Germany: Voice of Hope Broadcasts From New Adventist Media Center, Takes Home Bridge Award

March 6, 2007 Alsbach-Haehnlein, Hesse, Germany …. [Stimme der Hoffnung Staff/ANN Staff]

“It is really a good day when your first phone call in the morning is someone enrolling in Bible Correspondence [classes], and a little later someone [calls] requesting more information on how she can receive the HOPE channel. I am looking forward to more such days,” said Matthias Müller, general manager of Stimme der Hoffnung ('Voice of Hope'), the Seventh-day Adventist church's media center broadcasting out of central Germany.

On March 3, Müller and the media center's team celebrated the opening of the its new headquarters in Alsbach-Haehnlein, Hesse, Germany, approximately 30 miles south of Frankfurt. The complex replaces Stimme der Hoffnung's former location in nearby Darmstadt, Hesse, where limited space and resources cramped its ministry.

Some 300 national and international guests and representatives, including Adventist world church president Pastor Jan Paulsen, attended inaugural ceremonies.

“The future of our church is not thinkable without media,” Pastor Paulsen said during remarks at the inauguration. “We are living in an information society where the media establish priorities and convey values. Our church must not stray [from our values], but must use modern media to reach people, inviting them to meet Jesus.”

Pastor Paulsen also emphasized how fundamental community outreach is to the church's ministry. “A church that only focuses on its own interior church life and is thus not aware of what is happening outside its walls is hardly taken notice of by the public, in spite of its use of modern communication.”

During a dedicatory prayer for the new media center, Pastor Ulrich Frikart, president of the church's Euro-Africa region, called on Stimme der Hoffnung employees to be “carriers of hope” for people “without hope and without orientation for the future.”

“This isn't just a media center,” the local mayor, who accepted an invitation to the ceremony, added. “It is going to be a place … where the heart is looked at, not just the outside.” The mayor added that the county applauds the work of the media center for bringing communication and Christian fellowship to the community.

The newly inaugurated media center's 2,500 square meters of floor space provides office space for 30 employees and houses five studios, along with cutting-edge television and radio broadcast equipment. Centrally located light, sound and stage gear make for a far more efficient broadcast process and higher quality productions, according to Stimme der Hoffnung staff. In addition, the premises incorporate eco-friendly technology, such as a recycled-water air-conditioning system, added Müller.

Stimme der Hoffnung offers a variety of programs available via radio, cable, satellite and Internet in Europe and beyond. Beyond its extensive productions for German-speaking countries, Stimme also releases programming for other European and international institutions. It offers an audio library service for sight-impaired listeners. Access to Hope Channel programs in German, an international Bible Correspondence School and a web-based library, found at www.churchphoto.de, for digital photos also fall under services Stimme provides the global community.

Since 1948, Stimme der Hoffnung, Germany's oldest private radio station, has handled public and media relations for the Adventist church in Germany. With the new center, staff members anticipate new opportunities to communicate hope and enrich lives with programs rooted in relevancy that connects with Stimme der Hoffnung's primarily contemporary European audience.

For its continuing work, Müller and the Stimme der Hoffnung team received the Bridge Award during opening ceremonies “for their outstanding professional productions, [for] communicating the Adventist message of hope and quality of life in a secular European society [and for] their media ministries,” said presenter Williams Costa Jr., incoming associate director of communication for the world church.

The Bridge Award was established by the Communication Department at the Seventh-day Adventist Church's World Headquarters and recognizes meritorious contribution to Seventh-day Adventist communication through avenues of public church awareness, visionary thinking, excellence in responsible journalism and professional mentoring, in addition to outstanding achievements in media, public relations and public affairs.

On March 4, Stimme der Hoffnung released the first episode of a new weekly television program, broadcast jointly with a local station. For more information about Stimme der Hoffnung and its programming, visit www.stimme-der-hoffnung.de.