. We were happy to welcome so many of these fine Christian people to our public meetings and our churches through out Germany. We all need the Lord to do a continuing work of reconciliation and reformation within our own lives and within the church. We need to be one body in Christ to do a finished work for the Master in these closing days of earth's history. We are confident that God is bringing this unity in Germany and that His church will have strength and divine power to accomplish the greatest advance for God ever seen in that country.
Among the things we learned during our stay in Germany was that it is easy to get an audience in the northern and western parts of Germany but difficult to get decisions. The people in the south do not attend meetings as readily, but when they do come, they are very warm, friendly, and more responsive.
Held Bible for First Time
Roman Catholic influence and power are dominant in many places in Germany. In Wiesbaden we had two priests attending the meetings regularly. One priest took our Bible in the Hand idea and our Die Bibel Spricht program and began to teach forty of his young people as we were doing in our public meetings.
During this same meeting another priest was advised by his mother to come to our meetings. He attended one night with his sister. After the service he came forward to speak with me. He wanted to know why we used the Catholic Bible in our meetings. I explained that the translation in German was quite good, that our Catholic friends would feel more comfortable using it, and our Protestant friends did not seem to mind what version we used. Standing beside him was his sister, holding her gift Bible very tenderly and reverently. Finally she said, "Oh, this is wonderful. This is the first time I have ever held a Bible in my hands."
I think we who worked the plan in Germany became thoroughly converted to the idea of placing the Bible in the hands of everyone who attends the meetings. In a Catholic land especially is this blessed Book prized by the people. Also, it is easy by this method to keep a record of those who attend.
In Wiesbaden, Pastor G. Kalweit is holding follow-up meetings and is having a good attendance. Six have been baptized, and thirty-five are in his baptismal class. Evangelist Kurt Hasel, who was my translator for the last three series of meetings, has now returned to this city and will associate with Pastor Kalweit in the evangelistic program there.
(To be continued)
