Two years ago, her story was quite different. Diane Phillips was “dirt poor” and “an extra $10 a month was a lot of money.” Sitting in the main auditorium camp meeting audience in 2003, she listened to testimonies of people, prompted by the Holy Spirit, who had trusted God in spite of obvious impossibilities.

Again and again she heard stories of how God had provided the funds to support His exploding evangelistic outreaches in Central to those willing to step out in faith. And some were the most unlikely people — like her.

“What should I do,” she asked the Lord as this single mother of two listened to another single mom, Silvia Flores, share her miraculous spiritual and financial journey. (Flores had said "Yes!" to Jesus’ prompting for her to make an evangelism offering pledge, even though it was one-fifth of her gross income!)

“I was a little chintzy with tithe,” Phillips admits. But God was growing her through personal Bible study and she made the decision to begin to pay a faithful tithe “even though I didn’t have it!”

“I’m living proof that if you just give a little bit, then He can turn it into something,” Phillips told the Sabbath morning audience at Soquel this past July. Not only is she tithing and paying toward her local church budget and even helping a friend with church school tuition, her first evangelism pledge was paid in full just two weeks before camp meeting 2005.

For years, conference leaders, prayer partners and numerous members have prayed for this offering. “We see the offering’s overwhelming and dramatic growth as evidence of the united prayer of God’s people,” says President Jerry Page. Page is quick to share a powerful statement from Ellen White:

“The promise is made on condition that the united prayers of the church are offered, and in answer to these prayers there may be expected a power greater than that which comes in answer to private prayer. The power given will be proportionate to the unity of the members and their love for God and for one another” (Letter 32, 1903, p.5).

“Awestruck and grateful” are two adjectives Page uses to describe his response to the continued growth of annual offering. “Conference leaders and evangelism committee members earnestly continue to seek God’s will and direction here in Central,” he says.

(The evangelism committee is comprised of conference leaders, pastors and lay members and meets quarterly to approve requests from local churches, oversee the disbursement of funds and review the project assessment reports.)

“Everything is changing in my life!” exclaims Phillips. She is one of many members experiencing a joyous faith journey as God intensely moves "to seek and to save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10).

The 2005 camp meeting evangelism offering totaled $1,057,138.