Inside Story: Small Projects Make Big Impact
Part of our mission offerings are set aside to fund specific small outreach
Image © Consuelo Udave from GoodSalt.com
projects around the world. These are separate from the larger Thirteenth Sabbath Offering funds. Two recipients report on how they used these special project funds to reach out to their communities.
Egypt has fewer than 750 Adventists among a population of more than 80 million people. The vast majority of Egyptians are Muslims. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, observant Muslims fast during the day and break their fast with an evening meal after sunset. In a gesture of goodwill, the Adventist Church hosted an evening meal during Ramadan for members of the Muslim community. They invited a number of Adventists and prominent Christians to mingle with their Muslim guests.
More than 20 non-Adventists attended the meal, including government assistant ministers, a general, a police colonel, representatives from two political parties, leaders of an Egyptian human rights organization, and journalists. After the meal the guests expressed appreciation and good will toward the Adventist Church. Some indicated that they had been unaware of Seventh-day Adventists before the occasion.
Egypt Field president Llewellyn Edwards spoke to the guests, expressing how living among Muslims had changed his understanding of Muslims from one of fear created by Western media to one of friendship and hospitality. “Muslims are people to be loved,” he said.
The small projects mission offering helped to build a bridge of understanding between Christians and Muslims in an important political center of the Muslim world.
Halfway around the world lies the tiny South Pacific island nation of New Caledonia. The easternmost island is Mare, only about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from shore to shore. It lies almost 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) east of Australia and is home to about 6,000 people.
In July 2011 Pastor Jean-Noel Adeline led in a series of evangelistic meetings sponsored in part by the small outreach project funds. As many as 200 people from across the island attended the evangelistic meetings. Following the meetings a small group numbering 10 people began meeting on Sabbaths and preparing for baptism.
The islanders and the New Caledonia Mission are moving forward to build a place of worship so that these tender new seeds of faith can grow strong and root deeply in one of the farthest corners of the world.
The new believers on the island of Mare in New Caledonia thank you for sharing your mission offerings and helping them discover God’s plan for their lives.
The mission of gospel propagation needs to be participated and supported by every christ’s follower. I am proud to hear the gospel outreach to muslim country.
I am pleased to see that you are following Jesus command to take god to all nations , people and tongues. Are you going to ask them to send their 13 th sabbath offering to some other country or community to build churches because they are in need? We are to encourage them rather than burden them when they are in the infant stage.