An event held at the Brazilian Publishing House (CPB) on April 18, 2024, marked the history of the church in the country. It was a moment of celebration for the distribution of 27 million units of the book The Great Controversy. “In just two years, we distributed four times more copies of The Great Controversy in Brazil than in the last century. It is an unprecedented milestone in the dissemination of inspired writings”, celebrated pastor Edson Medeiros, general director of CPB.
"Impact CPB" received leaders from the various administrative spheres of the church in Brazil and South America, as well as the president of the Adventist Church headquarters, Pastor Ted Wilson. The program recalled the trajectory of Guilherme Stein Jr., whose story is interconnected with the beginnings of the CPB and the book The Great Controversy. Under the influence of this literature, Stein Jr. accepted the Adventist message, becoming the first member baptized in Brazil. A few years later, he would also be responsible for publishing the first national Adventist periodical, in addition to writing several books and translating some of Ellen White's works, including The Great Controversy.
An event held in the headquarters' auditorium preceded the departure for the delivery of the missionary book. Almost 600 publisher employees, together with church leaders and a group of 300 motorcyclists, took 12 buses to Piracicaba, Brazil, where, almost 130 years ago, Guilherme Stein Jr. was baptized. The small seed planted there produced many fruits. Today, the city has 2,500 members, distributed across 22 congregations that form five pastoral districts.
Global Impact
As highlighted by Pastor Ted Wilson, the church worldwide has looked with admiration at the strength of the publishing work in Brazil and South America. “God is doing extraordinary things through CPB and Aces (Adventist publisher located in Argentina), and we want to show our recognition and gratitude. The sacred work of producing millions of books will echo throughout eternity,” he stressed.
The church is celebrating the milestone of 329 million books distributed in the last 18 years in South America, of which 246 million were delivered in Brazil. “But the challenge is not over,” said Pastor Stanley Arco, South American leader of the denomination. “We need to go from town to town, house to house, and person to person until everyone is reached,” added Pastor Ted Wilson.
During his visit to the publisher, the world leader of the Adventist Church participated in another historic moment for CPB: the inauguration of a new printer with the capacity to produce 18,000 sheets per hour, print front and back in color and apply varnish, ensuring greater quality agility to the process. According to Pastor Ted Wilson, CPB is the only one among more than 60 Adventist publishers that has a machine of this type, which will further expand its ability to disseminate the gospel message.
The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.