Included & Involved (edit, back)
03/31/2008
Mid-America & Pacific Union ASI chapters sponsor youth evangelism Looking for a way to involve local youth, the Pacific Union ASI chapter last year sponsored “Finish the Work,” a youth-led evangelism team that visits California churches for revivals, evangelistic series, and weekend programs. The “Finish the Work” team had such an impact not only on the churches they visited but also on the participating youth; the Pacific Union chapter sponsored them again this year.
Michael Tuazon leads the team, which comprises about 20 committed youth – though they will often bring more on their trips, inviting any young person interested. The “Finish the Work” team will visit any church that invites them, and since ASI has begun sponsorship, they’ve done seven full-scale weekend programs and numerous smaller events.
“Finish the Work” youth experience a wide range of outreach activities, including door-to-door evangelism, Bible studies, song services and sharing testimonies. The results have been outstanding. After an evangelism weekend at the Fresno Asian Seventh-day Adventist church, 26 individuals asked to be baptized. And two teenage girls who came along with the team that same weekend asked to be rebaptized. One of them told Michael she had never known Jesus as a friend until that weekend. Encouraged by the Lord’s blessing thus far, there are high hopes for the future. Michael has plans to establish a training program in Loma Linda, California, to conduct better training for the “Finish the Work” team and other youth. “We’re really into training and mentoring these kids,” says Michael. “There’s a whole army of young people who want to be everything God wants them to be.”