When you hear the term, "Camp Meeting," what comes to mind? Depending what part of the world you are in, you might be thinking of tents and sawdust. Or trees and lakes. Or some other beautiful outdoor setting. You probably are also remembering warm fellowship with other believers, inspiring messages, and uplifting music. You may even be thinking of your own baptism, or that of a loved one or friend, as many thousands of baptisms have taken place at camp meetings around the world. The idea of camp meeting brings back fond memories for many folks and has been sorely missed during this past year as the coronavirus shut down all such gatherings. This year, there will be an Adventist Virtual Global Campmeeting that no virus can shut down! It's free and open to everyone around the world, and will begin next week on Wednesday, May 19 and will continue through Sunday, May 23. While this camp meeting will be somewhat different from the past, The Adventist Virtual Global Campmeeting brings the entire world church together to worship, be inspired, and learn. This event showcases the incredible breadth and depth of Adventist ministries around the world. It will feature hundreds of presentations, seminars, and workshops in discipleship, education, health ministries, media, missions, and theology. There will be round table discussions with church leaders and continuing education credits for pastors and teachers. And best of all–it's free! Seminars will be scheduled for convenient access from time zones around the world. All you have to do is go to campmeeting.com to register. It's completely free. Camp meetings, of a sort, have been around for a very long time, as God's people gathered together for spiritual instruction, refreshment, and encouragement. Ellen White wrote: "The camp meeting is one of the most important agencies in our work. It is one of the most effective methods of arresting the attention of the people and reaching all classes with the gospel invitation." She continues, "And our camp meetings have another object, preparatory to this. They are to promote spiritual life among our own people. . . . God has committed to our hands a most sacred work, and we need to meet together to receive instruction, that we may be fitted to perform this work" (Testimonies to the Church, vol. 6, 31). Join us and invite your friends and family to the Adventist Virtual Global Campmeeting to be held beginning May 19. Just go to campmeeting.com to learn more. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltamldm8jf4

For each of us, the word "president" is likely to conjure up various images. The Seventh-day Adventist church has one of its own. Pastor Ted Wilson is the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, a position he has held since 2010. An ordinary man with exceptional leadership abilities and a strong desire to serve on the side. He is a man who understands how to connect with people from various cultures and has inspired a desire to serve people worldwide. Learn more about this incredible man, the modern-day Moses of God's people. Watch the video to gain insight into his life and ministry. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJf_KA8j_xM

Does archeology support the Bible? At digs across the world, archeologists are actively looking for evidence to show that the Bible is true. The excavation of the city of Lachish was no exception and helped bring the Bible to life and can assist us in understanding the world of the Scriptures. Dr. Michael Hasel, director of the Institute of Archaeology and one of the leaders of an expedition in Lachish, second only to Jerusalem in importance, shares with us why this discovery is so important in proving the accuracy of the Bible. Learn more about how science and the Bible fit together, by visiting the Geoscience Research Institute website at https://www.grisda.org/ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W2sF-c4a_g

ANN brings you updated reports from the Adventist community: The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is expanding emergency operations in India to save thousands of lives in communities affected by COVID-19. The country struggles under an unprecedented second outbreak of COVID-19, with more than 40,000 new cases daily. Over 222,000 people have died since the beginning of this year. ADRA is partnering with Adventist hospitals, Adventist churches, and other trusted partners to establish an on-site oxygen generator plant. The life-saving gas system will provide COVID-19 patients with a secure and constant source of oxygen. Waldfriede Hospital in Berlin-Zehlendorf, a facility of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has again been named one of the best hospitals in Germany this year. In 2020, the hospital was honored in the study "Germany's best hospitals," commissioned by the F.A.Z. Institute and ranked among the best in Germany, in hospitals' category with 150 to 300 beds. The American magazine, Newsweek, and the renowned German online portal for statistics, "Statista," have jointly determined the best hospitals worldwide for the third time. The study was conducted in 25 countries around the world. The Seventh-day Adventist Church for the central-north region of Espírito Santo in Brazil has broadcast a new program to test knowledge of the Adventist Church's Sabbath School Lesson. Bom de Lição, or A Good Lesson, debuted on the official networks of Associação Espírito Santense on Friday, April 30. Inspired by the Bom de Bíblia program, Bom de Lição will reward the winner with a trip to Novo Tempo, the Adventist Church's official broadcast network in Brazil. Every pathfinder club from across the South New Zealand Conference was represented at a single event, with over 180 Pathfinders joining together for a Pathfinder Rally camping weekend. The theme for the weekend was "Find Your Path," with guest speakers Lance Boulton, who serves as a youth director for South New Zealand, and Mervin Brown, who serves as youth director for the Adventist Church Fiji. Twenty-one adventurers from the Fijian church also joined the Pathfinders bringing the total number of people marching to more than 200. You can stay up to date with all these current events. Watch all the latest updates here at ANN to keep you in the know with the latest news. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJfEKU7Bsuw

In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson shares an amazing story about a small group of young people who heard God calling them to reach others living in a very difficult and dangerous area. In spite of the risks, these precious young people put their trust in the Lord and said, "I Will Go!" Along the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania lies a town of more than 8,000 inhabitants. The town is predominantly of a non-Christian. It is known to be a highly superstitious town, causing many people to fear the town and its people. In the year 2000, a group of young people from churches in a city some kilometers away dared to conduct an evangelistic series in this town. Knowing the work before them was delicate and risky, they decided to spend two weeks in earnest prayer, pleading for God’s intervention for the salvation of the people there. Amazingly, a few days later they received permission from the town government to hold religious meetings. The young people continued to pray earnestly, choosing to have their special prayer times early in the morning by the seashore. Unbeknownst to them, a few young people were sent by the town elders to go and kill these young Adventists before they started their meetings in town. One morning as they went to the shore, they found the Adventist youth kneeling in earnest prayer by the sea. As they approached, ready to kill, the attackers saw a wall of fire surrounding the Adventist youth. They were shocked and dared not attack so they ran away. The Adventist young people went on with their plans and started the meetings. But the elders of the city were determined to stop them. They sent their youth to steal equipment and furniture that was used for the meeting in an open area. But one night when they approached the place where the equipment was kept, they saw a very tall man wearing a white gown, holding a shining sword and walking around the equipment. They again failed to execute their wicked plan. Soon after, as the meetings were going on in the open area, two elderly people dressed in full traditional regalia walked through the crowd, heading toward the front where one of the young Adventists was preaching. But before they reached the front, the town elders started running and jumping, screaming, “We're burning! We're burning!” They rushed toward the preacher, but then went out behind him. While no one saw any flames, the intruders acted as though they were on fire. Later, these same leaders explained how they wanted to attack the preacher but saw a wall of fire surrounding him. After this, the young men of the town approached the Adventist young people, inquiring about the superstitious powers they were using to protect themselves against the attacks. The Adventist youth told them they didn't believe in superstition and would have nothing to do with it. Then they asked the young men why they thought they were using some sort of magic as protection, and the town youth explained what they had seen when they had tried to destroy them! The Adventists happily explained that they serve the living God of heaven and have the protection of divine angels sent by God. It became a big story all across that town and surrounding towns, and in the end many people were baptized. Even though working in this area continues to be challenging, there are now three organized churches in that town, with a total membership of nearly 200 people. May we, just as those dear young people by the seaside did, put our trust fully in the Lord and be willing to say, "I will go" wherever He may lead. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BanCDO-RBUI