Global Evangelism

in Santiago,

Dominican Republic

February, 2003

In the North Dominican Conference these Global Evangelists (GE)and local pastor presented evangelistic meetings at six churches in Santiago in February. From left, front, the GE speakers  included Pastor Albert Anderson, Vince McIsaac, Thomas Stone, John Bilbro, Dr. Talula Cartwright and Thomas Bour.

Leader for the Santiago team, Albert Anderson conducted his meetings at the Central Church with strong support from local church members. A retired pastor and missionary from Sebeka, Minn., Anderson worked with this team of church members and his translator, far right, all of whom he characterized as a lot of fun. Among those who responded to his invitation for baptism were several drug addicts and their therapy leader.

Pastor John Bilbro, Jordan, Montana, conducted meetings at the Sion church next door to the conference office building in Santiago. Church members believe in soul-winning and had set their goal from the year at 50, but in meeting just prior to Bilbro's arrival had surpassed their goal. So Pastor Bilbro's meetings built on that base to reap additional results.

The La Hermosa church in the Cienfuegos section of Santiago built by Maranatha Volunteers International in 1989 was the site of Thomas Bour's meetings. Bour is a computer systems analyst in Oxboro, North Carolina and has conducted evangelistic meetings  with fellow church member Vince MacIsaacs. But he found people in this church very open about the evangelistic messages. Speaking of lay members back home, Bour said, "The Lord brought me here. He could have sent others here to do the same thing. But we won't be given more to do until we use what (talents) we have."

Dr. Talula Cartwright learned about Global Evangelism from GE veteran Ben Kochenower who came to her church to tell about what GE is accomplishing through the power of Jesus Christ. She teaches at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, but wanted to work in to her schedule a trip to conduct evangelistic meetings and chose February for her first series. She came to Santiago and presented meetings at the Caridad church where members made her a part of their church family. It wasn't until she had arrived in Santiago that she recalled a dream several months earlier in which she saw herself talking with another pastor and a GE evangelist Thomas Stone. "At that point  I realized that God had sent all three of us there to work together," she said.

Experienced at preaching, Vince Isaac, a social worker from North Carolina, was convinced that he should serve as a Global Evangelist after hearing an appeal for volunteers by Robert S. Folkenberg , (GE director) at the Carolina Conference camp last fall. So he accepted appointment to the Libertad church in Santiago where the pastor and members were simultaneously supporting four evangelistic series. Their goal was for 40 baptisms. "If all goes well, I hope to make this (Global Evangelism) an annual event in lieu of a vacation," Isaac said. 

As a result of encouragement by a fellow church member in Virginia, Thomas Stone, left, agreed to present evangelistic meetings with Global Evangelism in the Renacer church in Santiago in Feb. Church members provided strong support and by the second weekend in the 16-day series 35 persons had been baptized. But getting to the Dominican Republic was a financial challenge. At the last minute a friend paid Stone enough for labor done earlier to finance his trip. A drama group known as Sumando Doce , right, made several presentations to supplement Stone's evangelistic messages. .