“It is well that those in responsibility are now planning to proclaim the third angel’s message to the hundreds of thousands of foreigners in America.  God desires His servants to do their full duty toward the unwarned millions of the cities, and especially toward those who have come to these cities in our land from the nations of earth. Many of these foreigners are here in the providence of God, that they may have opportunity to hear the truth for this time.” Evangelism, pp. 569-570.

In the spring of 1994, the local church in Sacramento, California, decided to reach out to the Russian community in the month of June. Everyone supported the idea of holding a three-weekend Daniel and Revelation Seminar at the church. California’s capital city has approximately 50,000 Russian speaking people who have recently immigrated here from the former Soviet Union.

With such a large Russian population, careful and wise plans had to be made by a small committee if we were to successfully reach out to this segment of our community with the Gospel commission. The main points to be considered were the printing and distribution of invitations, English­-Russian interpreters, special music, advertising in local newspapers, beautification of the sanctuary, snacks and refreshments and responsibilities of the members of the church.

The committee urged all the believers to get involved in this new and challenging missionary campaign. Of course, the people responded to the call and offered their loving help. It was certainly encouraging to work together as a team for the honor and glory of God. Our spiritual captain, Jesus Christ, led and blessed us in the preparations and through­out the seminar.
We printed some 10,000 invitations in both English and Russian. They were done in two colors, and on the front and back sides there was a picture of the four horsemen
from Revelation 6. The initial printing cost estimate was prohibitively high–about $700–but with the help of some friends of the truth, the final printing cost was reduced to about $200—very reasonable. We also collected about $500 in free-will donations during the seminar.

To motivate visitors to attend the meetings, topics that aroused one’s curiosity were carefully selected. Here are a few of the topics that were addressed at the meetings:

* Will there be a one-world government?
* Will religious intolerance and persecution soon come to America?
* When will the “biggest” earthquake shake planet Earth?
* Will the world be invaded by aliens traveling in UFOs?
* Can scientists and environmentalists save our planet from destruction?
* When and where will Armageddon be fought?

As the result of the Lord’s blessing upon our efforts, every seminar night the church sanctuary was generally full of eager listeners. Many visitors came because they were personally invited by a friend or relative who had received the printed invitation. At every meeting there were always new faces desiring to understand and explore the fascinating world of Bible prophecy. Even ministers from other denominations came.

If a visitor did not have a Bible to study God’s Word, a Russian New Testament or an English Bible were provided free of charge. Even though most of our visitors had the comfort of arriving by car, one man pedaled his old bicycle for well over an hour one way in order to study with us. Considering that it was the month of June and hot in Sacramento, it wasn’t an easy feat. Yes, the Word of God has a strong magnetic pull for the searchers of Truth.

More than half of our audience had never tried to study the books of Daniel and Revelation. They were given opportunity to comment and ask questions regarding the subject that was presented. Some expressed their differing views, but always in a kind and respectful way. No heated debates took place.

While the seminar was moving along quite well, Satan, the enemy, tried to work against the cause of Truth. On the night of June 18, thieves came to the church parking lot and smashed five car side windows and stole numerous items of value. This sad event showed us Satan’s anger. The night before this incident, the assembled church and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the see! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Although Satan tried hard to discourage the visitors from attending, the following evening the church was again packed to overflowing. All praise goes to God for His help.

I am reminded of the Bible text in 2 Corinthians 13:8, “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”
After each session, light refreshments were served in the multi­-purpose hall. This gave everyone an opportunity to get acquainted and make new friends. The seminar began at 7:30 p.m. but often the church would not close its doors till 10:00 p.m. or even later.

I would like to thank those members who contributed food and refreshments and helped willingly in the kitchen. Also many thanks and appreciation goes to the hard-working choir who presented lovely and inspirational hymns of praise. Each enthusiastic choral rendition was acknowledged with a loud and hearty “Amen” by the congregation.

Besides the numerous presentations by the choir, several of our visitors sang some lovely Russian hymns. It seemed that the church was enveloped in a wonderful atmosphere of heaven. Perhaps one could say that the wonderful spirit of Mother Russia had come to Sacramento.

My appreciation must also extend to everyone who was actively involved n this seminar. Thank you very much for helping!
Now that the Daniel and Revelation Seminar is over, the local church has obtained about 50 names and addresses from the visitors. Some have already been visited in their homes and others are regularly attending Bible study classes on Sabbath evenings.

We all feel richly blessed by the success of the seminar. Here are a few impressions of several of our members.

From Margie Seely:

It was remarkable to see the hand of God at work during the recent evangelistic meetings. People filled the church and flowed out into the entry way. They listened intently as Br. Dering explained the mysteries of Daniel and Revelation. After each meeting refreshments were served. Many stayed on and we were able to get to know them on a more personal level.

Although the meetings have now ended, the interest has not wained. The Lord continues to touch the minds and hearts of the people who attended. Weekly Bible Studies are being given to those who requested them.

I feel privileged to have been a part of these meetings. I hope and pray that there will be more opportunities to serve God in the future.

From Sandy Nelson:

I really enjoyed the evangelistic meetings held in Sacramento. The one full meeting I sat through was not only informative but interesting.
It easily kept my attention for the entire time. It was also wonderful to see almost the whole church involved in this missionary effort.

I wish each one of you reading this account could have been at these evangelistic meetings. I realize that that is impossible. However, I encourage you not to give up in church missionary work. Done in a creative way, it unites the church. And most of all, it is an important way to spread the Gospel to the entire world for only then will Christ come to take us home.

From Oscar Valles:

I learned a lesson about the Daniel and Revelation Seminar Elder Dering had prepared for the Russian population in Sacramento, Califonia. All was done by faith. This impressed me and perhaps something similar can be done for the Western Field.

The Lord worked upon the Russians to attend every night. This led me to see that there is still a hunger for truth. After each study, questions were asked by those who attended.
I personally feel that the hand of GOD was upon this sem­inar. Contacts were made and now every Sabbath evening Bible studies are held. May the Lord bless those who are studying that they may make a commitment to follow the Lord and that they too may be of those who bring the Gospel tidings of peace.

From Levem Briley:

When Elder Dering told me that there were over fifty thousand Russians in the Sacramento area, and that we needed to do what we could do to reach some of them, I knew that our work would be cut out for us if we were to take on such a project, since no one in our church could speak that language. But since all things are possible with God, we moved ahead and planned a Russian Daniel and Revelation seminar.

I was in Southern California on June 3 when the first meeting started. I called home the next day and found that at the first meeting, the church was filled and almost half were Russians. I was thankful to know that the Lord had blessed our efforts to reach these precious souls. I was also thankful to hear that these people were hungry to know the truth, and asked many questions during and after the meetings. Some of them stayed late after the meeting to get their questions answered.

At most of the meetings, it was hard to find seats. I had to ask people to move close together in order to seat every one. It was like a field or union conference. It was nice to see all these people there, wanting to know about the truth that we, as a church have so long enjoyed and have taken for granted. You could see the honest desire on their faces to know the truth, as our speakers directed them through the prophecies. I was grateful that the Lord had permitted me to play a small part in the planning of this seminar and also to see the Russian people being blessed by it.