Dominican Republic Hosts Thousands of Mini Evangelistic Crusades

By Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, March 20, 2010

Some 45,000 Christians across the Dominican Republic have been hosting "mini evangelistic crusades" over the past couple of days.

After months of training with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the local believers have been inviting people to their homes to watch TV broadcasts that include the testimonies of renowned Dominicans Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and musician Juan Luis Guerra.

"Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always important, but religious leaders in the Dominican Republic believe now is a particularly opportune time for churches there to reach out beyond their walls," said Bill Conard, vice president of international ministries at BGEA, in a statement.

"These Christians are taking a bold stand for Jesus Christ, and we know God will honor their efforts."

The three-day crusades began on Thursday and are part of BGEA's "My Hope" project, which has been implemented in 48 countries. So far more than 4.3 million Christians worldwide have participated in My Hope since its launch in 2002. As a result, more than 9.6 million people worldwide have chosen to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.

In Latin America alone, over 3 million people have made decisions for Christ, according to the BGEA.

The My Hope television project was launched in the Dominican Republic last April. Hundreds of pastors and parachurch group members were invited to conduct the evangelistic home meetings. Since then, massive organizational, promotional and training activities have taken place.

Neighbors who are invited to watch the BGEA broadcasts also hear personal testimonies from the hosts and are then invited to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. In follow-up efforts, new believers are encouraged to get involved in a local church body to learn and grow in their faith.

"We have seen tremendous responses with this style of evangelism – we like to call the home meetings 'mini Crusades' – and we're excited to see what God will do through these efforts in the months and years to come," Conard stated. "There is enormous prayer support all across the country."

A majority of the population in the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholic. Evangelical Protestants make up 18.2 percent of the population.

The BGEA's next stop for My Hope programs is Puerto Rico in April. My Hope's goal is to reach every country in the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.