From Indianapolis, Reaching 150,000 around the World

An evangelistic series in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, that was intended to share Bible truth with mostly local residents has transcended national and international borders, organizers said. 

The one-week Revelation of Hope series, which enlisted General Conference (GC) president Ted N. C. Wilson as the main speaker, took place at the Warren Performing Arts Center, May 21-28, 2022.

The series, originally planned as an evangelistic endeavor leading up to the GC Session in Indianapolis in 2020, had to be postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, the GC Session was also postponed and then moved from Indianapolis to St. Louis, Missouri. It is now scheduled to take place June 6-11 at the  America’s Center complex in downtown St. Louis.

Despite the changes, the evangelistic initiative went on as planned, capping a series of outreach activities in and around Indianapolis in the past few months. A major event, the Pathway to Health mega-clinic, took place in April 2022 and saw thousands of people visit the Lucas Oil Stadium to receive free, no-strings-attached medical care in a score of specialties. At the same time, Bible study sessions at local Adventist churches in Indianapolis drew people interested in finding hope for the future by learning more about God’s Word, leaders said.

“So far, local church evangelistic initiatives have resulted in about 100 baptisms in the last few months,” Revelation of Hope series host Mark Finley shared on May 27. “We are confident that God is working and that more people will soon make a commitment to follow God’s truth as it is revealed in the Bible.”

Reaching Beyond Borders

Before the spiritual message on May 27, Finley also revealed some of the figures related to those who are viewing the evangelistic series online. Those numbers, he said, reflect only the first few days of the evening meetings and do not include the final weekend.

According to statistics provided by those supporting the series livestream, YouTube views reached 48,552 and Facebook viewers reached 102,030, for a total of 150,582 views. Obviously, view numbers do not reflect how many are watching the livestream on one screen. “That figure could be substantially higher,” Finley said, adding that the total number of minutes watched in the first five days of the series was 395,803 minutes, or almost 6,600 hours. “We praise the Lord for what He is doing in Indianapolis and around the world,” Finley said.

Praise Songs, Sleep, and Trust in God

The Friday, May 27 evening program included moments of praise and worship by pianist Lisa Foster and a local Haitian choir, whose members, dressed in their Pathfinder uniforms, sang to the Lord in Creole. Ana Elizabeth Cuevas sang to God’s grace and love, and Charles Haugabrooks announced through song that Jesus is coming back soon to take us home.

The health and wellness segment included a brief presentation by Nancy Wilson on the importance of sleep and of trusting God for feeling better and enjoying better health. “Studies have consistently shown that sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well being,” she said. “By getting adequate rest, the immune system is strengthened, and that helps the body fight against infection and disease.

Nancy also delved into the key role of faith and trust. She reminded the audience that since God is love and the true source of all love and healing flows from the heart of a loving God, faith in Him has remarkable healing power. “Studies show that our health improves when we trust in a personal God.… Health, happiness, and longevity in this life depend on having loving relationships with others and our heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe.”

A First Baptism

The program also included the baptism of Betty Chery. Originally from Haiti, Chery said that after searching for some time for a church that followed the Bible, “I couldn’t wait to get baptized and accept God’s full truth,” she told pastor Michelet William, who baptized her.

Before Chery was submerged into the waters, Finley and Wilson prayed for her in English and French, respectively. Leaders said Chery was the first fruit of others who would be baptized a day later, on the last day of the series. “There are more people who have decided to give their lives to Jesus, and others who still have to make the decision, or are still getting ready to make that commitment,” Finley said.

“Show Me the Whole Truth”

Wilson’s message for May 27 focused on the need of seeking the Lord and His will by finding God’s church for this time and committing to that body of believers. Drawing on Bible history, he reviewed how throughout history, God had a faithful people whom He called out of the popular majority to keep His truth. Wilson mentioned the examples of Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

He then quoted the apostle Peter, who wrote, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). “God is also calling His people today to move from darkness to light, from error to truth, from commandment breaking to commandment keeping,” Wilson said. The key, he said, is studying God’s Word with an open mind and praying so that we can get past our preconceived ideas to reveal His truth.