Chesapeake Conference Forecasts Hope

As the pandemic continues to run its course, conferences and churches are once again determining how best to spread the love and hope of God from afar with their community.

In hopes of pushing past the coronavirus restrictions, churches across the Columbia Union Conference participated in the Forecasting Hope virtual evangelism series.

The nationwide online series, organized with help from SermonView Evangelism Marketing, started on October 9 and included sermons with David Klinedinst, Chesapeake Conference Evangelist and Church Growth director.

Throughout history, the Bible has proven itself to be a source of hope and truth. In Forecasting Hope Klinedinst dives straight into the Bible to help people of all levels of Biblical learning to understand the complex prophecies of Daniel and Revelation and its relevance for today.

"We are living in unprecedented times. People are uncertain; they're scared; they're not sure what to think about the future. And we have a tremendous opportunity to give them something positive to cling to, and that is Jesus Christ,” says Klinedinst.

The series is “designed to answer questions and dig into biblical truths without the need for fancy technology run by your church. Built in the midst of COVID-19 this Christ-centered, relational, and hope-filled series of messages will appeal to the hearts of those filled with fear and anxiety.”

With relative ease, participating churches across the North American Division were able to host the series without the worry of running their own live stream. The series, a modern take on the classic NET meeting, allowed churches to gather interests in real-time and interact with guests outside of the series, whether by sending an email, message or inviting them to a small group virtual meeting.

“The system is extraordinarily flexible, and it all works automatically without someone or a team entering attendance data by hand,” says the Forecasting Hope website. “Forecasting Hope will be the first national event to automatically handle everything from registration to attendance-tracking with one simple platform. This new system is easy to use and requires no technical skill.”

As pastors shared their members and non-members excitement for the series, Peter Simpson, Ohio Conference Hispanic Ministries & Global Mission Director, was elated.

“I think it has been a very positive experience for every participant church,” says Simpson. “As of November 16, we are celebrating eleven baptisms directly from the series, five more are in preparation for baptism, nine are beginning Bible studies and two more are considering returning to our church.” Simpson reports that a significant number of people were following the Forecasting Hope series.

“One church has reported that at least 27 non Adventists were watching this series and some others are still watching it through recorded videos or following up the series through the weekend presentations, this is simply awesome!” says Simpson. “Because of this, our pastors are still expecting more decisions in days to come. We praise God for what already happened and for what will surely happen as fruit of this outstanding series.”