WILLIAM G. JOHNSSON
t's Thanksgiving season again, and that means time for my annual
report on the New Believers Plan. The plan, in case you haven't heard of it,
sends the Adventist Review to new church members every week for a year.
It's a gift that says "Welcome! We love you."
We embarked on this outreach ministry six years ago. Has it
been successful? Praise the Lord, wonderfully so. Here's one measure of success:
39,350.
That's the number of homes that have received the Adventist
Review for a year. Multiply by a factor of 2 or 3, and you get the total
of the people who have seen the Review from those gift subs—more than 100,000!
Only the Lord knows the various people in different circumstances
that the Review ministered to, but we heard from some.
Elizabeth Jane Norwood of Martinez, California, wrote: "Dear
Mr. Johnsson, thank you for the complimentary copies sent to me. I've enjoyed
the magazines and your articles. I am a new member of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. . . .
"As I read the Bible, God touched me. I realized I wanted
to follow God's truth. . . . To make a long story short, I attended a
seminar (Mark Finley) at the church and have been there ever since.
"God rescued me years ago, and I can never ever give back
enough to Him. He is my life and breath. . . . He is my all. And I can't wait
until Jesus comes back. Thank you again for your kindness to me. I am so very
blessed. Best wishes always to you!"
One letter such as that makes all the effort more than worthwhile.
Elizabeth isn't the only one so blessed—she has blessed me also!
And how about this one: "I have been away from the church
for almost 20 years, and am now coming back to the central focus of the cross.
. . . I am now gladly giving up the so-called riches of this world for my robe
and crown at the feet of Jesus.
"You and your staff of writers have allowed Jesus to flow
through you and the Review to meet my heart and draw me closer to Him.
No gift can be greater than this."
From far away William Deng sent this e-mail message: "Dear
editor, thank you for the Adventist Review I have received last Sabbath.
It is my second time to receive this important outreach Review, and of
course we in southern Sudan do not have access to information about our church."
Keith E. Farnsworth, chaplain at Adventist Medical Center in
Portland, Oregon, wrote about the change in his attitude toward the Review
since the summer when he was 16 and worked on his uncle Ernest's farm in Alberta,
Canada:
"I have noticed a wonderful transition take place in your
arena as well. There has been a change of focus from heady theological wine
sampling to that of heart-filled portrayals of changed lives and honest discussion
of how to address people's brokenness. You have led us from the hirsute of being
right to the bathrobe of Jesus' righteousness.
"Thank you for the risk you take by entering the bloodied
battlefield of the bewildered, the angry, the hurt, and the forgotten—and
yes, those tirelessly holding up Christ's standard with fearless but trembling
hands. You really are His standard-bearers, and I thank you for leading the
way."
One last one: Rachel Whitaker sent this note from Hagerstown,
Maryland: "I recently spoke with a young person (about 13 years old) and
was surprised when he mentioned reading an article in the Adventist Review.
'I've been getting a subscription because I was baptized last year,' he explained.
Way to get 'em started young!"
The New Believers Plan depends on a triangle of love. The Review
and Herald makes the magazine available for only $25, the local conference antes
up $10, and we raise the remaining $15. Do the math: the 39,350 subs since we
started totals $590,250 in funds that came to our office in love gifts.
Noelene and I have been personally involved in this ministry
from the beginning. We will give $1,000 now and another $1,000 in the spring
(in addition to regular offerings). We invite you to share in the blessing too.
An envelope is enclosed in this issue to help you.
It's true: We can never give back enough to Jesus.
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