After years of prayerful planning, more than 338 evangelistic meetings are being held right now across the state of Texas, as well as in parts of Oklahoma. The Southwestern Union Conference, Adventist World Radio (AWR), the Texas Conference, the Southwest Region Conference, and the Oklahoma Conference — including dedicated pastors and church members across those states — have come together to make this massive event happen.

This is one of the largest evangelistic thrusts ever embarked upon in Texas; and most of the local series began last Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.

These meetings involve people at all levels of the church, including preaching by union and conference administrators, and AWR team members and ambassadors.

AWR president Duane McKey, who is speaking at the Mission Hope Adventist Church, said, “AWR is all about reaching people where they are — whether it’s preaching to the toughest-to-access people on earth through shortwave radio, or engaging with those right here in our own backyard. The Lord is blessing these efforts and we’re so excited to be partnering with our brothers and sisters in Texas and Oklahoma to finish the work!”

The meetings haven’t been without challenges. Just prior to the start of the meetings, vandals defaced the Brownsville Seventh-day Adventist Church with swastikas and other words and symbols of hate. But this horrible act galvanized the local community, which quickly helped the church paint over the graffiti. The local ABC news station ran a story about it, which resulted in even more interest in the series.

AWR outreach manager Sue Hinkle, who is speaking at the Weslaco Seventh-day Adventist Church, reported dozens of visitors at her series, with hundreds of additional views online. She said, “The day after opening night, 12 of our guests attended the church service!”

Evangelist Robert Costa, an associate ministerial secretary at the General Conference, is holding two Spanish series this month. His first one in Elsa, Texas, resulted in 22 decisions for baptism, and his current meetings in Austin have already resulted in additional baptisms and decisions for Jesus.

Kyle Allen, a vice president for AWR, said that his series at the Houston West Seventh-day Adventist Church has seen an average of 70 in attendance, with an additional 80 watching online. During opening night, one woman told him afterward, “I’ve never heard the prophecies of Daniel explained so clearly and made so easy to understand. I can’t wait to hear more!”

Follow Adventist World Radio on awr.org or social media for the latest updates on this unprecedented evangelistic effort, and please pray for all the new interests who are making decisions right now.