BY It Is Written staff with Adventist Review staff
Thousands of residents of one of America's largest cities flooded an historic Los Angeles venue to hear a Bible-based message during the series opening weekend.
An average of 2,400 people filled the Shrine Auditorium – host to numerous Academy Award and other entertainment industry events – to hear the beginning lectures of Revelation Speaks Peace, feature It Is Written's speaker/director Shawn Boonstra, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. The Adventist-owned television ministry and the church's Southern California Conference united for the event, which is part of the “cLAim LA” outreach.
The series is expected to continue nightly (except Mondays and Thursdays) through May 30.
“If something like this were left up to human designs, there is no question that it would fail,” Pastor Boonstra said. “But we serve a God who can make the impossible possible, and that is exactly what we’ve witnessed in Los Angeles thus far.” Amid the current economic situation, hearts that were once closed to the church’s message are now looking for hope, leaders say. “The timing for the Revelation Speaks Peace meetings is clearly providential,” said Larry Caviness, Southern California Conference president. “People everywhere are asking, ‘What’s going on?’ To be here in Los Angeles at this time is an astounding privilege.” Organizers note that what makes Los Angeles especially noteworthy is its sheer size. It is the second largest city in America, with an estimated 17 million people living in the greater Los Angeles area. Its population is also one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse on Earth. “The It Is Written offices are based just outside of Los Angeles, so we have a true mission field right in our own backyard,” said Boonstra. “Bible prophecy tells us that things are likely to get worse before they get better, which means that we have to move quickly if we want to bring hope to this great American city.” Preparations for “cLAim LA” have been more than a year in the making. Dozens of churches are actively participating in the series, and hundreds of Bible workers have been giving Bible studies and visiting homes. For many of them, this is the first time they have ever given a Bible study, but through “Bible Worker Boot Camps” and other training sessions, they have been embracing the challenge. In the months leading up to this main series, 2,800 people requested Bible studies in response to an It Is Written mailing. Dedicated pastors and church members met every Tuesday evening to keep up with the influx of new names. This weekly meeting, called “Soup & Salvation”—where a simple supper was served while the team discussed how to bring salvation to the lost—became a lifeline to the Bible workers and volunteers. View the rest of the article on Adventist Review's website at http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=2612
