Evangelism in North America was the primary topic discussed by church leaders Nov. 3 through 6 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

Don Schneider, president of the church in North America, challenged the church to distribute 100 million small pieces of literature in 2003 as part of the “Sow 1 Billion” program adopted by the Adventist world church last month. Sow 1 Billion is a worldwide evangelistic initiative to reach 1 billion homes around the world by the end of 2003, and requires a joint effort between each of the church’s 12 divisions, or regions.

The 325-member committee received reports about outreach in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and the more than 1,200 evangelistic meetings in the Great Lakes region and the Northwest United States.

More than a thousand churches are holding evangelistic meetings throughout North America, according to Kermit Netteburg, assistant to the president for communication in the church’s North American Division, or region. “There are probably about 3,000 evangelistic meetings in North America this fall,” he says. “Some are held by pastors, some by full-time evangelists, and others led by lay members.

“The diversity of evangelistic methods in North America introduces a new day, one filled with many ways of preaching the gospel, all of them fulfilling the gospel commission,” Netteburg says.

Another initiative discussed by church leadership was a plan for a satellite evangelistic emphasis in April and May next year by the Voice of Prophecy media ministry.