The Brookings Adventist Church in Brookings, Oregon carefully planned for 2020 evangelism. The church intended to partner with Voice of Prophecy to present the "Discoveries In Revelation" series, to be hosted by the local pastor. As the meeting dates drew closer, the pandemic hit and all meetings were canceled.
The church family decided to move forward with the seminar on the church Facebook page by live streaming. This expanded their reach using this method. Individual sermons in the series had up to 898 views each in the days following the live message. Listeners viewed from the local area and farther away as programs reached groups in Africa and India.
Live broadcasts were aired three to four times a week. The church started by filming at the Brookings church for several messages. Then they transferred the broadcast center to the Gold Beach Adventist Church in Gold Beach, Oregon. About half-way though the series they set up a studio in Pastor Barry Kimbrough’s living room. His 16-year-old daughter operated the camera and managed the live broadcasts on Facebook and YouTube.
The 23-sermon series became a family project. Occasionally family members would perform musical numbers. The family children also produced some of the program segments including a Lego Bible story of Jesus on the Lake. These were aired as separate broadcasts from the sermons. When the series finished, live broadcasts were continued for mid-week meetings and Sabbath sermons.
By June 2020, the Brookings Church began in-person worship services again. A surprising number of new visitors started showing up for services.
The annual Azalea Festival that draws thousands of visitors and local citizens was hosted July 17-19, 2020 and Brookings church had a booth. Many good contacts were made. Much literature given away. One man in the booth next door said he was an Adventist who recently moved to the area. We invited him to church and he showed up the very next Sabbath.
The church also paid for local advertising for John Boston’s Max Life Events seminar on Your Story Beyond the Pain, Richie Halverson’s "Unchained" series on addictions and David Machado’s "Revelation of Love" series. These programs reached a large number of people, both in our area and beyond.
Another outreach component this year was a postcard, sent to everyone in Brookings and Gold Beach, offering practical help during the pandemic. There was a modest response from both towns. One Brookings lady responded to the postcard and the church was able to help her with some household needs. Soon the woman showed up for church. They have been able to make good friends with this lady, who has an Adventist background.
Carey has been an active Christian for many years. He first encountered the Brookings Church 12 years ago when he was asked to repair the baptistry. That incident sparked his curiosity about the church and the Sabbath. He began studying the topic in his personal Bible studies and soon was convinced of the truth. He started attending church just shortly after Pastor Kimbrough began his ministry in the district in late 2018. Carey finally made his decision to join the church. He has brought family members with him to church and is active in sharing his faith.
“This has been an eventful and unusual year,” said Kimbrough. “We have had to learn new skills such as live streaming, but God has been with us. We are continuing Bible studies with our new interests. We pray for a greater harvest of souls next year.”
Live broadcasts from the Brookings Church continued outreach during the pandemic.
