KISSIMMEE SCHOOL HOSTS EVANGELISTIC MEETINGS

by Sandra Doran
When Gordon Retzer, Southern Union Conference President, challenged his staff in 2009 to “find some way to be involved in evangelism,” Diane Ruff, Office of Education Associate Director for Elementary Education, listened intently.
Knowing exactly where her energies needed to be focused, Ruff could not resist the calling any longer. “I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do to lead children closer to Jesus?'”
That question prompted a commitment from Ruff to conduct one evangelistic meeting each year in Seventh-day Adventist schools. This year, Osceola Adventist Christian School in Kissimmee, Fla., benefitted as the third school to host Ruff’s energizing presentations, Truth 4 Youth.
Designed to reach children between the ages of 5-13, which researcher George Barna has discovered is the “most effective window” to lead people to make a lifelong commitment to Christ, the series of meetings included memory verses, arts and crafts, prizes, and preaching.
Prior to starting the evangelism series in Kissimmee, Ruff worked in cooperation with five area Adventist churches to form a framework of support for the effort that included a three-week series at the school and a second campaign held on three Sabbaths at Kissimmee Spanish Church. “This gave the church school students an opportunity to share their faith by inviting friends to church,” says Ruff.
At the conclusion of both series, the churches rejoiced together with a joint baptism.