The announcement came on Saturday evening, July 22, the closing night of Central California Conference’s camp meeting in Soquel, Calif. With a goal of $850,000, the camp meeting evangelism offering had just reached $2 million dollars.

As the audience spontaneously praised God, pointing to heaven, standing together in awed amazement, praying and singing “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” one thing was certain. “People knew this was God’s presence and leading,” says President Jerry Page. “I have never seen that large a group of God’s people so spiritually energized as that night. You can’t plan this.”

This annual offering of gifts and pledges comes from hundreds and hundreds of people. For the past two years, it has surpassed $1 million. On that last Sabbath afternoon, God shared His desire for this year’s offering with one family. Without any knowledge of how He was leading others to ask or give, they felt impressed that God wanted a $2 million offering and pledged $1 million.

The offering’s final total is $2,149,674.

The Journey

Nine years ago a small group of members began asking God to give His people in Central a prayer miracle — something that would convince people of the power of united prayer in every area of their lives. God chose the camp meeting evangelism offering, and the group began to pray that it go higher than anyone could dream possible.

Now, an ever-growing number of members pray throughout each year. “What is Your plan, Your will to further Your work?” is the united request.

“We ask God what is on His heart, what He wants,” explains Janet Page, conference prayer ministries director. “For the past several years, we were led to pray for a million dollar offering. This year, God impressed one member to privately pray for $2 million. Then another was led to pray for that same amount. In time, others were impressed join in that prayer, too.”

“I don’t think I really understood the need, power and opportunity [of prayer] until recently,” says Ed Walker, who believes participating on the prayer team is his biggest camp meeting blessing. “It is through the power of prayer and the Holy Scriptures that we are changed, and that change is what affects our actions.”

Learning to Listen and Trust

“We felt moved to pray about it [the offering] and test God after hearing some of the testimonies,” say Ed and Yolanda Urbina about the 2005 meetings. Ed told his wife, “You write down a number, and I’ll write down a number. To my concern, we both ended up writing down the same five-figure pledge.”

The Urbinas were in financial difficulty due to poor advice from an accountant. They spent the greater part of the year reminding each other that if God gave them the amount, He was going to have to pay it.

When they met with their new accountant, Yolanda felt impressed to ask about their retirement fund contribution. Yes, they could choose to give some of those monies to the offering. “In two months, our pledge was paid,” she says.

Then the Urbinas received a letter from the IRS. “Much to my astonishment, it was a letter saying we had grossly overpaid. And there was a check that was twice the amount of our pledge!” They were able to pay their pledge to the local church building fund, too.

“God can supply all our needs according to His riches in heaven is an understatement,” Yolanda says. “If you want little blessings, test God a little. If you want big blessings, test God in a big way!”

Susan Everson had a very different experience. Impressed to make a pledge, she left camp meeting last year expecting God to do great things. By May 2006, she was more than discouraged. She was mad!

Receiving a letter reminding her of her unpaid pledge was the last straw. She called Silvia Flores-Aguilar, the evangelism secretary to tell her about all that had gone wrong including health problems, no job, and mounting debt through uncontrollable events. Flores-Aguilar prayed with her. And she put the word out for others to pray, too.

Soon Everson received a letter from an agency looking for home health nurses. During the telephone interview, the owner asked, “Are you an Adventist?” Then he said, “Send me your résumé immediately!”

She was hired and her first paycheck was larger than she expected. “I paid my tithe and evangelism offering pledge first,” she says. “In Philippians we’re told to be anxious about nothing. I have learned that God is in control!”

Praying, Fasting, Then Planning

From Oct. 9-11 at Camp Wawona, conference administrators and evangelism and church growth committee members spent three days seeking God’s will for the evangelism offering. “Together we were asking, ‘What are God’s priorities, what is He hurrying us up for,’” says George Johnson, director of church plants and special outreach projects.

“Every dollar of this offering is a sacred gift,” says Page. “We believe through unity — of prayer, of our trust walk with God, of a desire for the lost — God is able to break through and do great things as He says in Jeremiah 33:3, ‘Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”