Almost two years after the CALS (Christadelphian Auxiliary Lecturing Society) first tentatively suggested the idea of a special public presentation of the Gospel message as a feature of the witness arrangements being planned for 1992, the day of the first presentation had arrived. The presentation team loaded all the equipment into a truck and set off to preach the good news of God’s message to mankind. The tour was to take in 11 major regional centers in the UK in the space of 12 days. This was the culmination of many months of careful and prayerful preparation.
The objectives from the outset were:
- To extend the range of methods of witness by developing a major public presentation utilizing the latest audiovisual technology;
- To present the material in such a manner that the dignity and reverence of the subject was undiminshed;
- To stimulate the brotherhood into intensifying its proclamation activity as the day of Christ’s return approaches.
To begin with, a group of brethren and sisters having the essential qualification of dedication to the work of the Lord and with specialized skills and talents needed for the project in hand, was drawn together to begin the work. The team needed to comprise script-writers, photographers, experts in computer graphics, film/video making and editing, projectionists, and sound and lighting specialists. All these were necessary in addition to those who would take charge of the general organisation and, of course, the presenters themselves.
Meanwhile, throughout the country teams were active in booking major public halls and planning local publicity campaigns. The special leaflet and booklet God’s New World were ordered in their thousands. Advertisements were placed in local newspapers in addition to the National adverts appearing in Reader’s Digest, Sunday supplements and TV newspapers. Assisted by a national coordinator, brethren and sisters made contact with the media which led to feature articles appearing in local newspapers and interviews on local radio. Posters were placed in shops, bus shelters, railway stations, and in the homes and gardens of brethren and sisters. Cars were to be seen in many cities displaying the God’s New World car sticker. In one city, an aircraft was hired to drag a huge advertisement across the sky on the day of the presentation.
Billing of local communities was extensive (1.4 million leaflets were distributed) and personal invitation was encouraged. Interested friends, contacts from Bible Line, Bible Exhibitions and “lost sheep” were all invited. While being encouraged by the moral and financial support of the brotherhood, the team was constantly aware of its total dependence on the Father’s help and support in this project. Prayer was therefore an integral part both of the preparation and of the tour itself.
So the day arrived, and the presentation team set off for Leicester, the first location. This was at a regional concert hall, very different from the ecclesial meeting mom which had served as a final rehearsal place. In fact, the concert hall turned out to be surprisingly compact and friendly. We were encouraged by this and the warmth and enthusiasm of the local brethren and sisters.
Long before the scheduled start time, the hall was thronged and the presentation was then given to well over a thousand people. The whole evening testified to the undoubted help of our Heavenly Father. The presenters spoke with sincerity and conviction, no serious technical problems were encountered and evidently our new approach to presentation was found to be both acceptable and tasteful. The local publicity work had clearly been effective because an estimated 200 visitors came to listen to the proclamation of God’s message.
Commencing with the magnificence of God’s creation, the theme of the evening was based on man’s inability to fulfill his role as guardian of God’s world. Christ was the means God provided to save man from the consequences of his sins, and the world from further abuse and destruction. The witness of Israel to God’s love for His creation, and the need for baptism in order to become associated with God’s New World, emphasized the individual appeal of the gospel. The days that followed saw a similar pattern as the team visited Leeds, Manchester, Chester and Glasgow, Scotland. The respose was very encouraging: over 1,000 attended the Leeds presentation and just a few less attended the two presentations in the North West. There are around 450 brethren and sisters in Scotland, but many are dispersed over a wide area and at a considerable distance from Glasgow. Notwithstanding this factor, no less that 250 of them assembled on this occasion -reportedly the largest gathering of brethren and sisters in Scotland for many years. But even more a cause for rejoicing was the fact that an estimated 100 visitors also attended.
The Scottish presentation marked the end of the first leg of the tour. Most of the team were able to return home from Glasgow for a few hours of recuperation. This was a very necessary break from the physical and mental effort involved in daily erecting the presentation equipment, testing and rehearsing, presenting, dismantling the equipment, loading the truck and traveling to the next location.
We were strengthened to keep on going by several factors. As a team, we were working ever more harmoniously together; a practical example of the wisdom of Paul’s analogy of the body being so dependent on the effective coordinated working of its various parts (I Cor. 12). The fellowship between us and unity of belief in what we were doing together in the Lord’s name helped us surmount physical weariness. The love and enthusiasm we met on our travels were a source of great strength. All these combined to confirm our belief that this was the Lord’s work and He would provide for our every need.
The second week involved traveling to Swansea in South Wales, Bristol, Bournemouth, Reading, North London and, finally, Birmingham. As had happened during the first week, the arrival of the presentation encouraged the largest regional gatherings in many years: 650, 650, 300, 500, 410 and 2,100 respectively. Overall, approximately 8,000 people attended the 11 presentations. It has been estimated that 800 of these were interested friends, many of them having had no previous contact with us. A questionnaire was handed out at each location to all those attending.
From the outset, it had always been the aim to make the material available on a wider basis than just those who were able to attend the eleven meetings in the UK. With this in mind, the final presentation at Birmingham Town Hall was recorded on video by a professional company. The material will thus be available for home use, or by ecclesias, who may well consider a video presentation as a special effort in their own hall or some other venue.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One