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Nampa, Idaho (August 13, 2015) — Pacific Press® board met earlier today and heard a report from Ricardo Bentancur, director of international publications, regarding the results of the One Million Plan that took place this spring. On May 2nd 1,000,000 copies of El Centinela® Magazine were distributed across North America in a joint initiative of the NAD's Multilingual department, the Hispanic Coordinators from each of the Union and Conference offices, the local Hispanic Churches and El Centinela® Magazine.
The One Million Plan forms an integral part of an evangelistic outreach by La Voz de la Esperanza which includes "La Caravana de la Esperanza," or, "The Caravan of Hope." The results of the One Million Plan are coming in and they are staggering. "It has been only three months since the One Million Plan was launched and we are overjoyed with the results," said Elder Omar Grieve, director at La Voz de la Esperanza, "God is truly powerful!" Each magazine included a Bible study request card and Grieve reported the following results:
- 45,328 active Bible studies reported by half of the participating Conferences
- 41,000 active Bible studies estimated from the remaining Conferences
- 3,997 active Bible studies being tended directly by La Voz de la Esperanza
- Total active Bible studies 90,325
"In addition," Grieve said, "an average of 200 new requests for Bible Studies are received each week." Grieve and his wife, associate speaker/director of La Voz de la Esperanza, Nessy Pittau will hold the Net 2015 meetings this November in conjunction with Esperanza TV, the Spanish Hope Channel.
Pastor Julio Chazarreta, international evangelist and former evangelism coordinator in the Oregon Conference, now serves as marketing coordinator for the international department at Pacific Press® noted "Our Adventist pioneers understood the importance of the publishing ministry very well, and even before they organized the church, they started a publishing house." Chazarreta led out in many of the Caravan of Hope meetings. He added, "I have never done public evangelism without using literature. The words of a sermon can be lost in time, but the printed word lasts forever."
Elder Dan Jackson, NAD president and Pacific Press® board chair, added "God works in amazing ways. He uses people who have a vision and then the Holy Spirit works to bring those visions to fruition. Praise God. These results are amazing. They are unprecedented!"
Chazarreta concluded, "It is our goal at El Centinela® to intentionally impact every corner of the North American Division. To do this, we plan to mobilize and empower laypeople with our missionary magazine."
And if the numbers are anything to go by-they're certainly making progress toward reaching that goal.
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The One Million Plan Successfully Launched this Spring
Quick Facts
- 45,328 active Bible studies reported by half of the participating Conferences
- 41,000 active Bible studies estimated from the remaining Conferences
- 3,997 active Bible studies being tended directly by La Voz de la Esperanza
- Total active Bible studies 90,325
Julio Chazarreta preaching at a Caravan of Hope event
Hispanic camp meeting in Southern New England
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