More than 65,000 copies of a new sharing book will be delivered to people in communities around Australia and New Zealand in coming weeks. Step Beyond is a paraphrase of the classic Steps to Christ by Ellen White, with this new edition produced in Australia including local contact details and special offers to connect with community members who are interested in growing their understanding and experience of faith.
“Steps to Christ is a book many of our church members have read at some point,” said Pastor Terry Johnson, president of the Australian Union Conference (AUC) and chairman of the Literature Ministry (LM) committee, “so this new edition is something that we can be confident in sharing with friends, family and people in our communities.”
Pastor Johnson says that many church members are keen to share their faith, but often feel unsure as to how best to do this. “Many of us love and cherish this book, meaning that this is a simple way to respond to a question from a friend or neighbour, offering them something that helped us in our own experiences of faith.
He explains that there is currently one Adventist for every 406 people in Australia. “So if we believe that God is calling all people, we need resources that we can use to share the gospel widely and effectively,” he reflects. “And I believe this particular book is easily shared and accepted, read and digested.”
The first shipments of Step Beyond were sent out to conferences in the last week of April with churches and church members encouraged to consider how they can best share copies of the book in their communities across the month of May and beyond.
“Sharing month is an intentional mission movement in the South Pacific Division with hundreds of churches reaching out to their community,” said Brenton Lowe, Adventist Media LM coordinator and LM committee secretary. “Step Beyond is a tangible gift to share Jesus. It serves as a reason to visit our neighbours or invite a friend over for dinner to make meaningful connections and give a hope-filled gift. It is sharing Jesus made simple, you can be a friend and let the message of the book transform their life.”
This new edition of Step Beyond is an initiative of the Literature Ministry Committee and Signs Publishing, and comes on the back of strong engagement with sharing books in the past year, including Hope for Troubled Times (almost 90,000 copies shared), A Taste of Food As Medicine (about 80,000 copies) and Advents for Kids (about 10,000 copies).
Additional copies of Step Beyond and other sharing books are available through LM coordinators in your local conference or through your local Adventist bookshop.
For 10 ways to share Step Beyond or to find a participating church, visit literature.adventistchurch.com/sharing-month/.
