3-Minute Read

For the second year in a row, a mission trip to Central California brought volunteers together to help reach thousands in Silicon Valley.

Streams of Light International (SOLI), together with the Central California Conference (CCC), hosted a four-day mission trip combined with a leadership training summit at the CCC Soquel Campground from August 29th to September 2nd, 2023. 

During this time, between 30 to 40 volunteers helped distribute over 15,000 copies of The Great Controversy and our health magazine to cities such as San Jose and Los Gatos. While in the field, those going door-to-door helped collect 66 Bible study contacts for churches in Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz. 

“What a marvelous victory for God,” shared Oleg Lotca, president of SOLI, during the closing program of the mission trip. Lotca shared the main purpose of SOLI’s mission trips with participants—to spark outreach efforts initiated by church members and local churches across North America. “Let’s not wait for mission trips to [start being] active,” Lotca urged.   

Equipping Lay Members

In order to help ensure participants have what they need to be confident in spearheading an outreach effort in their own church, SOLI also hosted its first-ever Leadership Training Summit during the mission trip. During the Summit, Johnny Henderson, director for Evangelism,  and Stephen Gutierrez, associate director for Evangelism, walked attendees through the steps for bringing the project to their local church. From presenting the project to a church board to getting church members involved, the two shared detailed strategies for launching effective evangelism in local communities. 

Henderson concluded the Summit by saying, “We, at Streams of Light, are not the muscle…  lay members are the muscle for this project.”  

The Mission Ahead

Support from local churches will prove vital in 2024 as SOLI gears up for a nationwide outreach across all of North America. The year is also slated to include two upcoming mission trips for which all are invited to join. The first will take place in Lansing, Michigan, from April 14-21, 2024, in partnership with the Michigan Conference and GYC. Following the outreach in Lansing, SOLI’s partnership with the CCC will continue with a mission trip to San Francisco in September of 2024. 

During the closing ceremony of the Central California mission trip, Gutierrez expressed, “The Central California Conference has been very supportive of this mission and ministry…We want to say thank you to the conference for how they brought everything together.” 

Gutierrez also acknowledged the Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, San Jose Ephesus, and Campbell Seventh-day Adventist churches for their vital role in obtaining the books for outreach and being involved in sharing the three angels’ messages. 

“In our conference in Central California, we have 10 million people to reach with the Adventist [message],” shared Dan Serns, president of the CCC, during a morning devotional for mission trip participants. “Thank you for helping us with our mission, because 10 million people need to know that Jesus loves them, that He’s coming again soon, that He has a good plan for their lives, and that now’s the time to take Him seriously. That’s a little summary of the three angels’ messages, isn’t it?” 

To watch the recorded Leadership Training Summit sessions, visit SOLI’s channel on YouTube

Resources shared during the summit are up on SOLI’s training page

For more information on upcoming mission trips, visit: https://www.streamsoflight.net/usa-mission-trips/

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