BY RAY DABROWSKI and WENDI ROGERS, General Conference Communication Department director and assistant for public relations, respectively.

50-village outreach program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in India culminated in January in evangelistic efforts near the city of Ongole.

Reporting from India, Don Noble, president of Maranatha Volunteers International and co-sponsor of the mega evangelistic outreach, said that on the final day of the public outreach the total number of baptisms reached 15,018.

Commenting on the reports, General Conference president Jan Paulsen said, "The reports coming out of Ongole, India, are a powerful testimony to what God can do through servants wholeheartedly committed to Him. The field is ripe for harvest. There is no doubt about that. Good plans have been laid.

"Many have prayed for the reaping. And yet the outcome almost takes one's breath away!"

"The Lord's blessings can take matters so far beyond our expectations," Paulsen exclaimed. "Did we dare to think that 15,000 to 20,000 new decisions for Christ would be made and expressed in baptism? I praise the Lord for His everlasting presence with His people, and I thank you, His servants, for your commitment and for the energy and resources you have given to this outreach initiative."

"What we witnessed in Ongole and the area churches is beyond any expectations. On our last event of the evangelistic campaign on Sabbath [Saturday] evening, more than 40,000 people attended," Noble reported.

According to Michael Ryan, director of Global Mission, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's international outreach department which coordinated the India evangelistic initiative, some 100 Global Mission pioneers completed training and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ in 50 villages surrounding Ongole beginning in September 2000. Addressing a group of local Global Mission pioneers, he said, "Never in my experience have I seen an evangelistic campaign of this size."

The great spiritual hunger of people in India was graphically demonstrated in the huge crowd's deep interest.

Trucks, buses, taxis, motor scooters and bicycles, along with those who walked, brought this massive audience together to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Great crowds pressed around the campaign leaders after the final meeting to request prayer and to enjoy the last moments together. The outreach program included witnessing activities and evening Bible study programs conducted mostly by lay preachers.

The last Sabbath of the series included many church dedications and baptisms. "Though the final count of baptisms was more than 15,000," Noble said, "church leaders in the area expect another 5,000 baptisms in the next few weeks as a result of the meetings."

Among participants during the last few days of the outreach was Don Schneider, North American Division president, who said It is impossible to describe what is happening here. It seems that the Holy Spirit is being poured out in latter day strength in this part of India."

"The deep spiritual hunger of the people of India brought this on," Southern Asia Division president Ron Watts believes. "God worked through a wonderful combination of lay members, Global Mission pioneers and ministers to bring about this result. And we have just begun. Global Mission pioneers and leaders, along with pastors, will nurture these new members, most of whom will be able to worship in new churches built by Maranatha Volunteers International, a lay Adventist organization based in Sacramento, California, specializing primarily in building churches. But the rest of India waits with eager anticipation for us to bring the Gospel to them."

Church Members Safe
After Indian Earthquake
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, India, on January 25, Adventist leaders say there are no reports of deaths among Adventist members.

In Ahmedabad, where the Adventist school and conference office are located, "we have had no loss of life among our staff, students, or teachers" reports Ron Watts, Southern Asia Division president. "However, just a very short distance from our school another school building collapsed and 400 children who were preparing for the Republic Day parade died.

"The building that houses our conference office and our school is damaged by the shocks and it is necessary to close the school. We have 150 teachers in the school whose homes have been damaged, and they have to be sent out of the city to stay with relatives until some alternative arrangements can be made. We will probably have to completely rebuild the school and the conference office."

Watts adds, "In Surat where we have our hospital, school, and college, there has been no loss of life among [Seventh-day Adventists]. However, major buildings in Surat have been destroyed and there is considerable loss of life among the general public. We have had to close the nurses' dormitory at the hospital. There were already some structural problems there previously, and now it is unwise for anybody to be inside there."

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency/India will be setting up a tent city for 1,500 families in Kutch. "They will provide blankets, cooking utensils, and food items for the people, who are afraid to go back into their homes at the present time, and many homes are destroyed.

"Please pray for God's blessings upon the people in Gujarat," Watts says.

Two Texas Members Meet
With President Bush
When U.S. president George W. Bush met with leaders of major faith-based community programs on January 29 to announce an initiative that paves the way for such church programs to compete for government funding, two Adventists lay members, Carol and Hurt Porter of Houston, Texas, were among the invited guests.

The Porters administer the KidCare program in Houston, Texas, the first meals-on-wheels programs for children, which serves 20,000 meals monthly, reports Jean Thomas, Southwestern Union communication director. KidCare also distributes emergency groceries for needy families.

According to USA Today, Bush signed an executive order establishing a special White House office to handle religion-based and community initiatives. The White House meeting also included representatives from Teen Challenge, World Vision, Prison Fellowship Ministries, the Center for Public Justice, and Habitat for Humanity.

News Notes
Fred Manchur, president of Adventist Health/Southern California, which is comprised of White Memorial and Glendale Adventist hospitals in the Los Angeles area, has been named president of Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio.

Manchur replaces Frank Perez, who became president and chief executive officer for Kettering Adventist HealthCare Inc. KAH is comprised of four hospitals in the Kettering, Ohio, area.