By Fred Stevens and Randal Dick
For the past several years the church has sponsored international Festival Fellowship Tours.
This year we have made priorities for several areas to receive visitors. Group arrangements will be possible depending on the number who are interested in going.
The tour packages or travel details will vary with the particulars of each site. Church services at most of the Festival sites will be conducted in English. In all other cases, simultaneous translation into English will be provided.
These tours bring together brethren who enjoy celebrating the Festival in an international context, with brethren in somewhat isolated areas, where fellowship opportunities are limited.
Last year we coordinated groups to Costa Rica and Chile. If you talk to those involved you can get an exciting sense of the experience they had.
When members of one culture make a sincere effort to come to, learn from and share encouragement with members from another culture, the results are changed lives and eternal friendships.
The Fall Festival affords an opportunity for North Americans to travel.
As Epeli Kanaimawi, pastor in Fiji, wrote: "In a small Festival site, these visitors make a big difference.... Being cut off from other parts of the world, the Feast is one time when the Fiji brethren get that rare opportunity to get to know other members."
For some of our brethren to get to know us, we have to go to them.
If you want to share the Feast with others in a special way, please consider one of these destinations for the 1997 Festival celebration.
Itineraries are being developed, and costs and details will be distributed by April 1. In all cases, space is limited. The plans for these excursions will depend on the number of people interested.
Lillehammer, Norway--This will be the Feast site for brethren in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and possibly Estonia.
If you are a former resident, descended from, or just interested in this part of the world, come home in '97.
Scandinavians speak English, and their area has history and traditions that go back many centuries.
Our members scattered across these countries are anxious to share not only their cultures, but their devotion to God and his greatness.
Come worship and fellowship with them. Your love for these homelands and the brotherhood we share there will be greater than ever.
Portugal--This Feast site will be interesting to those with a heart for Portuguese-speaking Christians around the world.
For five centuries the people of Portugal have extended an influence all around the globe. Today, our members in Portugal are bonded by language, heritage and faith to people in many other countries.
This year, much spiritual energy has been focused on the church in Portugal. There is much to celebrate--much to pray about- -as we look to an expansion of the gospel in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and other Portuguese-speaking countries in 1998.
By the way, the favorable exchange rate to the dollar makes Portugal one of the last great bargains in Europe.
Ghana and Cameroon--Our members in this area will warmly welcome you. They face hardships unlike what most of us have known, but they have the same faith and dedication that endures all obstacles.
We hope that a small group of travelers will be able to visit both countries on this excursion.
Veracruz, Mexico--Members who will gather here on the gulf coast of Mexico hope you will come and Feast with them.
This tour will weave together the hearts of Americans from both north and south of the border as they worship God together in unity.
Guyana--We hope to lead a group to Guyana to visit our small but enduring congregation there. Come along for a meaningful and encouraging Feast. The brethren in Guyana have not received visitors at the Feast in several years, and look forward to having a joyful Festival with you.
Honduras--Honduras has been described as having "rough charm and a slow pace," but the Central American members who will gather here also have the zeal and grace that comes from God. Come to Honduras to meet them.
Vanuatu--The highlight of keeping the Feast on this South Pacific island with a small congregation will be the Christians you will meet on this trip.
Fiji--Always a favorite destination, this South Pacific country is home to a congregation that appreciates visitors. You will always remember your Feast in Fiji.
Cebu City, Philippines--Mabuhay! (greeting, To Life!). The warm handshakes of church members in the Philippines await those who can go to Cebu City this year. You will discover the enthusiasm that makes the churches in the Philippines so special!
Kenya--This country is always an inviting destination for travelers. This year the Festival sites will be small and scattered across the country. Kenyan members will meet for the Feast in small groups.
Those who visit there will be organized in vans, each of which will meet with multiple groups. While in Kenya, plan to view some of the most exotic and beautiful wildlife on earth.
Feb. 18, 1997, WN, page 10
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