More than 30 Adventist congregations in the San Bernardino-Loma Linda area rallied on April 17 to prepare for a fall evangelistic series.

Approximately 2,000 church members came out on this rainy Sabbath afternoon to hear Ron Halvorsen, an It Is Written evangelist. Billed as an “International Festival of Hope,” the program was held at the Orange Show Citrus Building in San Bernardino.

“We’ll use the same site this fall from Oct. 15 to Nov. 20,” announced Robert Tomlin, assistant to the president for church ministries. The “Revelation Offers Hope” series consists of 26 meetings conducted four nights a week (Fridays, Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays).

“This summer, Curtis Bradford, an SECC evangelist, is training lay members to meet people, give Bible studies and make follow-up visits,” Tomlin reported. “The key to successful evangelism is to love people. Beliefs are important, but love is essential.”

The evangelistic outreach supports the “Sow One Billion” project in the North American Division.