The Hope Now evangelistic series, which took place September 6-14, 2024, impacted every part of the Adventist Church’s Central California Conference in California, United States. The Bakersfield Central Seventh-day Adventist Church was one of the many venues where this event took place, and the stories of the people who were blessed are inspiring.

Joeveney Macabeo is the pastor of four churches in the Bakersfield area, and this evangelistic series brought together people from those churches as well as from the community. Paul Douglas, treasurer of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, spoke at the Bakersfield Central church. He encouraged people by talking about the power of evangelism in their community. Organizers witnessed the impact of the initiative through the many people from the community who attended the series — some who had never attended an Adventist church.

The event resulted in 17 baptisms, and an additional 24 are currently studying for baptism, organizers reported. Four of the baptisms came about because of the online contacts through digital evangelism that took place in preparation for the Hope Now series. This is in addition to the approximately 130 digital contacts the church is still communicating with on a regular basis, most of whom are connecting about every other day.

From Restlessness to Acceptance

The four individuals who were brought to the Lord and into the church through digital evangelism all have powerful testimonies. Joseph was raised a Christian but felt something missing. This restlessness directed him to click on the Adventist Church’s online digital advertisement that he saw while browsing the internet.

He began chatting with Macabeo about his restlessness. “I was about to go to bed around 4:15 in the morning — I was so busy that night — and he said, ‘I can’t sleep,’ ” Macabeo explained. Joseph asked if Macabeo was a bot, and Macabeo offered to call him on the phone. They spoke to each other, and Macabeo prayed for Joseph.

This led to Joseph taking Bible studies with Macabeo, which made him excited about the opportunity to be baptized into the Adventist Church. Joseph said that he never realized he would feel so much love within a church, and he is very grateful to have found that.

Finding Meaning Through Rehab

Kevin made his way to California from Alabama for a rehab program because of a driving-under-the-influence charge. He grew up a Christian but felt like he had not built a relationship with God through his childhood church. He did not feel as though he was finding meaning in life. This need for meaning encouraged him to connect with the Adventist Church through online digital evangelism.

After interacting online and beginning Bible studies with Kevin, Macabeo told him, “Kevin, the Lord has impressed me that before you go back home to Alabama, you need to not only finish your rehab program but also to be a new person in Christ.” Kevin thought and prayed about this and became impressed that he should also be baptized. This even led him to bring one of his friends from the rehab program, who has also begun Bible studies.

Bring a Towel and Extra Dry Clothes

Sheila requested prayer through the online digital evangelism and began connecting with the church through that support. Macabeo was able to guide her by encouraging her and helping her work through some of her past struggles. He also recommended she attend the Hope Now meetings. She was initially unsure if she wanted to attend the meetings.

Macabeo told her, “If the Holy Spirit impresses you, He will impress you this way. Bring extra dry clothes, bring a towel in a bag, and the night you show up, that’s the night of your salvation.” At the meeting on Wednesday, she arrived with a towel and a bag of clothes to change into, and at the meeting she was baptized. Sheila has already begun bringing her friend to the church as well, and they are both actively participating.

The Happiest Day

Rose has been sick for the past 20 years, struggling with cirrhosis of the liver because of the impact of long-term medications. Connecting with the church through online digital evangelism gave her a community of people who have helped her bear some of the many difficulties involved with her health.

She was scheduled for a surgery, and the church sent someone to visit her home and pray with her daily, leading up to her surgery. They were even able to bring her to the meetings, where she chose to give her life to God and be baptized. After being baptized, she said, “This is the happiest day of my life.”

The Hope Now series showed a powerful impact on the community through both online digital evangelism and in-person connection, leaders behind the initiative said. “These two methods of bringing people into the church work hand-in-hand and are integral to the powerful impact of the recent Hope Now evangelistic meetings.”

The original version of this story was posted by the Central California Conference.