Consider how wide the mission field can become when we approach it in prayer. It's as wide as the world, and reaching the world for Christ was the focus of an unusual prayer meeting in December 1994. Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ International, called pastors and ministry leaders across the nation to join him in Orlando, Fla., for two days of prayer and fasting for revival in America and for completion of the Great Commission worldwide. Bill's challenge to these 600+ men and women, Hugh among them, was to experience the impact of prolonged fasting and eventually to raise up a host of believers who, through fasting and prayer, will grow more effective, courageous, and creative than ever in drawing people to the Savior. Hugh looks forward to sharing the information and insights gained with our own prayer and fasting team.
Reaction to R. C. Sproul's article, "Marley's Message to Scrooge" (vol. 8, no. 4), showed us what a controversial subject Christmas is among Christians. Frankly, we had no idea. But whatever position you take on the matter, we hope you will rejoice with us in the opportunities Christmas brought to communicate the Gospel. Hugh's talk to business executives, giving a science-eye view of Christ's incarnation, stirred many to reconsider the cost of our salvation. At one Christian Businessmen's Committee (CBMC) breakfast, some fifty guests indicated their decision to follow Christ or their desire to learn more about a relationship with Him.
Another highlight of the quarter was teaming up for ministry in Wichita, Kans. Hugh served as keynote speaker for a Navigators regional training conference there, interacting with men and women who minister on campuses, on military bases, and in the business community. They expressed eagerness and enthusiasm to put science apologetics to use. An impromptu opportunity arose when the pastors and lay leaders of Eastminster Presbyterian Church asked Hugh to assist them in forming new evangelism strategies. While in Wichita, Hugh also spoke at a CBMC outreach luncheon.
A pastors conference at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center is described in the "President's Desk" article. On his way to Mt. Hermon, Hugh addressed a capacity crowd at University Baptist Church in Santa Cruz, Calif., an outreach co-sponsored by five churches and attended by many students and faculty from the University of California. The Q and A session that evening was long and lively. Hugh also spoke on a Santa Cruz area call-in radio program called "Infinite Possibilities."
Radio and television opportunities continue to abound, as you can see from the list below. RTB received a deluge of mail in January. Several letters came in response to radio broadcasts and nearly 2,000 in response to Hugh's January appearance with Paul Crouch on TBN's "Praise the Lord" program. The addition of six new correspondence volunteers in recent weeks is both timely and appreciated.
Between travels and broadcasts, meetings with writers and producers have kept our video projects moving forward. More on these in our next issue. Meanwhile, here is a list of our outreach activities in the past few months:
CHURCHES a skeptics forum at Bel Air Presbyterian, Brentwood, Calif.; an evening outreach at Ocean Hills Community, San Clemente, Calif.; an evening outreach at University Baptist, co-sponsored by First Presbyterian, Twin Lakes Baptist, and Christian Life Center; a Sunday morning apologetics series led by RTB hotliners Richard Cottle, Miguel Endara, Mike Finney, and Marj Harman at Temple City First Baptist, Temple City, Calif.; and the outreach strategy session mentioned above at Eastminster Presbyterian, Wichita, Kans. At his home church, Sierra Madre Congregational, Hugh conducts a science apologetics study Sunday mornings at 11.
CONFERENCES the "Reasons To Believe" training conference sponsored by the Kansas Navigators; a pastor's conference at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center, near Santa Cruz, Calif.; the prayer and fasting meeting for ministry leaders and pastors in Orlando, Fla.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS a CBMC breakfast at the Saddleback Inn, Santa Ana, Calif.; a CBMC luncheon in Wichita, Kans.; a dessert sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ's Executive Forum, Pasadena, Calif.; and ongoing luncheon meetings of the Open Forum, an outreach to skeptics, at the University Club, Pasadena, Calif.
RADIO "Morning Talk" on KWBI, Morrison, Colo.; radio forum with Bill Hoesch of the Institute for Creation Research on "Lifetime Ministries," KHPE, Albany, Ore.; "Life in the Kingdom" on WAJL, Orlando, Fla.; "Radioactive Talk" on KOPE, Central Point, Ore., a program aired on several secular stations coast to coast by the Talk Radio Network; four interview programs for "Spread a Little Love Around" on KKLA, KYMS, and KWVE, all in southern Calif.; and "Infinite Possibilities" on KSCO, Santa Cruz, Calif.
TELEVISION interviews for two programs, one on science and miracles and another on science and near-death experiences, produced by Bricor International, makers of television documentaries; an interview for Camfel Productions, with Hugh giving his personal story and new scientific evidences for God; an interview with CBS television for a documentary on the question, "Can Science Prove God?"; and an interview with Canadian television producers for a special on science and the supernatural, to be aired on twenty stations.
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