From penthouses to slum districts, “The Greatest Hope” book will hit streets October 31
“The Greatest Hope,” a book centered on the soon return of Jesus Christ to a sin-scarred planet, will hit the streets of South America on October 31. Thousands of Seventh-day Adventists in the region will go from slum districts to penthouses sharing the good news of Christ’s second coming on that day, church leaders said.
The Impact Hope event (Impacto Esperança in Portuguese) now in its thirteenth year, is noted for the tremendous enthusiasm of church members for distributing a missionary volume. It’s hoped the book will inspire readers to request Bible studies and make both a decision for Christ and to unite with the Adventist Church.
Originally planned for May 25, and initially rescheduled for July 25, the date has again been changed in order to accommodate health and safety needs across the region, division president Pastor Erton Köhler said. Following the October 31 literature campaign, Seventh-day Adventists across South America will host “Life and Health” fairs for their neighbors on November 1, a Sunday.
“We understand this message needs to reach other people, but distribution must be done carefully. We understand that this year's Impact will be a great movement in the context of a gradual return [to public evangelism], in which we hope the message about Jesus’ return will come to be a blessing in the lives of thousands,” Köhler said.
The Greatest Hope is 2020 Book Offering
This year’s missionary book is called The Greatest Hope (A Maior Esperança), and was written by Pastors Luís Gonçalves, South American division evangelism director, and Diogo Cavalcanti, book editor at Casa Publicadora Brasileira, the Church’s publishing house. The book contains seven chapters in 80 pages and covers the second coming of Christ. Nearly 19 million copies will be distributed in Portuguese and Spanish versions.
In the book, Jesus' greatest promise—to return to Earth and establish the Kingdom of God—is integrated with several current topics. Pastor Gonçalves says that the book points readers to new ways of living with confidence and inner peace. “In this work, the reader will discover indispensable information about what is happening on our planet and, mainly, what the Holy Scriptures say about the future of humanity,” he said.
In the period leading up to the Impact Hope campaign on October 31, church evangelism efforts will focus on digital outreach. Held since 2007, Impacto Esperança has already distributed 11 titles with a focus on Christian life, Bible teaching, family, health, and lifestyle. In 2019, millions of copies of “Hope for Today’s Families,” written by Willie and Elaine Oliver, directors of the Adventist world church’s family ministries department, were distributed throughout the region.
This article was originally published on the North American Division’s news site