DURING our evangelistic ministry among the Chinese of the Far East, my wife has frequently presented short "Health and Home" lectures preceding the main subject of the evening. However, we have not been completely satisfied with this procedure. One reason is that the majority of our listeners missed this valuable instruction because they did not arrive until the health feature was over.
Later we tried the "bridge" approach, where the medical presentation leads into a doctrinal presentation. Though this method had much in its favor, both of us felt pressed. My wife (a graduate nurse), who usually gave her talk first, felt that she did not have enough time for her subject. And I felt that the time that remained was insufficient for me to round out my doctrinal discourse. Moreover, some of the bridges that were supposed to lead from the physical to the spiritual seemed almost too farfetched to cross.
Our recent adventure in the health approach has proved to be the most rewarding that of using a health institute to spearhead an evangelistic crusade.
Last fall we erected an airatorium on a large vacant lot just behind our Taipei Adventist Hospital. One side of the lot borders a main city avenue that leads to the municipal airport. On this side we built a colorful Oriental arch entryway, on which were painted "Today's Health Lectures" in attractive Chinese characters.
The institute was conducted under the sponsorship of our Voice of the Signs radio and television broadcasts. These programs are well-known throughout Taiwan. Once a month the TV program features a health problem and once a month a home-related problem. The viewer response has been very good, and as many as 10,000 letters have been received in response to a single telecast.
The brochure introducing the institute has a picture on the front cover of the Old Chinese sage who symbolizes longevity. On the back it lists the names of the physicians and specialists who participated, together with their subjects. Inside the brochure is an invitation to attend the institute as well as an enrollment coupon. These brochures were mailed out chiefly to our radio-TV interests. Over 700 enrolled. Six hundred were present on the opening night. Each of the fourteen consecutive nights thereafter the tent was well filled with an average attendance of 500.
We felt that dealing with specific prevalent disease would be a greater attraction than merely delivering lectures on general health. The benefits of fresh air, sunlight, pure water, exercise, and the other natural remedies were brought in as part of the prevention, or care, of the ailment. Each speaker was also reminded to emphasize the evil effects of tobacco and alcohol on the various organs of the body.
Some of the subjects presented were: "Are You Getting Enough Exercise?" "Is There a Cure for Cancer?" "Taiwan's Number One Killer!" "Heart Attack!" "Oral Hygiene," "Ulcers," "Parasites," "The Expectant Mother," "Health Care for Children," "Whole Grains," and "The Best Menu."
All who attended the meetings received printed lectures together with an attractive loose-leaf binder. Other incentives to regular attendance were offered, such as free blood pressure test, vital capacity and urine tests, dental examinations, and simple lab checks at a temporary health examination station erected just behind the tent.
Now someone may ask, "How does such an institute become a spearhead for the effort to follow?"
During the institute I gave a ten-minute talk on spiritual health, just before the subject of the evening. During each talk I read at least one text from the Bible, which became the "spiritual vitamin" for that night. By the time the institute was over many had developed an appetite for these "vitamins" and wanted more. So I invited them to a Bible institute where each would get his own Bible and mark the "vitamin promises" for himself. A total of 127 who attended the health institute continued to come to the Bible institute. During this follow-up institute, we reversed the emphasis, placing further health discussions in the ten-minute feature and presenting the Bible doctrines as the main lecture. The health services continued throughout and some of the doctors were asked to come back and answer questions during the health period.
We thank God for giving us this insight as to how to use the "right arm" more effectively in opening the door to gospel truth. We plan to do the same thing in Hong Kong this fall, with a few adjustments. The institute there will last only eight nights. One doctor will handle all the health subjects. And we will charge an enrollment fee for the institute itself.
