Evangelism Helps Rekindle Airway Heights Church

Under the leadership of Jeff Kinne, a church was planted in Airway Heights on April 5, 2008. It thrived there until they lost the site they were renting in 2018. For more than a year they met in the Spokane Countryside Church School until COVID-19 ended in-person church services.

On the verge of collapse, a replant of the West Plains Community Adventist Church took place on March 6, 2021. The church began meeting in person again in a former Airway Heights fitness center. It is a beautiful, 7,500-square-foot facility, perfect for replanting the church, conducting evangelistic meetings and other community outreach programs.

The church wanted to hold evangelistic meetings but there weren't funds available. Yet, there was a strong sense of conviction that God was indeed leading and would provide the funding needed. Spokane Countryside Church and Davenport Church, sister churches in the district, voted to support the meetings financially. Additionally, individuals to donated funds for the meetings. In total, more than $21,000 came in for the evangelistic series, which allowed for extensive advertising of the meetings. Airway Heights and other nearby communities were blanketed with flyers, newspaper ads, TV spots, yard signs, posters and banners announcing the meetings. The donations also provided the funding for Bibles, notebooks and other literature needed for the meetings.

The Astonishing Revelations in Bible Prophecy, a relation-based evangelistic series, began in April. The evangelistic program uses the Biblical template, “Paradise Lost to Paradise Restored,” as the foundation of the Bible presentations, which links the gospel and prophecy together. 

A Discover Bible School also operated during the meetings, and seminar participants were encouraged to study the Bible in their homes. Most nights, a health and wellness emphasis also took place. In addition to Reinking’s health presentations, guest speakers presented through Zoom.

The final night of the meetings, two couples made their decisions: three by baptism and one by profession of faith. Bill and Nancy Strope were baptized together. Nancy had received the program flyer, looked at it repeatedly and decided to attend the meetings. Bill could not attend the nightly meetings due to his schedule, so Nancy shared the details of each night's presentations with him as they studied the Bible together. Bill did not believe in organized Christianity, but under conviction of the church’s Bible teachings, he and his wife made their decision together to recommit their lives to Jesus and to become members of the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Kevin and Alisa Rudolph learned about the meetings from a yard sign that Kevin saw on his way to work. He and Alisa came all the way from Spokane Valley to the meetings and also made their decision to take their stand for Jesus and the truth. Kevin sought to resolve a Sabbath work scheduling problem where he had worked for years. When it became clear that the company would not accommodate his request, he stepped out in faith and found another job which allowed him to keep the Sabbath.

Several more individuals continue to study and the church hopes they will be making their decision in the near future.

Featured in: November/December 2021

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