Miami, Florida, United States…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
For more than 150 years, communicating the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus has been at the heart of the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a church that has grown from a group of believers to more than 14 million members. The Adventist message has spread through the printed word and radio and television programs, and today satellite broadcasts and internet ministries are able to spread the good news even farther.
As its membership approaches 3 million, the Inter-American Division (IAD) has made harnessing both traditional and new technologies one of its top priorities, prompting top church members through the territory to organize a special council to coordinate and unify radio stations and television production ministries throughout the IAD. The first council meeting, held earlier this month, brought together more than 50 IAD communication directors, radio station managers and television production staff to seek better ways to improve their skills, network together and increase the use of available resources.
“The meeting was necessary because we have a number of broadcasting entities that are operating basically in isolation of each other, so this meeting brings them together in a way that we can achieve more with what is being invested in our broadcasting of the gospel,” said Pastor Leon B. Wellington, vice president and communication director for the church in Inter-America.
One of the main concerns addressed at the council meeting was unifying the message and finding a way to help struggling stations become more financially sound.
Presentations were given on adhering to Adventist principles and teachings in broadcasting, and a reminders on the role that Adventist World Radio plays in reaching billions of people in an area from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the Pacific. These presentations were addressed specifically to managers of church-owned and privately-owned radio stations throughout IAD.
An important item during the council's agenda was specifics on Inter-America's Pentecost and More upcoming satellite event to celebrate nearing the three million membership on March 24. Communicators from each union territory were briefed on satellite downlink testing and their role in their local sites for live transmission of the large baptisms.
A hands on television production workshop on production basics, studio interview style, to basics of camera operation to multi-camera production was also offered.
Communicators got brushed up on the use of the official church logo, guidelines for Adventist Church web sites, tips on equipping media studios, and new means of communicating through the use of web logs (blogs) and online discussion.
Participants were given the opportunity to report on the progress through communication technology and their broadcasting entities.
As a result of the council, The Inter-American Division Media Commission was formed and a set of guidelines to govern the commission was established. In addition to the IAD Communication department staff, members voted include:
President: Silvestre Gonzalez of the Dominican Union
Vice Presidents: Nigel Coke of the West Indies Union and Daniel Lassonier from the French Antilles Union.
Secretary: Rodolfo Escobar of the Venezuela Antilles Union
Treasurer: Marloon Moodie of the South Central American Union
Members: Abel Marquez of Montemorelos University and Tania Francois-Haugrin of Martinique.
Among its goals and purposes, the commission will facilitate “group and on-line training opportunities for technical and management personnel, motivate entities and producers to create and share new programs, program ideas and resources, develop a set of program standards and guidelines, provide a forum for discussion, program development, program exchange, networking, fund-raising and sharing of information of more efficient and effective means of reaching stated objectives at the most cost effective means.”
Several communicators saw the benefits of networking and meeting together and expressed some of the challenges they face.
“I think that it is a wonderful idea that as communicators we can establish ties of collaboration and communication, not only once a year, but I think it is a great option to use technology such as web groups, blogs and the like to communicate with each other and learn from each other,” said Abel Marquez who was a seminar presenter and heads the communication department at Montemorelos University in Mexico.
“This was very good training, as we learned practical things like how to use a blog, how to operate a camera, how to make a [television] program, things that we need to share with each other so that together we can feel supported and part of a family,” shared Rodolfo Escobar, communication director of the Venezuela Antilles Union.
Jorge Diaz of the Production Center at Colombia Adventist University was thankful for the opportunity to participate in the council, but also appealed to the church leadership to support with human resources and funds.
“I think that it is very important that the Division work with us to exercise practical aspects of productions…because we have some projects that we need to complete and we can work together and essentially benefit each other throughout the territory,” Diaz said.
Working together is what communicators hope will be reflected during the months and years ahead as they join forces to communicate God’s love and hope throughout the IAD territory and the world.
