THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE persons were baptized at the end of a seven-week crusade held during last May and June in the Georgetown Seventh-day Adventist church in Guyana. It was demonstrated that large crusades can be successfully held in our church buildings.
Church evangelism is most successful when it is geared to reach people who have been already exposed to the teachings and standards of the remnant church. In Guyana one thousand handbills were sent to Voice of Prophecy Bible Correspondence Course graduates, relatives, close friends of members, and Bible-study interests. In addition to the handbill the envelope contained a reserved-seat ticket and a wed ding-type formal invitation. There was no mass distribution of handbills, but the mailed advertisements and personal invitations brought out about 650 non-Adventists to the first lecture. The attendance for the remainder of the series averaged 360 non-Adventists eleven years old and older.
Decision for Christ
Moving the people toward a decision in a definite and planned manner is the key to leading the audience to unite with the remnant church. In my crusades I lay great emphasis on a decision for Christ as a personal Saviour. When people are converted to Jesus before I present the testing truths, I have no difficulty in getting them to accept the truth and follow through in baptism. Consequently, after I have spent four nights explaining what conversion and accepting Christ means, I make an altar call on the fifth night. This call is an invitation for all who desire to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour to meet me at the altar for prayer. At the altar I explain the plan of salvation, lead the people into a prayer of commitment, give them assurance of the reality of the transaction, and send them back to their seats. This is done every night thereafter until the end of the second week.
Decision for Baptism
On the third Sunday night I begin a two-week period of intensive indoctrination. This period terminates in my asking all who believe that everything they have heard so far is the truth to remain behind for a special conference. This conference is held after the meeting on the fifth Sunday night. The people are told that since they believe what they have heard is the truth, then the only honest thing they can do is to accept it. At this point I announce the date of baptism and pass out decision cards. The candidates are required to attend a Bible class each night that week, at which time all the doctrines of the church are studied.
After the baptism on the fifth Sabbath evening, the people are told that because all of God's people were not ready for that baptism, another one will be held the next Sabbath evening. An altar call is made each night during the week. The same procedure is. followed during the seventh or last week.
Progressive Decisions
My plan is to have the people making progressive decisions. All key doctrines are buttressed with mimeograph lessons, and all who fill in the required answers are always asked to make a decision for the truth taught in that particular lesson. Thus a person comes into the remnant church via a series of small but important decisions. This makes it easy for large numbers to decide to obey all the truth.
The use of our church buildings makes the call to unite with the church convenient. Before the sermon is preached, I tell the people that I am going to make the call. I tell them that as soon as my sermon is finished we are going to sing a hymn, and I want all who desire to be baptized to go to the vestry and fill in a card. At the end of the sermon, some slip out through side doors, others walk down the aisle and go into the vestry where one or more of my helpers assist them in giving the information necessary for follow-up.
It is my conviction that evangelistic crusades held in our churches can be very productive when careful and intelligent preparation of the field is done. They are much less expensive than those held in tents, and attract a better type of people. From two crusades held in churches recently, the Lord has blessed with a harvest of more than 550 souls.
