It was July 1969. There were 183 of us gathered in the concourse at Dulles International Airport waiting to board a World Airways flight for Zurich, Switzerland, for the Seventh-day Adventist World Youth Congress. We watched on airport monitors as Neil Armstrong took his “one small step.”

Upon arriving at the Hollenstadium in Zurich, we were greeted with a huge banner proclaiming “Welcome” in about fifteen different languages. The Sabbath services afforded us the privilege of hearing a youth choir from Poland that had only been given clearance to leave their country at the last minute by their Communist government. Those kids left Poland with the equivalent of $1.50 each, but oh, did they sing with fervor! My own Dale Wright Memorial Concert Choir had also been invited by the General Conference (G.C.) to perform on that same stage.

Robert H. Pierson, G.C. president, spoke and his message was translated into several languages. A handful of representatives, from a movement that over the years had dedicated itself to the conversion and general harassment of Adventists, attempted to distribute its literature among the Sabbath crowd on the plaza outside the stadium. Thousands of us youth surrounded them, and began to ... sing to them! We sang, “Do Lord,” “Give Me Oil in My Lamp,” and many other favorites. It was interesting to see our uninvited guests frustrated by our love.

We slept in Swiss-built high schools on Swiss-made army cots. I remember one night, after the lights had been turned off, voices drifted out of the darkness from the room where about 60 of us were sprawled. The voices spoke in English with heavily-tinged accents from around the world. We talked half the night away as we explored our national differences and our unity of one faith. It was exciting! We were getting to know each other, in the darkness that made us all the same.

I am not sure which of these experiences made me realize what an awesome church the Advent movement is. Maybe it was a combination of all of them. We ate, slept, prayed, sang, and all experienced ice-cold, bone-chilling showers. And for at least ten days, we were impressed with the fact that we were one.

Now, there are approximately 13 million of us world-wide and efforts like the recent Hope for Our Day are designed to bring more into the family. Will you continue to help?

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14).