I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, and
welcome to 3ABN Today.
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My name is CA Murray,
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and allow me once
again to thank you,
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for sharing just a little
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of your no doubt
busy day with us,
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to thank you also for your love,
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your prayers, your
support of this ministry.
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When we say that,
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it is not something
that we say by rote,
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we realize that we could not do
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what we are called to do
without your partnership.
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So we do thank
you for your prayers
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and your support of
3ABN ye these past 31 years.
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I'm excited
about today's program,
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for a number of reasons.
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One, it is a subject
area that fascinates me.
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And two, we've got three
distinguished gentlemen here,
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to talk about this subject
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from the
Pennsylvania Conference.
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These are men of
standing and stature both
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and they're talking
about something that
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that calls for
every member involvement.
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And when we talk about
getting out of the churches
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and into the streets
to do the work of God,
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that excites me thoroughly
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and that's what these brethren
are going to be talking about.
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I have with me today,
Pastor Anthony Crawford,
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he of the Williamsport
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Pastor, good to have you here.
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Good to be. Yeah.
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And in the middle, the head guy,
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he is the ministerial director
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of the Pennsylvania
Conference is Tim Bailey,
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Tim, good to have you here.
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Thank you very much.
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And he looks rather Professor,
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I think it's a little beard here
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that does it.
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He got to be teaching a class.
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And on the last but not
least, Pastor Stewart Pepper,
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Pastor, good to have you here.
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He of the Pittsburgh
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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I went to school, college
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before I transit went Oakwood
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in western Pennsylvania
on a basketball scholarship.
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It's not one of
my brighter days,
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I broke my ankle twice
playing ball on the Sabbath.
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And my pastor said,
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"You know, you're gonna break
your neck one of these days,
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so Lord will keep you
from breaking your neck
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unless you break your ankle."
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I got the
message and I transferred
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and behaved myself.
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Amen, praise God.
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I know that area of the state
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that we're gonna be
talking about by default.
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But these are, first
of all they're witty guys,
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these are guys
that love the Lord,
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bring a certain humor with them,
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but I think they're very serious
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about our subject matter.
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Because it is one that
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the church in general
needs to be involved in.
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And I don't know exactly where
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and when do we'll
talk about that this came.
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But it is something that
the church is gonna be doing
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and you may want to
replicate this in your church.
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Certainly, they're gonna
need some assistance from you,
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so I'm gonna give you
the punch line even now,
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we're gonna be asking
you to help them in this
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because it's a big effort
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and it's something that
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really could sweep the nation
as it were to do great things
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for our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
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Pastor, I want to
talk with you first,
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Pastor Anthony if I may.
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You are from where originally?
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Originally, I
was born in Indiana.
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But a little
accent maybe from Texas.
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My wife is from Texas, and
so I spent many of my years
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growing up in Texas,
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so a little bit
that I picked up.
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And then, I was lucky enough
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to go to Southern
Adventist University,
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graduated from there
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and took a call down to Florida.
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And so I spent
probably about nine years,
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almost ten years in Florida.
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And then lucky enough to
be called to Pennsylvania.
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And have been pastoring there
for about the last five years.
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Okay, I thought I heard
little something I said,
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that's not Indiana,
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a little bit of
Texas is still there.
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Little bit of
Texas is still in there.
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That's not an Indiana accent.
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Adventist home obviously?
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Adventist home. Growing up?
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Growing up, with
my mother and father,
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they were active in the church.
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My father is still
very active in his church
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as a head elder much to my...
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They got divorced
when I was about ten.
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But both of them,
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my mother was out of the
church for almost 18 years.
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Broke my heart, I
remember in the academy
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I was sitting there
and I read in scripture
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where it's so hard for
someone that once knew the truth
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to come back and
spent three days weeping
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because this is
where my mother was
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and I begin to pray for her
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and just before
becoming a pastor,
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I lay pastor
for about ten years,
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and the Indiana Conference
was kind enough to allow me
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to re-baptize my
mother after 18 years.
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And she is back in the church
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heavily active in her
church down in Florida
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and I just praise God for
the parents that he gave me
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that led me to the
truth and encourage me
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and have been
there for my entire life.
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Let me ask this
pastor, when did,
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it's one thing to be
growing up in an Adventist home
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do the Adventist school thing,
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but it's another to move into
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frontline
ministry as, as a pastor.
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When did that
call come on your life?
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That call came in 2000,
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I was lay pastoring a
church district in Texas,
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in the Texaco Conference
and the district came open
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and I talked to our
conference president
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about taking that over
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and I was in a
fulltime employment
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and doing lay pastoring
in Florida Church District.
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And, and he said, "You know,
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we really want you
to go back to school."
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And for me that was like
man, I'm not sure at my age,
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I want to go back to school.
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And so my wife and I,
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we prayed about
it for almost a year.
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And I finally made
a call, and I said,
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"You know God, I
really need to know
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what you want me to do.
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Which school you want me to do?"
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And so I actually called
every one of our colleges up.
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And I said, "I
need an application
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to go into theology."
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And I we talked about
it silently to the Lord,
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and I said, "Lord,
whichever one comes back first
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is the school I'll go to."
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And we went to the post office
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and there was
Southern's application.
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And that was the only one
that came for almost two weeks,
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and one day we
walked into the post office
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and the
postmaster came and said,
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"We're so sorry,
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somehow all of
these got caught up
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and we need to deliver him."
00:07:03.02\00:07:04.35
And those were the applications
from the other colleges,
00:07:04.39\00:07:06.29
and so we packed
up sold our house,
00:07:06.32\00:07:10.36
sold everything,
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I had a six year old
daughter at the time.
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And we headed to Southern
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to finish my degree in theology,
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did that in two years
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and by God's grace
then received the call to...
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Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
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I mean to Florida.
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I guess you're
happy that Walla Walla
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wasn't the first
one in the box, is it?
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Yeah.
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By God's grace, by God's grace.
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Tim where you from originally?
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Well, I was born
in Cleveland, Ohio
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to a steelworker's home
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and I grew up somewhat
on the streets of Cleveland.
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And that was kind of
a mixed bag because...
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Was that an
Adventist home or no?
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It was, it was an Adventist home
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but when you're
in the inner city
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and all your friends,
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they participate
in a lot of activities
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it's not
sanctioned by Christian home
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that becomes
challenging at times.
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When did the call for
you for ministry come?
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How did it come?
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Well, I my, my
childhood was very good,
00:08:06.38\00:08:10.19
I had a very
loving father and mother
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who trained me up
in the way I should go.
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And I wavered from that,
00:08:15.32\00:08:18.56
I wandered with
some of the street kids
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for some time but,
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I had a unique
conversion experience
00:08:22.60\00:08:24.97
and I believe it
was a total experience
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completely that night
when I gave my heart to Lord,
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because the Lord
really spoke to my heart.
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I remembered a prayer my
mother had prayed with me
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as a little boy on her lap
00:08:36.71\00:08:38.11
as she read Uncle
Arthur's Bible stories to me.
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And we would pray God
bless the missionaries
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and the colporteurs.
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And I, I
couldn't be a missionary,
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I knew I wasn't
qualified to that,
00:08:46.22\00:08:47.86
but I didn't know
what a colporteur was.
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And I committed to it that night
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when I gave my heart to Lord.
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I went to the
conference office the next day,
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and signed up to be a
literature evangelist.
00:08:55.70\00:08:58.23
It was in that experience
as the Lord blessed me
00:08:58.27\00:09:01.80
the affirmation from others
kept telling me go to college,
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become a minister.
00:09:05.81\00:09:07.24
We see some gifts in you.
00:09:07.28\00:09:09.14
And that journey
was over 30 years ago,
00:09:09.18\00:09:11.48
and I haven't turned back since.
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Praise God. Praise God.
00:09:12.88\00:09:14.22
Praise God.
00:09:14.25\00:09:15.58
You are as a
ministerial director
00:09:15.62\00:09:17.72
we call the pastor's pastor.
00:09:17.75\00:09:19.79
How many pastors are there
in the Pennsylvania Conference?
00:09:19.82\00:09:22.02
We currently have 40
pastors and 25 lay pastors.
00:09:22.06\00:09:25.39
It's interesting, one week
ago, we had 14 lay pastors.
00:09:25.43\00:09:29.23
We have aggressive lay
pastor training program
00:09:29.26\00:09:33.50
where we
graduated 25, 29 lay pastor
00:09:33.54\00:09:37.41
but for 16 more
we added two so now,
00:09:37.44\00:09:41.48
we have
additional lay pastor team.
00:09:41.51\00:09:45.41
We're really
trying to have the goal
00:09:45.45\00:09:47.65
of having a lay pastor
00:09:47.68\00:09:49.68
and aggressive active lay pastor
00:09:49.72\00:09:52.12
in every single church in
the Pennsylvania Conference,
00:09:52.15\00:09:55.56
in every single church.
00:09:55.59\00:09:56.93
That is a worthy goal.
00:09:56.96\00:09:58.96
Pastor Pepper, Pastor Stewart.
00:09:58.99\00:10:00.86
Where you from originally?
00:10:00.90\00:10:02.23
West Virginia. Okay.
00:10:02.26\00:10:03.60
Nobody, traveled to too
far you're all kind of...
00:10:03.63\00:10:05.33
I was born and
raised in Parkersburg.
00:10:08.34\00:10:10.21
Adventist home growing up?
00:10:10.24\00:10:11.57
My mother was an Adventist,
I did from third grade on
00:10:11.61\00:10:14.41
I was in Adventist education
and spent most of my life
00:10:14.44\00:10:19.31
just living in West
Virginia 17 years though
00:10:19.35\00:10:22.55
there was an
interlude after I got married.
00:10:22.58\00:10:24.95
We immediately moved
over to Hagerstown, Maryland.
00:10:24.99\00:10:27.66
My wife was a
schoolteacher in West Virginia,
00:10:27.69\00:10:29.59
and we moved to
Hagerstown, Maryland.
00:10:29.62\00:10:31.56
And I worked for 17
years in the bindery
00:10:31.59\00:10:34.70
at the Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
00:10:34.73\00:10:37.53
So that was, that was
the beginning of my work.
00:10:37.57\00:10:40.47
Really I guess, I was
a literature evangelist
00:10:40.50\00:10:42.20
for a year and a
half before that but my...
00:10:42.24\00:10:44.54
the beginning of
my work in the church
00:10:44.57\00:10:46.04
was for the Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
00:10:46.07\00:10:47.58
Yeah.
00:10:47.61\00:10:48.94
I have great respect
for literature ministry.
00:10:48.98\00:10:50.45
I can't do it, I tried.
00:10:50.48\00:10:51.81
When we were in school,
00:10:51.85\00:10:53.18
you had to do a summer
vacation to do literature stuff.
00:10:53.21\00:10:55.38
It's not like I
have great respect.
00:10:55.42\00:10:57.29
They're people who put families
through school, selling books
00:10:57.32\00:11:00.72
and my thin skin is too thin
and I'm too easily, you know,
00:11:00.76\00:11:05.89
that my rejection
thing is too low, I can't.
00:11:05.93\00:11:09.53
Low threshold.
00:11:09.56\00:11:10.90
Yeah, low threshold,
00:11:10.93\00:11:12.27
either you slam
the door at my face,
00:11:12.30\00:11:13.64
I'm ready to go home and
cry again, I can't do it.
00:11:13.67\00:11:15.00
But there are those who can,
I have great respect because,
00:11:15.04\00:11:16.77
it is you talk about
00:11:16.81\00:11:18.14
a faith walk in
the faith ministry.
00:11:18.17\00:11:19.51
Right.
00:11:19.54\00:11:20.88
Every day you got
to get up strap it on,
00:11:20.91\00:11:22.24
and get out and
hit the bricks train.
00:11:22.28\00:11:23.61
I have a great
respect for people.
00:11:23.65\00:11:24.98
And I think it
makes a special kind of
00:11:25.01\00:11:26.35
empathetic
minister who has done that,
00:11:26.38\00:11:29.35
because it's a
faith walk, it really is.
00:11:29.38\00:11:31.72
It gives you the
never give up mentality.
00:11:31.75\00:11:33.76
Very much so. Right.
00:11:33.79\00:11:35.12
Very much so, I tried it.
00:11:35.16\00:11:36.49
If someone gives me a sob story,
00:11:36.52\00:11:37.86
he'll take the book,
00:11:37.89\00:11:39.23
we've got to pay
for that book you know.
00:11:39.26\00:11:41.26
That kind of thing.
00:11:41.30\00:11:43.03
I want to go to our
music, I want to get back,
00:11:43.06\00:11:44.87
come back and go
right into the ministry
00:11:44.90\00:11:46.30
and spend the rest
of my time doing that,
00:11:46.33\00:11:47.67
now we kind of know a
little bit who you are.
00:11:47.70\00:11:49.57
Our music today is
coming from someone
00:11:49.60\00:11:52.47
who I had the privileging
of baptizing 30 plus years ago.
00:11:52.51\00:11:55.21
There's a doctor Yvonne Lewis,
00:11:55.24\00:11:56.91
she's going to be
singing In Christ Alone.
00:11:56.95\00:11:58.88
In Christ alone my hope is found
00:12:16.10\00:12:21.80
He is my light,
my strength, my song
00:12:21.84\00:12:26.61
This
Cornerstone, this solid ground
00:12:26.64\00:12:32.21
Firm through the
fiercest drought and storm
00:12:32.25\00:12:37.02
What heights of
love, what depths of peace
00:12:37.05\00:12:42.32
When fears are
stilled, when strivings cease!
00:12:42.36\00:12:47.66
My Comforter, my All in All
00:12:47.70\00:12:53.03
Here in the love
of Christ I stand
00:12:53.07\00:12:58.71
In Christ alone!
00:13:05.68\00:13:08.55
Who took on flesh
00:13:08.58\00:13:11.25
Fullness of God
in helpless babe!
00:13:11.29\00:13:16.16
This gift of
love and righteousness
00:13:16.19\00:13:21.66
Scorned by the
ones he came to save:
00:13:21.70\00:13:26.80
Till on that cross as Jesus died
00:13:26.84\00:13:31.94
The wrath of God was satisfied
00:13:31.97\00:13:37.05
For every sin on Him was laid
00:13:37.08\00:13:42.42
Here in the
death of Christ I live
00:13:42.45\00:13:47.99
Oh, oh.
00:13:59.17\00:14:01.17
There in the ground His body lay
00:14:08.24\00:14:13.98
Light of the
world by darkness slain:
00:14:14.02\00:14:18.72
Then bursting
forth in glorious Day
00:14:18.75\00:14:24.29
Up from the grave he rose again!
00:14:24.33\00:14:29.10
And as He stands in victory
00:14:29.13\00:14:34.34
Sin's curse has
lost its grip on me
00:14:34.37\00:14:39.67
For I am His and He is mine
00:14:39.71\00:14:45.15
Bought with the
precious blood of Christ
00:14:45.18\00:14:51.52
No guilt in
life, no fear in death
00:14:58.09\00:15:03.67
This is the
power of Christ in me
00:15:03.70\00:15:08.60
From life's first
cry to final breath
00:15:08.64\00:15:13.98
Jesus commands my destiny
00:15:14.01\00:15:18.81
No power of
hell, no scheme of man
00:15:18.85\00:15:24.05
Can ever pluck me from His hand
00:15:24.09\00:15:32.03
Till He returns to take me home
00:15:32.06\00:15:37.37
Here in the power
of Christ I'll stand
00:15:37.40\00:15:42.40
No power of
hell, no scheme of man
00:15:42.44\00:15:47.54
Can ever pluck me
00:15:47.58\00:15:50.81
From His hand
00:15:50.85\00:15:53.18
Here in the power
00:15:58.09\00:16:00.92
Of Christ
00:16:00.96\00:16:03.36
I'll stand
00:16:06.46\00:16:09.66
Thank you,
Yvonne Lewis, well done.
00:16:20.88\00:16:22.74
I have with me
today in the studio,
00:16:22.78\00:16:24.41
Stewart Pepper, Tim
Bailey, Pastor Anthony Crawford,
00:16:24.45\00:16:28.25
they all of the
Pennsylvania Conference.
00:16:28.28\00:16:30.12
Gentlemen, I want to
jump right into the ministry
00:16:30.15\00:16:31.49
because the ministry is
called Faith for Family and,
00:16:31.52\00:16:36.49
and I think I'll just
start off with you Tim,
00:16:36.52\00:16:38.06
because it grew out of
the Pope's visit in 2015.
00:16:38.09\00:16:43.06
So sort of walk us through
00:16:43.10\00:16:44.43
the genesis of the ministry
and then where we're going.
00:16:44.47\00:16:45.83
Yeah.
00:16:45.87\00:16:47.20
We had an opportunity
that was laid in our laps,
00:16:47.24\00:16:49.47
it's just unbelievable that
00:16:49.50\00:16:50.91
the Pope was
coming to Philadelphia.
00:16:50.94\00:16:53.61
Someone said, "Oh,
00:16:53.64\00:16:55.44
are you in
supporting the Pope's visit."
00:16:55.48\00:16:57.55
And I...
00:16:57.58\00:16:58.91
the comment over and over was,
00:16:58.95\00:17:00.28
"Look, when the twin towers
were hit back a few years ago,
00:17:00.32\00:17:03.92
I held an evangelist
meeting about ten weeks later,
00:17:03.95\00:17:07.46
because I wanted to ride
00:17:07.49\00:17:08.82
the wave of
enthusiasm and excitement
00:17:08.86\00:17:11.13
towards anything
that will lead to Jesus,
00:17:11.16\00:17:13.40
and that does not mean
that I support terrorism,
00:17:13.43\00:17:15.66
because I held an evangelistic
meeting after that."
00:17:15.70\00:17:19.27
And we did, we
took an opportunity,
00:17:19.30\00:17:21.37
the Pope coming to Philadelphia.
00:17:21.40\00:17:23.14
And we organized a program,
00:17:23.17\00:17:24.77
it was on
September 12th of last year.
00:17:24.81\00:17:28.68
We trained over 750 individuals
to give Bible studies.
00:17:28.71\00:17:32.98
And we were hoping
that on September 12th,
00:17:33.01\00:17:35.12
our church members will show up
00:17:35.15\00:17:36.72
and they would go out in
strong forces and they did.
00:17:36.75\00:17:40.66
The expectations were far beyond
00:17:40.69\00:17:42.82
what we can even imagine.
00:17:42.86\00:17:44.49
On September 12th,
1,120 Seventh-day Adventists
00:17:44.53\00:17:50.43
went on the streets of
Philadelphia and Reading.
00:17:50.47\00:17:53.03
Over the next three weeks,
we had over 3,000 individuals
00:17:53.07\00:17:57.61
proclaim the good
news of Jesus' soon return.
00:17:57.64\00:18:00.71
As a result, we
had started the process
00:18:00.74\00:18:04.31
and we had 120 small groups
00:18:04.35\00:18:06.21
that the individuals
went door to door knocking
00:18:06.25\00:18:09.42
would funnel into as
they were interested.
00:18:09.45\00:18:12.12
Eighteen evangelistic
series in the culmination.
00:18:12.15\00:18:15.89
By the end of
November, we had 102 baptisms,
00:18:15.92\00:18:20.63
and by March of
the following year,
00:18:20.66\00:18:22.86
we were able to
trace 156 individuals
00:18:22.90\00:18:28.07
that joined the church
from that day knocking on doors.
00:18:28.10\00:18:30.61
Perfect, now when you say,
00:18:30.64\00:18:31.97
they hit the streets
and knocked on doors.
00:18:32.01\00:18:33.38
Where they
giving away something,
00:18:33.41\00:18:34.74
encouraging people to
sign up for something?
00:18:34.78\00:18:36.44
Kind of walk us
through what they were doing?
00:18:36.48\00:18:37.81
Yes. That's a good question.
00:18:37.85\00:18:39.38
We were
dreaming big and actually
00:18:39.41\00:18:42.98
we had printed three
quarters of million glow tracks.
00:18:43.02\00:18:47.59
A quarter million Bible study
door hangers that simply said,
00:18:47.62\00:18:52.89
"We have something for you,
00:18:52.93\00:18:54.30
would you be
interested in signing up?"
00:18:54.33\00:18:56.77
We tried to talk in pray
00:18:56.80\00:18:58.13
with the many
individuals as we could.
00:18:58.17\00:19:00.34
We signed them up
on the, on the process.
00:19:00.37\00:19:03.61
But if they weren't
there, we left a door hanger,
00:19:03.64\00:19:05.94
and we overreached a little bit,
00:19:05.97\00:19:07.31
we didn't get that
00:19:07.34\00:19:08.68
million pieces of
literature out that day.
00:19:08.71\00:19:10.95
But our church members
00:19:10.98\00:19:12.31
without asking
volunteered at the end
00:19:12.35\00:19:14.15
and they rallied
together and said,
00:19:14.18\00:19:16.22
"We're going to keep this up
00:19:16.25\00:19:17.59
until we give
them all distributed."
00:19:17.62\00:19:19.62
And in the next
three weeks they passed out
00:19:19.65\00:19:21.69
a million pieces of
literature in that territory.
00:19:21.72\00:19:24.93
And that wasn't the end of it,
00:19:24.96\00:19:26.46
because I come from the
Mountain View Conference
00:19:26.49\00:19:28.40
which is West Virginia.
00:19:28.43\00:19:30.00
One of our young men
that went up to Philadelphia,
00:19:30.03\00:19:32.33
I had no knowledge of
it whatsoever at the time.
00:19:32.37\00:19:34.87
He went up and helped
pass out those glow tracks
00:19:34.90\00:19:37.14
and he came back
to West Virginia,
00:19:37.17\00:19:38.77
and it was like he
started a movement,
00:19:38.81\00:19:40.14
he called me up,
00:19:40.18\00:19:41.51
I was pastoring
the Charleston Church.
00:19:41.54\00:19:42.94
He called me up and he said,
00:19:42.98\00:19:44.31
"Hey! Can I put a
program on in your church?"
00:19:44.35\00:19:46.51
We ordered 8000
just in Charleston
00:19:46.55\00:19:49.45
and many more in a
Ripley churches I pastored,
00:19:49.48\00:19:52.32
tens of thousands of
glow tracks have gone out
00:19:52.35\00:19:55.39
all over the
Mountain View Conference.,
00:19:55.42\00:19:57.63
all because of the
project in Philadelphia.
00:19:57.66\00:19:59.79
So it's not just
a one time thing.
00:19:59.83\00:20:02.06
The enthusiasm spread to places
00:20:02.10\00:20:04.20
that didn't even
know it was going on.
00:20:04.23\00:20:06.03
So it was so exciting for us.
00:20:06.07\00:20:07.40
Now you saw then, Tim,
00:20:07.44\00:20:08.77
you saw a line
from hitting the streets
00:20:08.80\00:20:11.74
almost directly to the
baptismal pool that was a,
00:20:11.77\00:20:13.94
you know, not a straight line
00:20:13.98\00:20:15.88
but certainly
there was connection.
00:20:15.91\00:20:17.25
There was a...
00:20:17.28\00:20:18.61
We did this and we got this.
00:20:18.65\00:20:19.98
So what did that say
to you about involvement
00:20:20.02\00:20:22.32
and about the future
plans of this program
00:20:22.35\00:20:24.55
as far as mission is concerned?
00:20:24.59\00:20:25.92
Well, I believe
that God's church needs
00:20:25.95\00:20:27.46
total member involvement.
00:20:27.49\00:20:29.06
That is imperative
00:20:29.09\00:20:30.96
and so we saw
such a great success.
00:20:30.99\00:20:34.03
Let me just say this, CA,
00:20:34.06\00:20:35.53
that we spent less on
this project financially
00:20:35.56\00:20:39.93
than most people will spend
00:20:39.97\00:20:41.60
by calling in evangelism
and paying for them to come.
00:20:41.64\00:20:44.11
Yeah.
00:20:44.14\00:20:45.47
Out of that
156, let me tell you,
00:20:45.51\00:20:48.64
they are not only
involved in the church.
00:20:48.68\00:20:51.01
We have one of the individuals
00:20:51.05\00:20:52.85
who is already the
personal ministry director.
00:20:52.88\00:20:55.62
And the tithe has increased
00:20:55.65\00:20:57.29
in one of the
churches that we went to
00:20:57.32\00:20:58.89
as a result of
this by 25 percent.
00:20:58.92\00:21:01.96
Yeah.
00:21:01.99\00:21:03.32
Because the
activeness of the membership.
00:21:03.36\00:21:05.76
So you get all this unintended
collateral stuff going on,
00:21:05.79\00:21:08.76
that's just a direct
response to getting out
00:21:08.80\00:21:10.93
and getting used
by the Spirit of God.
00:21:10.97\00:21:12.77
Here's what one
church member said to me.
00:21:12.80\00:21:15.30
"Pastor Tim, it's about time.
00:21:15.34\00:21:19.01
I thought that we were going
to receive some, some pushback,
00:21:19.04\00:21:22.88
oh, you're asking us to
get out of our comfort zone,
00:21:22.91\00:21:25.18
we don't want to do all this.
00:21:25.21\00:21:26.55
This is too much
work far from the truth."
00:21:26.58\00:21:30.32
The interest has been so great
00:21:30.35\00:21:33.46
that we're not
only doing it again,
00:21:33.49\00:21:35.39
but we have other regions of
the conference already saying,
00:21:35.42\00:21:38.36
"When are you
coming to our church."
00:21:38.39\00:21:39.73
Yeah. Yeah.
00:21:39.76\00:21:41.10
Here's that I know
you discovered because,
00:21:41.13\00:21:42.46
I discovered
that in my ministry,
00:21:42.50\00:21:43.83
my first evangelistic crusade,
00:21:43.87\00:21:45.20
I think I brought it in
for a budget about $3000.
00:21:45.23\00:21:48.30
My last one was 15
times that, you know,
00:21:48.34\00:21:51.84
to do evangelism
the classical way
00:21:51.87\00:21:54.84
is just get more expensive
00:21:54.88\00:21:56.38
and the yield is
going down per dollar.
00:21:56.41\00:21:58.95
You know it is, but when you
get people out on the street,
00:21:58.98\00:22:01.32
your overhead is lower
and your yield is higher.
00:22:01.35\00:22:05.69
You may not get
this big rush of people
00:22:05.72\00:22:07.86
and then you may you know,
00:22:07.89\00:22:09.22
but certainly
it's more efficient
00:22:09.26\00:22:10.59
and if is a more efficient way
to spend, to spend the money.
00:22:10.63\00:22:13.09
And the church members
have grown as a result.
00:22:13.13\00:22:14.96
Yeah.
00:22:15.00\00:22:16.33
We have greater attendance,
greater participation,
00:22:16.36\00:22:18.53
tithe has increased and why?
00:22:18.57\00:22:21.24
Because there's active
passionate ministry going on,
00:22:21.27\00:22:25.41
you can't, you can't do that
without having a changed life.
00:22:25.44\00:22:28.74
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:28.78\00:22:31.55
Arthur, how did you get
involved in this whole deal?
00:22:31.58\00:22:34.05
Because I want to, I want to ask
00:22:34.08\00:22:35.42
and I think I ask a pastor
00:22:35.45\00:22:36.79
rather than a
ministerial director,
00:22:36.82\00:22:38.15
was it a hard sell or
does the brethren buy into this
00:22:38.19\00:22:40.62
without a lot of prodding?
00:22:40.66\00:22:41.99
Well, you know, the
interesting thing is
00:22:42.02\00:22:43.99
when this was introduced
this is going to happen
00:22:44.03\00:22:46.03
in Philadelphia
in the Reading area.
00:22:46.06\00:22:48.30
Well, my church is
about two and a half hours
00:22:48.33\00:22:51.57
to three hours away from Philly.
00:22:51.60\00:22:55.87
And so I got up, and
I pitched to my church
00:22:55.90\00:22:59.11
and I said, "You know,
we really need to do this."
00:22:59.14\00:23:01.24
In fact, we cut
church short that day,
00:23:01.28\00:23:05.61
loaded up in cars
and we went to Reading.
00:23:05.65\00:23:11.25
We had over 20 of my members
00:23:11.29\00:23:13.05
come from my church two
and a half hours come in.
00:23:13.09\00:23:15.82
When we got there it
was pouring down rain.
00:23:15.86\00:23:19.39
We're not talking sprinkling,
00:23:19.43\00:23:21.60
we're talking the,
the heavens were open
00:23:21.63\00:23:25.60
and some people were
thinking about building an ark.
00:23:25.63\00:23:28.94
And, and my church members
00:23:28.97\00:23:30.81
when we walked through the
door of that church in Reading,
00:23:30.84\00:23:34.14
and those members in
Reading seeing people
00:23:34.18\00:23:36.51
that came from a
distance to support them,
00:23:36.54\00:23:39.65
the mood in the
church just totally changed
00:23:39.68\00:23:42.68
and they became
excited as we loaded up in cars
00:23:42.72\00:23:46.02
umbrellas in hand.
00:23:46.05\00:23:47.39
Yeah.
00:23:47.42\00:23:48.76
Rain gear in hand,
00:23:48.79\00:23:50.13
because we were not
going to allow the devil
00:23:50.16\00:23:51.93
to take away what
God had already started.
00:23:51.96\00:23:54.93
And my church
members coming back,
00:23:54.96\00:23:57.17
we came back to the
church and people were excited.
00:23:57.20\00:24:00.04
And it was just a
huge lift from my church
00:24:00.07\00:24:03.91
and they are ready to
go ahead and do it again.
00:24:03.94\00:24:06.14
And going to the other side
of the state to make it happen,
00:24:06.17\00:24:09.98
and so God has
just bless, you know,
00:24:10.01\00:24:12.85
you always have people
they're like, oh, well,
00:24:12.88\00:24:14.82
why are we doing
this or you know.
00:24:14.85\00:24:16.25
Yeah.
00:24:16.28\00:24:17.62
They start
thinking about themselves.
00:24:17.65\00:24:19.69
But as we did this,
00:24:19.72\00:24:21.06
it began to change the mentality
00:24:21.09\00:24:23.76
that we are a team.
00:24:23.79\00:24:25.99
God has called us to be involved
00:24:26.03\00:24:28.73
in finishing the gospel message.
00:24:28.76\00:24:31.13
And how much better
is it to go to a city
00:24:31.17\00:24:35.00
when we bring everybody with us,
00:24:35.04\00:24:36.91
how much more
territory that we can cover
00:24:36.94\00:24:39.14
than the local churches
could take years to cover.
00:24:39.17\00:24:42.14
We can cover all at one time
00:24:42.18\00:24:44.25
and have the
gospel message go forth
00:24:44.28\00:24:45.95
because we want
that as Tim said,
00:24:45.98\00:24:48.08
that total member involvement
of bringing everybody in
00:24:48.12\00:24:51.52
because when
people work for the Lord,
00:24:51.55\00:24:53.62
they are
blessed above and beyond
00:24:53.66\00:24:55.56
what they could
ever think or imagine.
00:24:55.59\00:24:56.93
Amen. Amen.
00:24:56.96\00:24:58.29
So we are taking
our show on the road
00:24:58.33\00:24:59.86
and that means is
of course going west.
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.70
Obviously, these
two worthy gentlemen
00:25:01.73\00:25:04.07
who sit beside you,
Tim, bought into it.
00:25:04.10\00:25:06.84
Amen.
00:25:06.87\00:25:08.20
But here's what Adventist do.
00:25:08.24\00:25:09.57
Adventist get up
on Saturday morning,
00:25:09.60\00:25:11.71
depending on a motivation
they come to Sabbath school,
00:25:11.74\00:25:13.64
if not they come
for 11 o'clock service.
00:25:13.68\00:25:16.04
And then they go back home.
00:25:16.08\00:25:17.95
So to break them out of
that habit can be tough.
00:25:17.98\00:25:22.25
We know that your,
your ministerial core
00:25:22.28\00:25:25.52
bought into it and obviously,
your church bought it.
00:25:25.55\00:25:30.23
Did you, did it catch fire?
00:25:30.26\00:25:31.96
Did it hit any
kind of critical mass
00:25:31.99\00:25:33.40
as far as the
members are concerned
00:25:33.43\00:25:35.70
across the conference?
00:25:35.73\00:25:37.13
It did, it not only
caught across the conference,
00:25:37.17\00:25:40.80
we had some of our churches,
00:25:40.84\00:25:42.70
actually a
couple of our ministers
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.87
who had a harder time
00:25:44.91\00:25:46.24
because they weren't
real eager to do door to door.
00:25:46.27\00:25:50.08
Were wondering do I
really have to come.
00:25:50.11\00:25:52.68
But interestingly enough
those are some of the ministers
00:25:52.71\00:25:55.52
who got the most
involved afterwards.
00:25:55.55\00:25:57.62
In fact, in
several of our churches,
00:25:57.65\00:26:00.42
they went back
00:26:00.46\00:26:01.79
and we ordered
additional material,
00:26:01.82\00:26:03.96
in fact, three of
our larger churches,
00:26:03.99\00:26:06.43
they went back
00:26:06.46\00:26:07.80
and they replicated this process
00:26:07.83\00:26:10.23
in their church of their own
00:26:10.27\00:26:12.13
without any
additional help from us.
00:26:12.17\00:26:14.54
I had a ministerial
00:26:14.57\00:26:16.07
and personal ministry department
00:26:16.10\00:26:17.54
from another conference
00:26:17.57\00:26:19.47
call up about a month after
we finished it and they said,
00:26:19.51\00:26:23.71
"Would you send
us all your material
00:26:23.75\00:26:25.65
how to organize
and structure this."
00:26:25.68\00:26:27.75
We sent it to them and they,
00:26:27.78\00:26:29.48
they blanketed one
city of about three million
00:26:29.52\00:26:31.92
with the same type
of process is the way.
00:26:31.95\00:26:35.76
I want to talk about
exactly what the initiative is
00:26:35.79\00:26:38.16
for the West but
before I do that.
00:26:38.19\00:26:39.69
I want to talk
to the two pastors
00:26:39.73\00:26:43.73
and ask just so
that our members,
00:26:43.77\00:26:45.40
our viewers can,
00:26:45.43\00:26:46.77
can hear this out of your mouth.
00:26:46.80\00:26:48.14
What does active membership
00:26:48.17\00:26:50.97
active
participation and evangelism
00:26:51.01\00:26:53.58
do for the
spiritual life of a church?
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.08
Well, I think it's
revolutionary when,
00:26:57.11\00:27:00.55
when members become involved,
they start forgetting about
00:27:00.58\00:27:04.82
what color we should
paint the sanctuary or,
00:27:04.85\00:27:07.86
or what the flowers or
the weeds that are in there
00:27:07.89\00:27:10.29
and who should have
been pulling them out
00:27:10.33\00:27:11.79
and those things.
00:27:11.83\00:27:13.16
And their focus turns from self
00:27:13.19\00:27:15.60
to what the
gospel has asked us to do
00:27:15.63\00:27:18.10
which is go out
and make disciples.
00:27:18.13\00:27:19.63
Yeah.
00:27:19.67\00:27:21.00
And for my church
00:27:21.04\00:27:24.57
I live in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
00:27:24.61\00:27:27.78
Williamsport,
Pennsylvania is noted
00:27:27.81\00:27:31.41
for the Little
League World Series.
00:27:31.45\00:27:34.62
The Williamsport
Church has been there
00:27:34.65\00:27:36.72
for over 100 years.
00:27:36.75\00:27:39.12
We've had a school in
that town for over 100 years.
00:27:39.15\00:27:42.69
Very few people even
know what an Adventist is.
00:27:42.72\00:27:46.26
And because of the
excitement that's been caused,
00:27:46.29\00:27:49.46
our church is
dedicated this year
00:27:49.50\00:27:52.17
for the first
time in over 100 years
00:27:52.20\00:27:54.77
to be in the Little
League World Series parade
00:27:54.80\00:27:58.01
that happens just before.
00:27:58.04\00:27:59.47
Over 40,000
people come to our town
00:27:59.51\00:28:03.38
and this is the first time
00:28:03.41\00:28:04.75
that we are actually
joining that and I truly believe
00:28:04.78\00:28:07.18
it's because the membership,
00:28:07.22\00:28:08.58
because of this
has begin to think
00:28:08.62\00:28:11.05
outside of self and go.
00:28:11.09\00:28:12.92
We got a mission to do.
00:28:12.95\00:28:14.89
And let's do it
together and to go in spots
00:28:14.92\00:28:18.23
where we can reach
the most people possible
00:28:18.26\00:28:20.50
and so I see it is just
00:28:20.53\00:28:22.13
dynamically
moving things forward
00:28:22.16\00:28:24.23
our school has
continued to grow.
00:28:24.27\00:28:27.74
I pastor at three
church districts in a school.
00:28:27.77\00:28:30.67
And our school
has continued to grow,
00:28:30.71\00:28:32.87
the outreach
ministries are growing
00:28:32.91\00:28:34.81
and people just
become more and more on fire
00:28:34.84\00:28:37.95
when they see souls
coming through the door
00:28:37.98\00:28:40.25
and seeing those things.
00:28:40.28\00:28:41.62
And so God has just
blessed in abundance
00:28:41.65\00:28:43.79
and already talking about,
I met with my church board.
00:28:43.82\00:28:48.39
And I brought this up
00:28:48.42\00:28:49.76
and several of my church members
00:28:49.79\00:28:51.49
I said, "You know, I
really think we should do
00:28:51.53\00:28:53.26
something as a church
not just as individuals
00:28:53.29\00:28:55.46
but as church
financially donate to this
00:28:55.50\00:28:58.97
because of the condition
of the churches out west
00:28:59.00\00:29:01.80
not all of them you know
00:29:01.84\00:29:03.17
we have some churches
that only have eight members.
00:29:03.20\00:29:05.51
And so one of my board members,
you know, I was hoping well,
00:29:05.54\00:29:10.78
maybe we might do
about maybe 5,000 God be...
00:29:10.81\00:29:14.82
And I had one
church member said,
00:29:14.85\00:29:16.75
"Well, you know,
00:29:16.79\00:29:18.12
I was thinking
more like eight or ten."
00:29:18.15\00:29:20.29
You know so God was
just working on their heart,
00:29:20.32\00:29:22.36
because of stuff
that they had seen happen
00:29:22.39\00:29:24.96
in Philadelphia
when we went there.
00:29:24.99\00:29:26.33
Excellent!
00:29:26.36\00:29:27.70
Pastor Stewart, same kind
of response in, in your church?
00:29:27.73\00:29:30.50
Well, I'm brand
new in Pittsburgh.
00:29:30.53\00:29:32.50
Actually Ray called me up,
00:29:32.53\00:29:33.87
Ray Hartwell is the president
of the Pennsylvania Conference
00:29:33.90\00:29:35.64
and he called me up,
00:29:35.67\00:29:37.01
because I did
evangelism down in West Virginia
00:29:37.04\00:29:39.21
and Maryland,
Mountain View Conference.
00:29:39.24\00:29:41.11
And he said,
00:29:41.14\00:29:42.48
"Would you be interested
in coming to Pittsburgh."
00:29:42.51\00:29:44.55
And I said, "No", and he said,
"Well, would you consider it."
00:29:44.58\00:29:48.65
And so when I saw the
need that was there and I think
00:29:48.68\00:29:51.29
we'll be talking about that need
00:29:51.32\00:29:52.65
a little later in the interview,
00:29:52.69\00:29:54.02
but when I saw the
need that was there
00:29:54.06\00:29:55.39
and I realized
how desperate it was.
00:29:55.42\00:29:57.23
I, I got excited
about this, it was like.
00:29:57.26\00:29:59.89
Man, there's just
so much that we can do
00:29:59.93\00:30:02.96
with such a big marketplace
like Pittsburgh and Erie,
00:30:03.00\00:30:05.53
and some of these other towns
00:30:05.57\00:30:06.90
that are fairly
decent sized towns.
00:30:06.94\00:30:09.50
There are so much marketplace
and so few Adventists
00:30:09.54\00:30:12.94
as we'll see as we go
on, that I got excited
00:30:12.97\00:30:16.88
and I know that my church
was already being put on board
00:30:16.91\00:30:19.55
before I even got there.
00:30:19.58\00:30:20.92
I've actually been there
for just a few weeks now.
00:30:20.95\00:30:23.18
So I was actually called in
00:30:23.22\00:30:26.15
to be a part of
Faith for Family,
00:30:26.19\00:30:28.02
so that's why I am there.
00:30:28.06\00:30:29.39
Flame has led, your
job is to keep it fanning,
00:30:29.42\00:30:31.03
kept it fanning, you
put fuel on the side,
00:30:31.06\00:30:32.66
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:30:32.69\00:30:34.36
Pastor Tim, ministerial director
00:30:34.40\00:30:35.83
we talk about going west,
00:30:35.86\00:30:37.20
we're talking about
western Pennsylvania.
00:30:37.23\00:30:38.80
You have seen now
that knocking on doors,
00:30:38.83\00:30:41.80
kind of doing it
the old fashioned way
00:30:41.84\00:30:43.41
rubber meets the road,
00:30:43.44\00:30:44.77
boots on the
ground kind of thing
00:30:44.81\00:30:46.14
still works in 2016.
00:30:46.17\00:30:48.58
So we're going west
00:30:48.61\00:30:49.98
we're expanding
faith for the family.
00:30:50.01\00:30:52.61
Walk us through
what your plans are
00:30:52.65\00:30:54.48
and where you're going now?
00:30:54.52\00:30:55.85
Well, first in
I want to say that
00:30:55.88\00:30:57.95
our vision is to
hit every single city
00:30:57.99\00:31:01.82
in the entire
Pennsylvania Conference.
00:31:01.86\00:31:03.49
This year we're focusing on
00:31:03.53\00:31:05.63
these major cities of Pittsburgh
00:31:05.66\00:31:07.43
and Erie and this thing.
00:31:07.46\00:31:08.90
Our mission is
total member involvement
00:31:08.93\00:31:11.20
because we need,
we need their help.
00:31:11.23\00:31:14.04
And so our call is that
we want every member to help
00:31:14.07\00:31:18.31
and we want to hear the response
00:31:18.34\00:31:19.74
you can count on me.
00:31:19.77\00:31:21.14
That's kind of some buzzwords
that we are really emphasizing
00:31:21.18\00:31:24.48
and so far our membership
has not disappointed us.
00:31:24.51\00:31:27.82
Amen.
00:31:27.85\00:31:29.18
So we now have other regions
of the conference saying,
00:31:29.22\00:31:32.29
"When is it our turn.
00:31:32.32\00:31:33.96
When is it our turn."
00:31:33.99\00:31:35.32
So we're really focusing
on Western Pennsylvania,
00:31:35.36\00:31:37.76
because we have 23 churches,
00:31:37.79\00:31:40.16
15 of which are
actively involved
00:31:40.20\00:31:43.13
in a covenant contract,
00:31:43.16\00:31:44.77
they're all 23
involved in some way.
00:31:44.80\00:31:47.20
But 15 have signed a contract
00:31:47.24\00:31:49.50
under business
session saying that,
00:31:49.54\00:31:51.94
we've started a prayer ministry.
00:31:51.97\00:31:54.54
We're actively
praying every single day
00:31:54.58\00:31:56.61
and we have intentionality,
00:31:56.64\00:31:58.48
we are responding
with spiritual revival.
00:31:58.51\00:32:02.02
We are going to
participate in Bible studies.
00:32:02.05\00:32:05.79
We are going to
participate in evangelism.
00:32:05.82\00:32:08.26
We're going to do
everything within our power
00:32:08.29\00:32:10.63
and we're
putting in financially.
00:32:10.66\00:32:13.03
So we have a good start
00:32:13.06\00:32:15.53
with these
churches in this region.
00:32:15.56\00:32:17.00
Okay.
00:32:17.03\00:32:18.37
You know one of the
photographs that we have
00:32:18.40\00:32:20.44
we just wrapped up camp meeting.
00:32:20.47\00:32:22.94
And we set up a booth,
we had a family fun day.
00:32:22.97\00:32:26.88
And so the community was invited
00:32:26.91\00:32:29.41
and the church members,
we combine Pathfinder day
00:32:29.44\00:32:32.58
and everything all together,
there was vendors everywhere.
00:32:32.61\00:32:35.32
And Faith For Family had a booth
00:32:35.35\00:32:37.29
and what we
offered was family photos.
00:32:37.32\00:32:40.29
And people to sign
up to be ready to go out
00:32:40.32\00:32:43.59
to the western part of
P.A. and make a difference.
00:32:43.63\00:32:46.66
And there's about
four photos on there
00:32:46.70\00:32:49.60
and when we
look at those photos.
00:32:49.63\00:32:51.27
There are people
that are holding up signs,
00:32:51.30\00:32:53.27
they have buttons on,
00:32:53.30\00:32:54.64
we have shirts made
and this is, you know,
00:32:54.67\00:32:57.31
Faith and Family I
mean FaithForFamily.org
00:32:57.34\00:33:00.31
And so, they're wearing these,
00:33:00.34\00:33:03.21
they're getting
out of their community.
00:33:03.24\00:33:05.31
We ask them to
take those buttons
00:33:05.35\00:33:07.92
and put them somewhere
00:33:07.95\00:33:09.72
where they will see him everyday
00:33:09.75\00:33:11.22
because we realize that
we can do all the prep work,
00:33:11.25\00:33:15.12
we can sign contracts,
we can motivate people.
00:33:15.16\00:33:18.46
But without the Holy
Spirit going before us,
00:33:18.49\00:33:21.96
and making an impact on people,
00:33:22.00\00:33:23.77
we don't have a
chance to be successful.
00:33:23.80\00:33:25.13
Yeah.
00:33:25.17\00:33:26.50
And we know that we live
00:33:26.53\00:33:28.00
in the major part of
the great controversy.
00:33:28.04\00:33:31.24
We are nearing the end of time
00:33:31.27\00:33:32.87
and the devil is
trying to do everything he can
00:33:32.91\00:33:34.58
and so we need prayer warriors,
not only our church members,
00:33:34.61\00:33:37.71
we're hoping
that the 3ABN viewers
00:33:37.75\00:33:40.28
will join us in
that prayer ministry
00:33:40.32\00:33:42.95
of praying for the Holy
Spirit to drive back Satan
00:33:42.98\00:33:47.02
and his evil angels
to get us into doors
00:33:47.06\00:33:50.09
for people will be convicted
that families will be changed,
00:33:50.13\00:33:53.29
because part of
the title is the fact
00:33:53.33\00:33:55.40
that we realize
that in today's society
00:33:55.43\00:33:57.53
the devil is attacking families.
00:33:57.57\00:33:59.60
Very much so
00:33:59.63\00:34:00.97
I mean, and so
we're asking, you know,
00:34:01.00\00:34:03.37
we're trying to
put out literature
00:34:03.41\00:34:04.77
that's going to help
marriages stay together.
00:34:04.81\00:34:07.51
We're putting out literature.
00:34:07.54\00:34:09.08
We're hoping, and
hopefully this will cause
00:34:09.11\00:34:11.58
some schools to be opened
in the western part of P.A.
00:34:11.61\00:34:14.78
Where we've closed
almost all of those,
00:34:14.82\00:34:16.25
we have no schools now
in the western part of P.A.
00:34:16.28\00:34:19.19
Which just breaks our heart,
and so we're hoping by this
00:34:19.22\00:34:22.22
that this Faith
and Family movement
00:34:22.26\00:34:23.63
will help do those things,
00:34:23.66\00:34:25.93
bring people to
the gospel message.
00:34:25.96\00:34:28.53
And that we will have
that total member involvement,
00:34:28.56\00:34:31.43
I really appreciate the fact
00:34:31.47\00:34:33.10
that some of the
things that we learned
00:34:33.13\00:34:36.10
in the first initiative
was that maybe we should do
00:34:36.14\00:34:39.01
a little more prep
and a little more after.
00:34:39.04\00:34:42.54
And so by God's grace,
00:34:42.58\00:34:44.68
we have hired nine Bible workers
00:34:44.71\00:34:47.98
to be in that part of P.A.
00:34:48.02\00:34:50.32
not only before
the meeting start,
00:34:50.35\00:34:53.79
but we've actually employed them
00:34:53.82\00:34:56.22
to be there afterwards
00:34:56.26\00:34:58.96
because we want those
that are coming in to not go.
00:34:58.99\00:35:03.30
Well, my job is to come
and sit and fill the pew.
00:35:03.33\00:35:06.27
But we want them to be trained
00:35:06.30\00:35:08.67
to go out and give Bible studies
00:35:08.70\00:35:11.37
to their
neighbors, to their families,
00:35:11.41\00:35:13.31
to their friends.
00:35:13.34\00:35:14.84
So the next region that
we do Faith For Family in,
00:35:14.88\00:35:19.55
we're hoping that our
numbers by God's grace,
00:35:19.58\00:35:22.32
we're believing that
God's gonna come through
00:35:22.35\00:35:24.62
that those numbers
will double and triple,
00:35:24.65\00:35:27.36
because these people
will be bringing more people
00:35:27.39\00:35:30.16
into the church by being trained
00:35:30.19\00:35:32.39
and we're just praying for
God to deliver there in big way.
00:35:32.43\00:35:35.13
Praise the Lord.
00:35:35.16\00:35:36.50
Tim, I got to...
00:35:36.53\00:35:37.87
sort of pushing
just a little bit
00:35:37.90\00:35:39.23
because you're asking
the membership to step
00:35:39.27\00:35:42.57
way outside of what is
not they're no more confident.
00:35:42.60\00:35:45.97
You're asking people to
get up from where you are
00:35:46.01\00:35:48.94
and come and help
another congregation
00:35:48.98\00:35:51.68
or several congregations
in another part of the state.
00:35:51.71\00:35:55.32
A couple of
questions occurred to me.
00:35:55.35\00:35:56.69
Is, is Western Pennsylvania
much tougher than the East?
00:35:56.72\00:36:00.76
Has it just not had this
kind of initiative before?
00:36:00.79\00:36:05.36
Let's wrestle with
that and then and then
00:36:05.39\00:36:07.03
we'll move in some other stuff.
00:36:07.06\00:36:08.43
We'll just put a
little perspective,
00:36:08.46\00:36:10.17
in the 1040 window
00:36:10.20\00:36:11.87
which we know two
thirds of the world lives in.
00:36:11.90\00:36:14.67
There's one Adventist
for every 1,600 people
00:36:14.70\00:36:17.31
1,600 some people.
00:36:17.34\00:36:19.81
In Western P.A.
00:36:19.84\00:36:21.91
there's one Adventist
for every 5,000 individuals.
00:36:21.94\00:36:25.51
In fact, in the
greater Pittsburgh area
00:36:25.55\00:36:27.62
there's one Adventist
for every 12,000 individuals.
00:36:27.65\00:36:30.95
Yeah.
00:36:30.99\00:36:32.32
Now, we want to be
very careful to say that
00:36:32.35\00:36:34.79
we've tried a lot
of things in the past
00:36:34.82\00:36:37.53
but obviously, they
haven't quite worked,
00:36:37.56\00:36:40.73
maybe it's not the right time
00:36:40.76\00:36:42.10
and we don't know
all those reasons.
00:36:42.13\00:36:44.40
But we know one thing,
00:36:44.43\00:36:46.40
that is
relationship and discipleship
00:36:46.43\00:36:48.54
and a total member involvement
that God is asking for.
00:36:48.57\00:36:52.14
And so we are already
we're experiencing growth.
00:36:52.17\00:36:57.71
I had one of the pastors tell me
00:36:57.75\00:36:59.51
just last week for the
first time in 20 years.
00:36:59.55\00:37:04.09
My members are totally
involved in this project.
00:37:04.12\00:37:07.12
I see a lifestyle change.
00:37:07.16\00:37:09.49
One of the
elderly ladies stood up
00:37:09.52\00:37:11.69
couple of weeks ago in
his church and she said,
00:37:11.73\00:37:15.06
"I'm out
witnessing for the first time
00:37:15.10\00:37:17.70
in my entire 50
years in the church
00:37:17.73\00:37:20.64
and the Holy Spirit I
think put words in my mouth."
00:37:20.67\00:37:24.21
Amen
00:37:24.24\00:37:25.61
See you like people
say things like that,
00:37:25.64\00:37:26.98
you do, yeah, yeah.
00:37:27.01\00:37:28.34
It's exciting. Yeah.
00:37:28.38\00:37:29.71
So, so we just, you
know, Ellen White says it that
00:37:29.74\00:37:34.02
right before Jesus come,
00:37:34.05\00:37:35.38
there will be
armies of not only youth
00:37:35.42\00:37:38.55
but individuals
going door to door
00:37:38.59\00:37:40.19
proclaiming the good news
00:37:40.22\00:37:41.92
and that's an inspiration to us.
00:37:41.96\00:37:43.69
And guess what?
00:37:43.73\00:37:45.06
Our church members
are not opposing it.
00:37:45.09\00:37:48.06
They're, they're
saying it's about time pastor.
00:37:48.10\00:37:51.47
We want to be involved.
00:37:51.50\00:37:52.83
In fact, we have 11,000,
approximately 11,000 membership
00:37:52.87\00:37:57.91
in the
Pennsylvania Conference already
00:37:57.94\00:38:00.38
just as we're
kicking off this initiative.
00:38:00.41\00:38:03.04
We have almost 1000 individuals
registered to go out West.
00:38:03.08\00:38:07.22
Amen.
00:38:07.25\00:38:08.58
In Western
Pennsylvania, but guess what?
00:38:08.62\00:38:10.95
We're here because we
realize that's not enough.
00:38:10.99\00:38:14.32
We need.
00:38:14.36\00:38:15.69
We're not we're not proud here.
00:38:15.72\00:38:18.19
We'll take your help.
00:38:18.23\00:38:21.40
We will take your
help from England.
00:38:21.43\00:38:23.60
We'll take your
help from California,
00:38:23.63\00:38:26.03
who ever can help us out,
00:38:26.07\00:38:28.77
we are in desperate need,
00:38:28.80\00:38:30.74
these little dying
churches need everybody.
00:38:30.77\00:38:34.44
So you actively soliciting
help from across the conference
00:38:34.48\00:38:37.25
and outside of the
conference for this initiative.
00:38:37.28\00:38:39.61
And I see, I see
your, your buddy over there
00:38:39.65\00:38:41.48
is about ready to explode.
00:38:41.52\00:38:42.85
Listen to the
scope of what he's saying
00:38:42.88\00:38:44.55
you've heard the statistics.
00:38:44.59\00:38:46.79
We've got over 1000
people signed up now,
00:38:46.82\00:38:49.22
and we know there's
going to be more coming
00:38:49.26\00:38:50.86
as the momentum grows.
00:38:50.89\00:38:52.23
But in Western P.A,
00:38:52.26\00:38:53.60
now there's a 11,000
people in the whole P.A.
00:38:53.63\00:38:55.80
Conference
Pennsylvania Conference.
00:38:55.83\00:38:57.53
But in Western P.A.
there's only 1,300 members.
00:38:57.57\00:39:01.60
Only 1300 members
00:39:01.64\00:39:02.97
we're gonna have more
people coming to help us.
00:39:03.00\00:39:04.34
Yes.
00:39:04.37\00:39:05.71
Then we have
members. That's exciting.
00:39:05.74\00:39:07.44
That is just a huge,
it's a very exciting.
00:39:07.48\00:39:10.91
CA, I think, I think
another unique factor in this is
00:39:10.95\00:39:13.68
because, you know a lot
of times we send our kids off
00:39:13.72\00:39:16.69
to the academy or whatever else,
00:39:16.72\00:39:19.12
and we're wondering
what's gonna happen,
00:39:19.15\00:39:20.62
and we've had academy shut
down and those kind of things.
00:39:20.66\00:39:23.63
But Blue Mountain Academy,
00:39:23.66\00:39:25.89
when we set this
initiative up last year,
00:39:25.93\00:39:28.90
they loaded their
entire student body up
00:39:28.93\00:39:32.13
brought them to Philadelphia
in the Reading Area.
00:39:32.17\00:39:35.80
They have already
committed that this year
00:39:35.84\00:39:38.51
they are going to
bring the whole student body.
00:39:38.54\00:39:41.04
We are doing a youth rally
00:39:41.08\00:39:43.35
that we're expecting
over 300 young people
00:39:43.38\00:39:46.61
to come out with this,
and work on this initiative.
00:39:46.65\00:39:50.12
And I don't think
there's any greater thing
00:39:50.15\00:39:52.85
that we can pass
on to our children
00:39:52.89\00:39:55.19
than that idea of the
fact that God has called them
00:39:55.22\00:39:58.69
to spread the gospel,
00:39:58.73\00:40:00.60
because, we want to go home.
00:40:00.63\00:40:02.46
We want to go home.
00:40:02.50\00:40:03.83
We want to be totally involved
in what God has asked us to do
00:40:03.87\00:40:07.00
in training our young people.
00:40:07.04\00:40:08.37
I really appreciate the
principle and stuff at BMA
00:40:08.40\00:40:11.81
that has made this
commitment to says,
00:40:11.84\00:40:13.17
you know what?
00:40:13.21\00:40:14.54
"We're not just
going to sit back here
00:40:14.58\00:40:15.91
see how it turns out.
00:40:15.94\00:40:17.28
We're going to get in
and we're going get dirty
00:40:17.31\00:40:18.81
and we're going to get it done."
00:40:18.85\00:40:20.18
Praise the Lord.
00:40:20.22\00:40:21.55
You know, CA,
the business director
00:40:21.58\00:40:24.55
personally told me last year,
00:40:24.59\00:40:26.12
was actually in
their executive committee.
00:40:26.15\00:40:28.89
He made the comment that
00:40:28.92\00:40:31.16
it was one of the most single
influential things spiritually
00:40:31.19\00:40:34.36
that the young people had done.
00:40:34.40\00:40:36.06
Because they went door to
door and they saw miracles.
00:40:36.10\00:40:39.40
They saw actual
miracles take place.
00:40:39.43\00:40:42.44
To the young people
actually informed the chaplain
00:40:42.47\00:40:45.51
and some of the
school members that
00:40:45.54\00:40:47.44
because of their experience,
00:40:47.48\00:40:49.01
they saw the Lord leading that
00:40:49.04\00:40:50.38
they were considering
the ministry now as a result.
00:40:50.41\00:40:52.55
Praise God.
00:40:52.58\00:40:53.92
Things can change people's lives
00:40:53.95\00:40:55.28
when we have no expectation.
00:40:55.32\00:40:57.09
Now, gentlemen, what kind
of commitment are we asking.
00:40:57.12\00:41:00.52
You know people are
coming and you've got a 1000,
00:41:00.56\00:41:03.16
you've almost
equal the membership
00:41:03.19\00:41:04.53
of that part of the state
which is an exciting thing.
00:41:04.56\00:41:06.83
But how long do
you want them there,
00:41:06.86\00:41:09.16
what are the kinds of the things
00:41:09.20\00:41:10.53
they're going to be doing
00:41:10.57\00:41:11.90
so that people know
exactly what I'm signing up for?
00:41:11.93\00:41:13.30
Well, there's
two ways that they...
00:41:13.34\00:41:15.30
There's actually three
ways they can participate.
00:41:15.34\00:41:19.27
One is they can
come out just for the day
00:41:19.31\00:41:21.28
and then there could
be even a fourth way.
00:41:21.31\00:41:24.21
But they...
00:41:24.25\00:41:25.58
October 1st is
the big media blitz
00:41:25.61\00:41:28.52
where we'll be
passing out Bible study cards
00:41:28.55\00:41:31.32
and literature and
things of that nature.
00:41:31.35\00:41:33.36
You can also come out
00:41:33.39\00:41:35.09
and participate in
the evangelistic series
00:41:35.12\00:41:37.56
and also in the pre-work
00:41:37.59\00:41:39.53
and in the Bible
study some things.
00:41:39.56\00:41:41.56
So there's many ways
00:41:41.60\00:41:42.93
and if you go to
FaithForFamily.org,
00:41:42.96\00:41:45.80
you can actually
sign up and volunteer.
00:41:45.83\00:41:48.84
Now, this is
really exciting because
00:41:48.87\00:41:52.04
a lot of people wish that
they could be missionaries.
00:41:52.07\00:41:54.11
Yeah.
00:41:54.14\00:41:55.48
And they've thought
about it all their lives
00:41:55.51\00:41:57.91
and right now, you
can go to a territory
00:41:57.95\00:42:00.98
that has less
Adventists the 1040 Window,
00:42:01.02\00:42:04.69
it's like
paddling down the Amazon.
00:42:04.72\00:42:07.69
But you're still
in your own country
00:42:07.72\00:42:09.46
without the reason all
the things of that nature.
00:42:09.49\00:42:12.69
And so we really
do need their help
00:42:12.73\00:42:15.20
and we're expecting
people to bring their RVs.
00:42:15.23\00:42:17.67
We're expecting
people to come in.
00:42:17.70\00:42:20.17
If you're within
the Pennsylvania region,
00:42:20.20\00:42:22.94
we're bussing,
we're running vans,
00:42:22.97\00:42:25.91
we're doing whatever we can.
00:42:25.94\00:42:27.28
And it's interesting our,
00:42:27.31\00:42:29.38
our members are
paying for their way
00:42:29.41\00:42:31.28
to come to this project.
00:42:31.31\00:42:33.21
Because a little bit
of help by each individual
00:42:33.25\00:42:37.05
makes the big
picture a lot better.
00:42:37.09\00:42:38.42
Yeah. Yeah.
00:42:38.45\00:42:39.79
It's not just a
one day event though.
00:42:39.82\00:42:41.59
After the event
when we're going to be
00:42:41.62\00:42:43.22
passing out all the literature
00:42:43.26\00:42:44.59
and advertising the
evangelistic meetings.
00:42:44.63\00:42:46.23
There's going to
be people coming in
00:42:46.26\00:42:48.16
to do the evangelism.
00:42:48.20\00:42:49.53
Pastors from all
over the conference
00:42:49.56\00:42:50.90
are going to come in
00:42:50.93\00:42:52.27
and even our Columbia Union
President is gonna come in,
00:42:52.30\00:42:55.24
and they're gonna
come in and do evangelism
00:42:55.27\00:42:57.77
and so there's going
to be follow-up work,
00:42:57.81\00:42:59.37
Bible studies
that need to be done
00:42:59.41\00:43:00.74
to meet these people.
00:43:00.78\00:43:02.11
It's a huge event
00:43:02.14\00:43:03.48
and I don't think
people are realizing
00:43:03.51\00:43:04.85
the scope of it
and the need of it.
00:43:04.88\00:43:06.21
We need people to help...
00:43:06.25\00:43:07.58
I want to walk
through this book,
00:43:07.62\00:43:08.95
because we touched
on a lot of things.
00:43:08.98\00:43:10.32
There is a kick off day,
00:43:10.35\00:43:11.82
a kick off event
and that date is?
00:43:11.85\00:43:13.99
October 1. October 1
00:43:14.02\00:43:15.46
October 1.
00:43:15.49\00:43:16.83
On our website, if
people go to our website,
00:43:16.86\00:43:21.36
they are going to see a
couple different things.
00:43:21.40\00:43:24.27
One, there's a registration.
00:43:24.30\00:43:26.00
If you would
like to be involved,
00:43:26.03\00:43:27.44
there's basically four ways
00:43:27.47\00:43:28.80
that we've lined out
that you can be involved.
00:43:28.84\00:43:31.37
One, we encourage
you to pray for us.
00:43:31.41\00:43:34.54
Please let us know
that you are praying for us,
00:43:34.58\00:43:37.61
because there something happens
00:43:37.65\00:43:38.98
when you go up
to somebody and say,
00:43:39.01\00:43:40.35
"Brother, I'm praying for you."
00:43:40.38\00:43:41.72
It makes a difference,
00:43:41.75\00:43:43.08
it gives us that
spiritual encouragement.
00:43:43.12\00:43:44.45
Yeah.
00:43:44.49\00:43:45.82
And so we're asking, you know,
00:43:45.85\00:43:47.19
if you're 90 years
old, and you watch 3ABN
00:43:47.22\00:43:49.16
because you can no
longer get to church
00:43:49.19\00:43:50.93
or you're 105 years old
like some of my members.
00:43:50.96\00:43:53.83
And you're watching 3ABN
00:43:53.86\00:43:55.20
because you can't get to church.
00:43:55.23\00:43:57.40
You can pray like nobody else.
00:43:57.43\00:43:59.23
Amen.
00:43:59.27\00:44:00.60
And so we're
asking for those prayers.
00:44:00.64\00:44:02.67
And the second thing is,
we've hired nine Bible workers.
00:44:02.70\00:44:06.94
That doesn't come at zero price.
00:44:06.98\00:44:09.78
We have to pay them
00:44:09.81\00:44:11.15
and so we need
financial support.
00:44:11.18\00:44:13.05
We need the material to be able
to go out all of those things.
00:44:13.08\00:44:15.78
The churches are kicking in but,
00:44:15.82\00:44:17.15
you know, if you're a
church of eight people,
00:44:17.19\00:44:18.52
sometimes you
don't have the funds
00:44:18.55\00:44:20.29
to do what your
heart wants to do.
00:44:20.32\00:44:21.66
Yeah.
00:44:21.69\00:44:23.02
You know, and so,
00:44:23.06\00:44:24.39
we've seen some
miracles take place with that.
00:44:24.43\00:44:25.99
So we need
people's financial support
00:44:26.03\00:44:27.63
and you go on the webpage
00:44:27.66\00:44:29.00
and there is a spot
where you can give online
00:44:29.03\00:44:31.63
or you can mail
it to the address
00:44:31.67\00:44:34.14
of the Pennsylvania Conference.
00:44:34.17\00:44:35.90
And the other way
that you can do that,
00:44:35.94\00:44:39.31
is you can say, you know what,
00:44:39.34\00:44:40.68
I want a short term involvement.
00:44:40.71\00:44:42.58
So in other words, I
want to show up on October
00:44:42.61\00:44:45.48
at one of the area
churches which we posted online
00:44:45.51\00:44:48.38
or you can call
the conference office
00:44:48.42\00:44:49.88
and they'll let you
know where it's going to be.
00:44:49.92\00:44:52.29
And you can just go
door to door with us,
00:44:52.32\00:44:54.09
and enjoy the fellowship.
00:44:54.12\00:44:55.92
After we get done with
that rally of going out
00:44:55.96\00:44:59.29
and reaching the towns.
00:44:59.33\00:45:00.66
We're coming back
to Laurel Lake Camp,
00:45:00.70\00:45:02.86
and we're going to have a rally
00:45:02.90\00:45:04.33
of talking about what
God did that day because,
00:45:04.37\00:45:06.84
we feel it's really
important, you know, we can ask,
00:45:06.87\00:45:08.67
we ask God a lot of things.
00:45:08.70\00:45:10.04
Yeah.
00:45:10.07\00:45:11.41
But very rarely do we
take time to praise Him
00:45:11.44\00:45:13.51
for everything He's done.
00:45:13.54\00:45:15.51
And so, we want to take time
00:45:15.54\00:45:18.01
that Saturday
night to praise God
00:45:18.05\00:45:20.85
for what He did
throughout that day
00:45:20.88\00:45:22.98
of getting people
to places, you know,
00:45:23.02\00:45:24.92
those divine
appointments He's going to have.
00:45:24.95\00:45:27.26
And then the other way
that you can become involved
00:45:27.29\00:45:29.72
the fourth way that
you can become involved
00:45:29.76\00:45:31.53
is that long term commitment.
00:45:31.56\00:45:34.06
Not only for this one,
but for the next one we do
00:45:34.10\00:45:36.60
or maybe you've
got gifts and talents.
00:45:36.63\00:45:39.97
We have churches that
some of them need some repairs
00:45:40.00\00:45:42.04
before we bring the public in.
00:45:42.07\00:45:44.17
There sometimes
that you know what,
00:45:44.21\00:45:45.97
you were on a wonderful
00:45:46.01\00:45:47.34
children's
program in your church.
00:45:47.38\00:45:49.54
And you would like to come
00:45:49.58\00:45:50.91
and donate your time and efforts
00:45:50.95\00:45:52.98
to help these little kids
00:45:53.01\00:45:54.35
that will come in
with these families
00:45:54.38\00:45:55.72
because it's all
about families coming in
00:45:55.75\00:45:57.79
that they'll know Jesus.
00:45:57.82\00:45:59.69
You know, I love it when a
kid starts telling mom and dad
00:45:59.72\00:46:01.66
about the
Adventist message, don't you?
00:46:01.69\00:46:03.66
And so that kid
brings those things up,
00:46:03.69\00:46:05.63
and points those things up.
00:46:05.66\00:46:07.00
So we need people to do that.
00:46:07.03\00:46:08.53
We need people to
give Bible studies.
00:46:08.56\00:46:11.83
We're hiring Bible
workers but, you know what?
00:46:11.87\00:46:13.77
If God blesses with
10,000 Bible studies,
00:46:13.80\00:46:17.67
we're going to need
more than nine people go out
00:46:17.71\00:46:19.24
and give them and more than
the 1300 that's in the church.
00:46:19.27\00:46:23.51
And so, we need that
total member involvement
00:46:23.55\00:46:27.05
and so all of
those opportunities,
00:46:27.08\00:46:28.62
if you go to the web
page, you can do that,
00:46:28.65\00:46:30.25
if you don't have the Internet
00:46:30.29\00:46:31.65
because a lot of
people don't do the internet.
00:46:31.69\00:46:33.46
But if you want to
call the conference office,
00:46:33.49\00:46:35.56
we will direct you on
to what needs to happen,
00:46:35.59\00:46:37.93
when you can be there.
00:46:37.96\00:46:40.16
You know, so God is
just using multiple ways
00:46:40.20\00:46:42.86
and we want everybody...
00:46:42.90\00:46:44.23
Yes.
00:46:44.27\00:46:45.60
Total member involvement. Yeah.
00:46:45.63\00:46:47.37
And we're not
talking about just in PA.
00:46:47.40\00:46:49.44
We want worldwide
total member involvement.
00:46:49.47\00:46:52.51
I think this is so
very, very exciting.
00:46:52.54\00:46:54.44
Let me ask you this, Tim.
00:46:54.48\00:46:57.21
I want to say, what
do you hope will happen.
00:46:57.25\00:47:00.05
But I want to use a
little stronger word.
00:47:00.08\00:47:01.42
What do you
anticipate will happen?
00:47:01.45\00:47:04.12
Well, I already
have some evidence
00:47:04.15\00:47:06.09
of what is happening.
00:47:06.12\00:47:07.46
I received a letter from
one of the church members,
00:47:07.49\00:47:10.06
this is not a pastor.
00:47:10.09\00:47:12.26
And this church member wrote
a two page typed letter saying,
00:47:12.29\00:47:16.97
"I want to thank you in
the Pennsylvania Conference
00:47:17.00\00:47:19.60
in the vision that
you're casting here
00:47:19.63\00:47:21.97
for what's
happening in their church."
00:47:22.00\00:47:23.94
Each church with their
commitment and preparation.
00:47:23.97\00:47:26.37
There's heart commitment,
00:47:26.41\00:47:27.74
there's church
commitment everything,
00:47:27.78\00:47:29.44
so we have, we have
this church has added
00:47:29.48\00:47:34.38
remodeling of the bathrooms,
putting new floor down
00:47:34.42\00:47:38.35
and things so their church is
00:47:38.39\00:47:39.72
physically
ready for new members.
00:47:39.75\00:47:41.59
They're acting with faith on it.
00:47:41.62\00:47:43.99
They had not had an active
prayer meeting in the church
00:47:44.03\00:47:47.30
because, of the small
size for over ten years.
00:47:47.33\00:47:50.93
They would try.
00:47:50.97\00:47:52.30
They would have two
or three church members.
00:47:52.33\00:47:54.57
Since this initiative has come
00:47:54.60\00:47:56.54
and the Spirit of Lord
has worked upon their heart,
00:47:56.57\00:47:58.94
over two-thirds of
the church membership
00:47:58.97\00:48:00.88
is attending every week.
00:48:00.91\00:48:02.24
That's a good
sign. That's a good sign.
00:48:02.28\00:48:03.71
And they are involved already
00:48:03.75\00:48:06.05
praying for those
members that they want
00:48:06.08\00:48:09.62
for those family
members and friends to come.
00:48:09.65\00:48:12.79
They started out with two
each, that was a requirement
00:48:12.82\00:48:15.89
to participate
in prayer meeting.
00:48:15.92\00:48:18.33
And she's wrote in the
letter that it has far exceeded
00:48:18.36\00:48:21.36
that no one only has two
00:48:21.40\00:48:23.83
and then she wrote
and I want to quote.
00:48:23.87\00:48:26.33
"Now, we realize
that we are committed
00:48:26.37\00:48:29.97
not only to pray for them,
00:48:30.01\00:48:31.87
but to be used by
God to invite them."
00:48:31.91\00:48:34.98
Yes. Yes.
00:48:35.01\00:48:36.34
And I'll tell you what.
00:48:36.38\00:48:37.88
We're anticipating
00:48:37.91\00:48:39.38
a true revival of
primitive godliness
00:48:39.41\00:48:42.55
and experimental knowledge
of Jesus Christ in this region.
00:48:42.58\00:48:47.09
And we're anticipating that our,
00:48:47.12\00:48:50.06
our membership will increase.
00:48:50.09\00:48:52.86
And that the new membership
we want to be disciple,
00:48:52.89\00:48:56.36
we want to bring in young people
00:48:56.40\00:48:58.27
because out of the 500
that attend in this region.
00:48:58.30\00:49:02.97
This is from the Adventist,
we only have 20 individuals
00:49:03.00\00:49:07.14
that come into Sabbath
that are under the age of 13.
00:49:07.18\00:49:11.98
Yeah. Yeah. That
needs to be corrected.
00:49:12.01\00:49:14.15
A couple of things,
we've got a bunch of pictures,
00:49:14.18\00:49:15.62
I know I want to ask you
all three a quick question.
00:49:15.65\00:49:17.69
But let's go to those
pictures now, Robert, if we will
00:49:17.72\00:49:19.95
and walk me through
what we're looking at.
00:49:19.99\00:49:21.69
Well, this is before the
day started in Philadelphia.
00:49:21.72\00:49:24.43
Our church members,
they were phenomenal,
00:49:24.46\00:49:27.16
they had all the bags set up
00:49:27.20\00:49:28.96
with all the
literature to go to each one.
00:49:29.00\00:49:31.73
This is one elder
00:49:31.77\00:49:33.10
in one of the
churches there with the bag.
00:49:33.13\00:49:35.50
Come to the next picture,
00:49:35.54\00:49:37.17
the streets of Philadelphia
in Reading were flooded.
00:49:37.21\00:49:40.18
If you were to put a
helicopter over certain regions,
00:49:40.21\00:49:42.61
you could see these
yellow t-shirts everywhere.
00:49:42.64\00:49:44.98
And I had one of the
police officers stop traffic
00:49:45.01\00:49:48.95
so that our group
could cross the street
00:49:48.98\00:49:50.92
where we were going there.
00:49:50.95\00:49:52.72
It was phenomenal.
00:49:52.75\00:49:54.32
You could just look everywhere
00:49:54.36\00:49:55.69
'Cause I was driving around
00:49:55.72\00:49:57.06
going all the different churches
00:49:57.09\00:49:58.43
making sure
things were going well.
00:49:58.46\00:50:00.56
It was easy to find our people,
00:50:00.60\00:50:02.50
they were like busy bees
everywhere going door to door.
00:50:02.53\00:50:06.60
And I want to tell
you about one of the doors
00:50:06.63\00:50:08.90
that one of our members went to.
00:50:08.94\00:50:10.97
The individual said, "Oh,
no, I don't want this literature
00:50:11.01\00:50:15.61
because, I now believe that
the seventh day is the Sabbath
00:50:15.64\00:50:19.71
and I'm keeping
Saturday Sabbath.
00:50:19.75\00:50:22.32
And then the lady said,
00:50:22.35\00:50:23.69
"Oh, are you a
Seventh-day Adventist?"
00:50:23.72\00:50:26.12
And he said, what?
00:50:26.15\00:50:28.02
And she said, "You're
not a Seventh-day Adventist?"
00:50:28.06\00:50:29.72
He says, "I never heard
of a Seventh-day Adventist."
00:50:29.76\00:50:32.33
So she began to march
him back to the church
00:50:32.36\00:50:35.23
and the pastor had come
00:50:35.26\00:50:36.60
because they ran
out of literature
00:50:36.63\00:50:38.60
and he walked up to
the door the same time
00:50:38.63\00:50:41.07
they walked up to the door.
00:50:41.10\00:50:43.30
And they connected this
individual was baptized.
00:50:43.34\00:50:47.38
Amen.
00:50:47.41\00:50:48.74
That's one of those
stories but, since then
00:50:48.78\00:50:50.61
eight of his family and
friends have been baptized.
00:50:50.65\00:50:53.65
Amen. Amen.
00:50:53.68\00:50:55.02
He is now the personal ministry
director for the church.
00:50:55.05\00:50:58.45
And it's all because
of a divine appointment
00:50:58.49\00:51:01.39
of knocking on a door.
00:51:01.42\00:51:02.92
Praise the
Lord. Praise the Lord.
00:51:02.96\00:51:04.33
Gentlemen, I want all
three to take a stab at this
00:51:04.36\00:51:06.39
and you've got to
move kind of quickly
00:51:06.43\00:51:07.76
but, talk to me about...
00:51:07.80\00:51:10.67
I use a big 25
cent word reciprocity
00:51:10.70\00:51:13.47
that when you go
out and give yourself,
00:51:13.50\00:51:15.34
God sees to it that
you get something back and,
00:51:15.37\00:51:17.47
and this can serve as motivation
00:51:17.51\00:51:19.61
for people to go out
because, as you give you get.
00:51:19.64\00:51:22.24
Have you found that
in your own ministries
00:51:22.28\00:51:23.65
and one that when members
do this they do receive back.
00:51:23.68\00:51:26.41
I definitely have.
00:51:26.45\00:51:27.78
You know the experiences
that I talked about before
00:51:27.82\00:51:29.85
on how God has taken something,
00:51:29.88\00:51:31.99
we went out to the
Philadelphia Reading area.
00:51:32.02\00:51:34.89
We come back, God blesses
00:51:34.92\00:51:37.13
with people
coming into our church,
00:51:37.16\00:51:39.79
and it's just like, you know,
00:51:39.83\00:51:41.16
people just showing up
and you're more like, man,
00:51:41.20\00:51:42.93
God is just
awesome in delivering us.
00:51:42.96\00:51:45.00
So yeah,
definitely God returning to us
00:51:45.03\00:51:47.70
more than what we ever gave out.
00:51:47.74\00:51:49.17
Pastor Stewart?
00:51:49.20\00:51:50.54
It's the principle,
00:51:50.57\00:51:52.47
if I'm working for
the Kingdom of God.
00:51:52.51\00:51:53.91
You know, I could build houses,
00:51:53.94\00:51:55.28
I could do a lot
of different things
00:51:55.31\00:51:56.64
with my life I have.
00:51:56.68\00:51:58.38
But when we
bring a soul to Jesus,
00:51:58.41\00:52:01.85
we get to see that soul forever.
00:52:01.88\00:52:03.39
The house will fall down,
00:52:03.42\00:52:04.75
the book that I used
to make in the bindery
00:52:04.79\00:52:06.49
at Review and Herald
will go away eventually.
00:52:06.52\00:52:08.99
But that soul, that
soul that we bring to Jesus
00:52:09.02\00:52:12.03
will get to witness
that person forever.
00:52:12.06\00:52:13.73
Yeah, Pastor Tim?
00:52:13.76\00:52:15.46
I want to conclude and
say that we need your help.
00:52:15.50\00:52:17.83
Yeah.
00:52:17.87\00:52:19.20
We need not only 3ABN's help,
00:52:19.23\00:52:20.57
but we need every
member in Pennsylvania.
00:52:20.60\00:52:23.27
But we need people outside,
00:52:23.30\00:52:24.64
because this is beyond ourselves
00:52:24.67\00:52:26.01
especially this dying region.
00:52:26.04\00:52:28.18
We need the help of our members,
00:52:28.21\00:52:29.58
we need total member involvement
00:52:29.61\00:52:31.45
because, Jesus is coming again.
00:52:31.48\00:52:33.88
And there are souls that
need to hear His, His words.
00:52:33.92\00:52:37.75
Very good.
00:52:37.79\00:52:39.12
We are going to go
into our newsbreak,
00:52:39.15\00:52:41.22
we'll come back,
put up the address roll
00:52:41.26\00:52:43.22
so that you can do exactly
what Pastor Tim has asked.
00:52:43.26\00:52:45.53
And that is where you can
call, where you can sign up,
00:52:45.56\00:52:47.93
where you can
become part of the team.
00:52:47.96\00:52:50.97
Just after our
newsbreak, we'll come back,
00:52:51.00\00:52:52.33
we'll put a
little bit bow on this
00:52:52.37\00:52:53.70
and end us sitting together.
00:52:53.74\00:52:55.07
Faith for Family seeks
to share the love of Jesus
00:52:57.51\00:53:00.04
and the gospel with
every family in every city
00:53:00.08\00:53:02.84
throughout the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
00:53:02.88\00:53:05.25
If you like to
support this ministry,
00:53:05.28\00:53:06.98
you can do so by
writing to Faith for Family,
00:53:07.02\00:53:10.55
720 Museum Road,
Reading, Pennsylvania 19611.
00:53:10.59\00:53:15.56
That's Faith for
Family, 720 Museum Road,
00:53:15.59\00:53:19.73
Reading, Pennsylvania 19611.
00:53:19.76\00:53:23.06
You can call 610-374-8331.
00:53:23.10\00:53:27.14
That's 610-374-8331
00:53:27.17\00:53:31.01
or visit them
online @faithforfamily.org.
00:53:31.04\00:53:35.54
It's all one word
faithforfamily.org.
00:53:35.58\00:53:39.75