Is the local conference or union involved?
BURKS: No. My wife, Helen, and I are involved on this end, and my bookkeeper—one of our local church members—who retired from the IRS. EPI is totally lay-run and lay-supported. We don’t take a penny for self-support. We are a supporting ministry of the Adventist Church. Do you feel the program is accomplishing its mission? BURKS: I feel it is accomplishing a little bit of its mission. Since 1998, more than 10,000 baptisms and 70 new congregations have resulted from the evangelism efforts we’ve supported. AN OVERFLOW CROWD: People pack the auditorium where evangelist Vadim Butov presents the gospel message. Pastor Butov, tell me a little bit about yourself. I understand you were formerly president of the Yenicey Mission in Siberia? BUTOV: Yes. I left that position in 2004. I used to work for several years as the conference evangelist in western Russia. I was later the union evangelist, and then I went to Siberia and worked as senior pastor for several churches. After that I served as pr
