Following Joseph Bates's Example

The New Bedford Portuguese Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Southern New England Conference, during the beautiful fall weekend of November 7-8, commemorated the importance of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s literature ministry.

During the special weekend, tribute was paid to our early church pioneers who’s contributed to the work by distributing publications. Pastor Joseph Bates was one of the first members of the Adventist Church to distribute literature about the seventh-day Sabbath in the cities of New Bedford and Fairhaven. The early members’ legacy of dedication and enthusiasm was inspirational to the present-day members.

Pastor Wilmar Hirle, Associate Director for GC Publishing Ministries, presented messages about the power of our God and how important it is for church members to help distribute books and magazines in order to accomplish the gospel commission. He emphasized how these items can reach people who will never hear God’s message except through literature. “There are great opportunities,” he said, “to evangelize with our publications. Books can often go where pastors can not.”

The highpoint of the program was the commitment that the 150 New Bedford SDA Church members made before God and the leaders of the church. They pledged to distribute hundreds and hundreds of copies of the 2007 Missionary Book of the Year The Ten Commandments. After the service, more than 1,700 copies were purchased destined to become “as the leaves of autumn” for friends, relatives, customers and neighbors. Pastor Paulo Vieira, the church pastor, beseeched God for His blessings on the books to result in miracles to reach people who are searching for the truth.


Luis Biazotto
Publishing Director


 

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