John Torquato, MD
Total Health Spokane Project – Volunteer Invitation
If Jesus were on earth today, how would He reach the people? Seventh-day Adventists have a unique history that speaks to this question. In 1910, Ellen G. White wrote the following:
“For months the situation has been impressed on my mind, and I urged that companies be organized and diligently trained to labor in our important cities.” – Manuscript 21, 1910
In that same year John Tindall was commissioned to pioneer this work. Teams of dedicated Adventists provided practical help in the homes of the people whom they were helping. In love they ministered to their needs by teaching health principles and cooking skills, among other things. Ultimately they conducted public reaping evangelistic meetings, with hundreds committing their lives to the Lord in baptism. Many years later, amazingly, the average retention rate was an astounding 75% – 90%! But, sadly, with time, the directive given by the Lord’s messenger faded away and was nearly forgotten.
Fast-forward to 2014. By faith, six young people traveled to the small town of Hayden, Idaho to revive the work of Tindall. Without knowing how their needs would be supplied, they spent an intense seven weeks pouring out their service in house-to-house work with twenty-four patients of a local physician. They labored in love with these patients. The work was centered around patient needs, whether it was teaching healthy cooking, helping them shop for food, teaching them how to exercise, or opening the Word of God. Not only were the hearts of these patients touched, but 25% of them committed to follow Christ and keep the Sabbath.
If such results could be seen in two months with six people, what kind of outcomes would we see laboring for two years with twenty people? This is our vision.
In Tindall’s footsteps, between September 2017 and August 2019, we seek to trail-blaze this lost ministry again in the region around Spokane, Washington. Imagine pastors and physicians working side by side as a team with church members, coming close to the people, giving practical help combined with spiritual food for the uplifting of the community.
The diseases, heartaches, and spiritual longings that we will meet in Spokane are but a sampling of the needs in thousands of other cities. We want to revive a model for comprehensive health evangelism that will be reproducible in the cities near you. This church planting project illustrates the General Conference’s “Mission to the Cities” initiative. It seeks to mobilize pastors and physicians to use “Christ’s Method Alone” by meeting the needs of people, and making disciples ready for Christ’s soon return.
We want to give providers of medicine and dentistry an opportunity to participate in our mission as rotating health educators and evangelists. We want you to experience first-hand the power of sacrificial love poured out in a “virtual sanitarium,” the homes of patients. For a week, a few weeks, or a month, rotating physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants could participate. They would be working side by side with experienced local physicians, pastors, church members, and volunteer young people. Using these inspired methods of evangelism, they will bring the Gospel to the homes of patients. Will you join us in sacrifice? Will you help us revive Christ’s method of evangelism by working with us? Go to www.totalhealthspokane.com to find out more about this unique project and to learn how you can be part of the team. Rotations will be available throughout the project between September 2017 and August 2019.
The pen of inspiration tells us, “It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love.” – Desire of Ages p. 19
God bless you as we labor together to “let the whole earth be filled with His glory.” – Psalm 72:19
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