More than 6,000 Baptized After Hybrid Evangelistic Series

The recently concluded Earth’s Final Countdown hybrid evangelistic series in Davao, in southern Philippines, had a significant impact on the island of Mindanao, resulting in more than 6,000 new baptized members.

The hybrid campaign, which focused on spreading the message of hope and faith, proved to be an effective tool in drawing people closer to God and assisting them in navigating life’s challenges, leaders behind the outreach and evangelistic initiative said.

The weeklong series took place March 19-25 at the Davao del Sur Coliseum in Digos City, where more than 10,000 church members gathered to join the fellowship.

The hybrid evangelistic initiative was a great success, organizers said, with simultaneous broadcasts on more than 27 Adventist radio stations and eight television stations. The event was part of the Earth’s Final Countdown Series and was organized by the Southern Asia-Pacific Division’s office of Nurture Discipleship Retention-Integrated Evangelism Lifestyle (NDR-IEL); the South Philippine Union Conference Communication Department; the Davao Mission; Hope Channel South Philippines; and Adventist World Radio (AWR Asia-Pacific).

According to leaders behind the initiative, the program’s goal was to spread the message of hope and faith, with a focus on Jesus Christ’s second coming.

AWR Asia-Pacific director Timothy Saxton and David Bornales, executive secretary of the Adventist Church in the Davao region, led the main production broadcast from Adams Center Seventh-day Adventist Church in Davao. Saxton led the first four days of the series and was followed by AWR vice president Kyle Allen.

The collaboration between organizations was critical to the event’s success, as they worked together to spread the message of faith and hope throughout the community. The collaboration demonstrated how different organizations can work together to achieve a common goal, leaders said.

More than 1,000 people from various communities across southern Philippines received medical and dental services as part of the evangelistic series. The community outreach initiative sought to share not only the gospel message but also Jesus’ healing ministry.

“The SSD NDR-IEL office planned and proposed a massive evangelism program to involve all members and workers in southern Philippines in reaching major cities in the region in line with our world church’s Mission to Cities and Mission Refocus programs,” Arnel Gabin, SSD vice president and NDR-IEL coordinator, said. “This initiative is part of the division’s three major campaigns this year intended to reach various people groups and in reaching major cities in this part of the world,” he added.

The Earth’s Final Countdown evangelistic series is a multi-day program designed to share hope and faith during difficult times. It was developed by the Adventist Church and has been used in a variety of efforts in various locations around the world.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.