The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Venezuela reached an estimated 300,000 people through its first nationwide online evangelistic campaign in September, bringing thousands together in homes, churches, and other gathering places despite widespread power outages, economic hardship, and the lingering effects of earthquakes earlier this year.

Held September 12–19 under the theme “The Hope That Unites Us,” the initiative brought together two unions in a coordinated digital outreach effort that culminated in 1,422 baptisms, organizers reported.

The nightly one-hour programs streamed on the Adventistas Venezuela YouTube channel and aired on more than 50 Esperanza Radio Venezuela stations.

Lenny Hernández, East Venezuela Union Mission Communication director, reported a peak of 6,950 devices connected simultaneously, with approximately 5,000 devices connected nightly. Because many devices served groups rather than individuals, the actual audience was significantly larger, he said. With more than 3,000 small groups participating nationwide, organizers estimated an audience of 70,000 people each evening.

The broadcasts also featured Venezuelan Sign Language interpretation to reach the country’s Deaf community, estimated at 108,000 people by the Confederación de Sordos de Venezuela (CONSORVEN) (Confederation of the Deaf of Venezuela).

“Several of our churches have Deaf members, and we also invited others from the community to participate,” Hernández said. “We didn’t want anyone to miss out on this blessing.”

Two years of planning

The campaign originated in the communication and evangelism departments of the East Venezuela Union Mission and later expanded to include the West Venezuela Union.

“For more than two years, we dreamed of holding this nationwide campaign, inspired by similar efforts in Mexico,” Hernández said. “We learned that the key to success was engaging church members and encouraging their participation.”

Guidance from Uriel Castellanos, Chiapas Mexican Union Communication director, helped shape strategies for involving local congregations

Preparations included training pastors, church leaders, and digital evangelists; developing promotional materials; and engaging Adventist and non-Adventist social media influencers. Small groups spent months preparing and inviting guests.

Hope amid national challenges

Luis Paredes, East Venezuela Union president, said prolonged power outages, transportation costs, and earthquake recovery complicated preparations.

“It was not easy to move forward amid the country’s challenges and the sense of national urgency following the earthquakes,” he said.

In La Guaira, where Adventist volunteers had previously provided medical consultations, psychological support, dental care, and medications to affected communities, organizers established 24 connection sites.

At one site in Caraballeda, 50 guests gathered in person, while hundreds more connected virtually, local leaders reported.

“From a human point of view, it was a great challenge, but the Holy Spirit worked in a miraculous way, allowing hundreds of people to hear the message of salvation and that there is hope in Christ Jesus,” Paredes said.

A nationwide church united

For Orlando Ramírez, West Venezuela Union president, the campaign marked a milestone in nationwide cooperation.

“The online campaign united the entire Adventist Church in Venezuela around one hope for the first time, marking a new chapter in our history,” Ramírez said.

“Amid another very difficult year for the country, this approach allowed us to bring thousands of people together in a single online auditorium,” he added.

In the West Venezuela Union alone, leaders reported nearly 3,000 guests and more than 7,000 church members participating through 1,145 small groups, along with 7,485 additional connections.

“It was tremendously moving to bring together so many people who, night after night, listened to the Word of God in their homes and heard a message of faith and hope,” Ramírez said.

Edgardo Velázquez, Central East Venezuela Conference president, highlighted the determination of congregations that used generators and alternative arrangements to maintain connections during power outages.

“Seeing the commitment of the leaders, the mobilization of church members, and digital evangelists, gathering against all odds, without electricity, searching for generators and finding ways to move forward, was a blessing,” Velázquez said.

Christ-centered messages

Josney Rodríguez, Inter-American Division Ministerial Association secretary, served as keynote speaker, presenting Christ-centered messages designed especially for viewers unfamiliar with the Adventist Church.

His presentations drew from the biblical account of Jesus healing the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda. Each evening also featured music and segments adapted for online audiences.

Organizers reported viewers connecting from the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Spain, and Costa Rica.

Alejandro Pérez, Central Venezuela Conference secretary, said the experience demonstrated the potential of digital evangelism.

“I personally believe that this form of evangelism is here to stay,” Pérez said. “Through this week, we have seen how the church unites to preach the gospel and how it reaches many people whom we normally do not reach through a conventional evangelistic campaign.”

Viewers respond

For Elisa Villasmil, the campaign led to baptism.

“Thank you for entering our homes through this online campaign,” Villasmil said. “Because of it, I was baptized, and today I belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

Another viewer, identified as Jack, connected from Costa Rica and later contacted the Church through social media. “I want to join you,” he said.

Organizers also received hundreds of prayer requests and Bible study inquiries, while participants shared photographs of families and small groups following the programs.

Church leaders said the experience helped prepare congregations for OneVoice27.

Organizers intend to make the nationwide campaign an annual event, featuring a Venezuelan pastor as speaker in future editions.

For Hernández, the experience reinforced the importance of combining digital outreach with personal connections, local church members, and small groups playing an essential role in building lasting relationships.

Gabriela Becerra contributed information to this article.

The original article was published on the Inter-American Division news site.