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Fanning the Evangelism Flames: 2022 Year of Evangelism
022 was designated as a Year of Evangelism. Over half of all Arizona churches participated in the evangelism effort. “Praise God that our church leaders and members are uniting their efforts to reach their communities with the gospel of Jesus,” reflected Arizona Conference Executive Secretary Ray Navarro. “We give all the glory to God and encourage every single pastor and member to fan those evangelism flames!” Conference-wide, there were over 60 evangelism events that took place in the various churches, including some innovative long-term projects. In March, the Yuma Spanish church district offered guitar, ukulele, and piano lessons to community members. The students learned worship songs as part of their lesson and then participated in a Bible study afterwards. In the Chinle church on the Navajo Reservation, JA Kids was a program for children of recovering alcoholics. While the parents attended a 12-step support group, the children participated in a VBS-style addiction prevention program. Once a month, parents were invited to family nights, where they heard their children recite “The Twelve Steps for Kids” and joined in songs like “With Jesus in the Family, Happy, Happy Home.” The “Renewing Home” evangelistic meetings at the West Valley Spanish church in April and May focused on strengthening homes and families. Several baptisms
took place as part of these family-centered meetings, which culminated in a renewal of marriage vows by couples in attendance. Some commented that, after the pandemic, dedicating time for families provided a lot of spiritual strength to their church and family. The Chandler Brazilian church celebrated Dia do Amigo or Friend’s Day in October. Every church member was challenged by the Personal Ministries and Sabbath School Department to invite one friend to a special day. Nearly 20 visitors enjoyed the worship and fellowship that included delicious Brazilian cuisine. Traditional evangelism also made an impact across the state and resulted in scores of baptisms in Arizona churches. Both the Tucson Fil-Am and Chandler Fil-Am churches were active all year as they each held several evangelistic meetings resulting in baptisms after each event. Pacific Union Conference Director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Alan Reinach led out at the Chandler Fil-Am church in an October series entitled “How Liberty Dies.” The Chandler church held a baptism in the Salt River following their community evangelistic series in May. Thirteen people made the decision to be baptized, with 11 entering the river waters on the afternoon of May 21. “We had an 81-year-old marine vet, a former mafia member, an online watcher, and several Pathfinder members who gave their lives to Jesus through baptism,” said Pastor Ed Anderson.
LEFT: Elder Villamor Meriales baptizes a new member in a specially designed baptismal tank to accommodate their disability. RIGHT: Members of the Oracle Church prepare to pass out household items to families in need.
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