Testimonials of Elder Minchen's Revivals

On this page you will find testimonials given by people who participated in some way in the revivals. Because there is more power in some ways in testimonies, you will find wonderful blessing in reading about these. Some testimonies are also found on the Youth Work page clustered together with the main article on revival.

May 11-19, 1956, Voice of Youth, Battle Creek, MI.

"It seemed to me that the Spirit of God prevailed strongly throughout the series of meetings. It was my privilege to attend every meeting and four chapel exercises besides. I must confess, until Elder Minchin revealed the secrets of prayer life to us, I never really knew how to pray. And I strongly suspect that many others were in the same predicament. If all others who attended the services received the same kind of blessing in their hearts as I did, I am sure that the meetings can be written up as a great success."—Miss Jan Wildman, Battle Creek Academy student.

"On the last Sabbath, a brother told me that no one would ever know what the week meant to him. There had been trouble in his family and his wife had been separated from him, but this week had awakened their hearts, and they were reunited."

"An elderly man on the street told me the other day that he had been attending the Battle Creek Tabernacle for seventy years. And this is the finest, most helpful series of meetings that I have ever attended. I got more good from it personally, and I believe the people were greatly blessed.'"

"So far-reaching were the ways of God's Spirit that even the Old World was touched by its mysterious ways. Shortly before the revival crusade began, I received a letter from an American serviceman stationed overseas. This young man had been Sharing His Faith with a young lady who was soon to sail for America. His letter expressed a desire that some youth in Michigan contact her upon arrival and encourage her to take her stand for truth. The young lady arrived just in time to accept an invitation by a friendship team to attend the Battle Creek revival. Friday night, during an earnest appeal, she made her way to the altar in surrender to Christ."

"This revival caused a knitting together of hearts both young and old in a prayerful consideration for lost souls. It was a meeting with God—a divine appointment with the Master—a blessed time of spiritual fellowship with one another in Him."

1960, South African Revival

Five different campaigns were held, including the one at Helderberg.

"The climax came in a four-hour meeting in which, one after another, they came to the desk and gave their testimonies.
"I have been a fool," said one young person, "I thought that to be an entire Christian would be boring. I surrender all."
Others said:
"I am sick of being a self-centred Christian. From now on I will live to bless and help others."
"Two nights ago in my room I yielded all, even my pride. But I could not understand why I felt no different. Then God showed me that by beholding we become changed. I must keep my eyes on Jesus."
"I lived stumblingly; Jesus lifted me. My life was stained; Jesus washed me. I was wrecked; He rebuilt me."
"I realize that either I must be all for God or be nothing at all. I have decided to be all for God. Pray for me that when I go home I will be able to show Dad and Mum and my brother the way."—E. W. Marter

"It was the heart-touching experiences related by Elder Minchin that helped Christine Royeppen of the Maranatha Indian church to make her decision for Christ. 'The experience of the young men who refused to travel on the Sabbath; the experience of the nine-year-old boy who requested baptism; and the tragic story of the lad who had his fingernails and toenails wrenched off because he would not tell a lie; these I shall never forget,' she writes. 'They strengthened my faith and determination to be true to my
Saviour.'"

"One of my never-to-be-forgotten memories is the memorable week I had the joy of spending with our students and faculty members at beautiful Helderberg College. Letters continue to come to my desk from young people who found Christ at that time. It was one of the greatest spiritual weeks of my ministry among our young people. Shall we ever forget that four-hour praise and testimony service, or the late night prayer season in the boy's dormitory, when so many victories were claimed for Christ.

"There were blessed weeks of ministry in Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, and Ruanda-Urundi. The Spirit of the Lord went before us in all of these places. I think of those stirring days at Malamulo, Gwelo, Solusi, Rusangu, Kamagambo, Ikizu, Bugema, Gitwe, Rwankeri, and Ngoma. Sinners found their way to the Saviour; backsliders were reclaimed; and hundreds of strong young men offered themselves for the work of the Gospel ministry. Hundreds more rejoiced in the renewal of God's love and grace in their hearts. For this we give all the glory to our wonderful Saviour. ...
Unprecedented attendances and spiritual hunger marked the four days of meetings in that city [Johannesburg]. Each night many hundreds stayed for the after-service to seek God. Glorious victories for Christ were claimed. Never shall we forget the final night of praise and testimony when the power of God came among us and miracles of grace were recorded. Who would have thought that a thousand people would sit gripped for four hours in a religious service! That is what happens when the Spirit of God is moving in power upon hearts. Hearts that had been rebellious and indifferent were broken before God. It was a wonderful moment when a brother and a sister who had been in juvenile teen-age gangs and were known as "duck-tails" came to the platform and wept on each other's shoulders as they told of the fear and misery of teen-age youth in these gangs. They now laid hold of the power of Christ to change their lives."

"Fire spreads [to the Sedaven School]! The fire of God had spread to Sedaven and burned into the hearts of teachers and students. Hearts were broken, wrongs made right, and a beautiful spirit of love and unity came to a school which was greatly in need of such an experience. God has set His seal upon this work.—E. L. Minchin

1960, Congo Youth Conferences

Four conferences were held; 16,000 youth attended.

"Elder Minchin asked them to hold up their Bibles and wave them. This was a new idea and the young people enjoyed it. One young man who had no Bible to wave gave this testimony. He had had to run away from his home because he was being forced to join a political party that was responsible for burning houses and stealing property and even killing people. This young man knew he could not join in these activities and violate the dictates of his conscience. When he had no Bible to hold up he explained that it was not because he did not own a Bible but because he had lost it while fleeing from the rebels. This surely demonstrates what our young pepole are willing to face for their faith."

"Another young man at the congress had also refused to take part in the burning of houses and villages and he was beaten with thirty stripes. He thought he was going to die but the Lord spared his life and he stood up to give his testimony. He expressed his courage in the Lord and his determination to remain faithful even if it meant death."—J. G. Evertt

March 3-9, 1963, Melbourne Revival

2,400 people attended the final meeting!

"Sunday night saw the hall, almost filled; Monday and Tuesday every seat was taken. On Wednesday the side doors opened and extra seating was provided to accommodate the growing crowds. Thursday the hall was over-full again, but Friday posed a real problem to the ushers who were faced with the problem of seating 1,000 people. Pastor F. W. Gifford, Greater Sydney Conference youth leader, had anticipated this influx, but even so the additional seating was taxed and a number were forced to stand throughout the meeting. More important than the numbers who attended were the decisions made nightly as Pastor Minchin urged the youth to lay their all on the altar. Scores came forward during the week and numbers of them shared their burdens with church pastors and youth leaders in special after-service counselling periods. It can truly be said that we saw the Holy Spirit at work. The climax of the week came on the Sabbath when the Trocadero was again crowded with some 2,400 seekers after God, many of whom had not missed a meeting."—C. V. Christian

"It was good to see...
• the same young people coming back night after night.
• the increased attendance as the meetings progressed.
• the earnest and attentive expression on the faces of those who listened to the timely words of instruction.
• the evidence in the meetings that truly God was present through His Spirit.

It was good to hear...
• what young people not of the church
had to say about the constructive help they derived from Pastor Minchin's addresses.
• our own young people say, "I wish he wouldn't go away."
• A young person who had wandered far away and, by chance, heard of the meeting in the Trocadero, came along and, after hearing the evangelist's appeal, said, "I want to come back and start again."
As for myself personally...
• I was glad I went. It brought back a high point in my own experience thirty years ago, when Pastor Minchin took a Friday night meeting at the Australasian Missionary College and helped to straighten out my thinking and set me on the road to the eternal kingdom."—E. W. Hon.

"Words fail me to describe the joy of the final praise and witness service in the Wahroonga church [to which more than 1,000 people came]. Surely we are frequently in need of this heart-warming experience, when we can share our joys and sorrows with those who cherish the same hope and faith.
A thrilling experience for any youth leader is to see stalwart, talented young men arise in consecration, dedicating their lives to the work of the ministry [Forty-four young men surrendered their lives to pursue the calling of ministry as a result of Pastor Minchin's appeal.] As one young man expressed himself, "God has wonderfully blessed me during this week, and I have come to know my Saviour in a way I never thought possible before. I am anxious to dedicate myself to the task of finishing the work of God on the earth."—F. W. Gifford

Voice of Youth, Eugene Oregon

Several months before Pastor Minchin was scheduled to arrive from Washington, Pastors J. H. Hancock and W. D. Blehm, Missionary Volunteer secretaries for the North Pacific Union Conference and the Oregon Conference, met with the pastors and churches in the Springfield-Eugene area to help organize for the revival. Under the name "friendship teams," personal workers' bands were formed, and these teams of youth began a systematic visiting and studying program with some three hundred former believers in the area. The interest grew so rapidly that the Oregon Conference sent Pastor Don Gray, conference evangelist, to Eugene to help direct the work of the friendship teams. As they prayed and visited, the marvelous working of the Spirit of God was seen.

One young couple, who had left the church some years ago, was traveling home in their automobile from California to Eugene. As they passed through Klamath Falls, all at once a strong impression came over the husband. Turning to his wife seated by him, he remarked seriously, "Wife, the strangest feeling has come over me. I just feel that we ought to get back to the church again."
Three different times during that week the same impression came to them, and they discussed it together in their home. Shortly after this, several of the friendship teams visited them—in fact, nobody seems to know how it happened, but five different teams visited them in one single day!

"What is going on here?" the bewildered young man exclaimed. "I've never had so many visitors from the church before. What do you want—a donation or something?"
The teams all assured him they were only calling on him to be friendly, and that they were anxious to fellowship with him and his wife again in the church.
"You know," this young man testified, "you young people, in visiting us this way, have done something for us. This has made us feel all warm inside. You say there are going to be youth meetings at the church? We'll be there!"

And they kept their promise. Both attended the revival and are looking forward to rebaptism.

Later, this young man told one of the members of the friendship teams: "My wife and I have never been happy since we left the church. We attended Auburn Academy—we know the truth. We've tried to find happiness away from the church, but there has always been an aching void in our hearts. We are glad you found us and invited us back. I'm sure there are many other young people who would come back to the church if more of the young people in the church would only show a little more interest in them.—

Voice of Youth, Eugene, OR

"As ARLENE stepped to the mi- microphone to give her testimony, her face beamed with happiness. All in the audience could see that her heart was filled with great joy. She and her husband had lived in Eugene, Oregon, only a few months, but in those few short months something wonderful—something that Arlene would never forget as long as she lived had happened to her! This was her story—a story that she now relived as she happily gave her testimony to hundreds of other young people seated before her in the church:

"Only a few days after we had moved to Eugene, we were busy getting settled in our new home, when the young housewife in the house next to ours knocked at our back door and asked to borrow a pan in which to roast some meat.

"I told her that I did not have such a pan because we did not eat meat. (I was raised in an Adventist home; in fact, my father was a minister.) As politely as I knew how, I explained our belief to her.

"For a moment or two, my neighbor looked at me, as if to reflect on my answer to her request. Then she gasped, 'Oh, you must be Seventh-day Adventists!'

"I assured her that we were—that both my husband and I attended the Adventist church regularly.

"Excitedly my neighbor exclaimed, `I'm so glad to hear that! I've been praying that the Lord would send us good neighbors, and now I believe He has sent us just the right ones!'

"That was a real challenge to my husband and me. Right then and there we determined to try to win this woman to our message. I tried to be as good a neighbor as I knew how and to do little things for her. She became a real friend, and when I invited her to go to church with me the next Sabbath, she accepted and has been coming to church with me ever since.

"When I was a little girl, I used to give out handbills for my father's evangelistic meetings in the big tent, and I used to wonder if any of the people to whom I gave handbills accepted the message. I wondered if any of them would be in heaven because of my missionary work. How wonderful it would be, I thought, to win somebody for Jesus.

"Well, now I have had that thrill, for today I saw my neighbor baptized in our church. I know I haven't had too much to do with it, for she has been coming to the Voice of Youth meetings every night, but I have been praying that she would accept our truth—and now it's happened! This is one of the most wonderful days of my life! I'm so happy! My joy is full!"—

November 9, 1965, Camp AuSable Bible Camp (Min)

Elder Minchin spoke at the annual Bible Camp at Camp AuSable, to which came 78 young people from seven schools (Andrews University, Adelphian Academy, Andrews University Academy, Battle Creek Academy, Cedar Lake Academy, Grand Ledge Academy, and Kingsway College in Oshawa, Canada), suggesting the wide appeal for Pastor Minchin's ministry that could draw young people from such a distance. Many of those attending consecrated their lives to God. God greatly blessed, as attested to by the quote that follows.

"The most thrilling moment of the entire session came when Elder Minchin concluded his talk by asking how many young men present would be willing to serve in the gospel ministry if God should see fit to call them. Forty-four indicated their willingness by standing to their feet—over 90 per cent of the men attending."

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