Robert Costa, an evangelist and speaker/director for the It Is Written television program in Spanish, “Escrito Está," speaks at the Feb. 16, 2019, Ignite Indiana special rally. Photo provided by Indiana Conference
In 18 months, Indianapolis, Indiana, will be the site for the General Conference Session of the Seventh-day Adventist Church®, bringing more than 100,000 people from some 200 countries to the city. Starting in late June 2020, the Adventist Church will conduct its quinquennial world business session at the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium.
To prepare for this massive event, the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®, headquartered in Carmel, has begun a series of evangelism trainings.
“We are calling this campaign 'Ignite Indiana' and hope it will have a large impact on Hoosiers as we approach this global event at our city’s front door,” said Vic Van Schaik, Indiana Conference president.
At Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indianapolis, a children's choir sings at the Ignite Indiana special rally held on Feb. 16, 2019. Photo provided by the Indiana Conference
A special rally was held Saturday, Feb. 16, at Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church in Indianapolis, featuring Robert Costa, an evangelist and speaker/director for “Escrito Está," the It Is Written Spanish-language television program. The rally aired in Indianapolis on Comcast 1040, WHMB Channel 40.1. The rally was also video streamed to 14 remote locations across the state. Approximately 900 people were in attendance.
During the event, Costa exclaimed, “Something big is about to happen in Indiana, and God still opens doors.” Encouraging those gathered — and those watching on screens — Costa gave a whirlwind tour of his global evangelism outreach experiences with visuals showing people in the Ukraine, Italy, Uganda, Columbia, and even the Arctic, and how the gospel message worked in people’s hearts as they were exposed to acts of kindness. He emphasized the timing and urgency for conversion as we live in a continually chaotic and confusing world, and how much we need God’s love and understanding of world events.
Vic Van Schaik, Indiana Conference president, kicks off the Ignite Indiana campaign on Feb. 16, 2019, an special evangelistic effort to be held in April and May 2020, before the GC Session begins on June 25. Photo provided by the Indiana Conference
Church leaders gave reports of seminars held this past year around Indiana, and the baptisms and church growth that resulted from them. Plans for state events leading up to the world meeting were unveiled, including simultaneous evangelism meetings to be held April and May 2020, as well as a major health clinic (Your Best Pathway to Health) where hundreds of volunteer doctors, nurses, and health practitioners will come to Indianapolis to serve those in need of medical, dental, and vision services.
“We are excited to be the host city for this global church meeting that occurs every five years in the Seventh-day Adventist Church®,” said Van Schaik.
“We hope Hoosiers will become acquainted with our church and learn more about us,” he said. “Yes, something big is about to happen in Indiana.”
— Colleen Kelly is Communications and Marketing specialist for the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.