abbath School University. Its goal? To nurture young adult Sabbath schools worldwide. Its channel? Twenty-eight-minute television clips on the Adventist Television Network (ATN) previewing a discussion of an upcoming lesson in the Adult Bible Study Guide.

"We have patterned this program in a format a bit like Politically Incorrect, [but] without the confrontational atmosphere," said executive producer Gary B. Swanson, of the General Conference Sabbath School Department.

Designed for class members, teachers, and leaders, Sabbath School University (SSU) is a refreshing support system and idea generator. "Our goal for this program is to enrich Sabbath School by featuring its original four principals: fellowship, outreach, Bible study, and missions," says Swanson. "Each program will explore ways in which these emphases can be utilized to breathe new life into adult Sabbath School. We hope to foster an atmosphere of energy in our classes."

Each program is led by moderator Kumar Dixit. Dixit is joined each "week" by four different young adults. After Dixit briefly introduces the lesson and each of the four guests, he asks five to six questions about the upcoming week's lesson to stimulate discussion. The panelists take turns interacting and conversing on different issues in the lesson. During the roundtable dialogue, Dixit and panelists give insights into possible discussion leads. They also offer suggestions for handling questions, prompting answers, finding scriptural applications, drawing object lessons, and choosing activities and songs that reinforce the lesson's theme. These insights make Sabbath School University an especially helpful tool for teachers.

Another goal of SSU is to show viewers how the lesson can be applied to their daily lives. In one episode a panelist asked, "How do I present this to my Sabbath School class? How do I make this applicable? How do I apply this to my life?" The group then worked to answer his question.

Each SSU episode begins with these words: "Offering information for your mind, enabling transformation for your heart. Sabbath School University-a weekly dialogue exploring God's Word and its applications to today's world." And while young adults are featured in the discussions, Swanson is quick to add that SSU is for "anyone studying the Adult Bible Study Guide."

Directed by David Brillhart, SSU is the first original project for ATN. Sabbath School University, a presentation by the International Sabbath School Teacher's Association, is currently being aired weekly on the ATN satellite network. The hope is that one day it will become available on the Internet and through subscription videotapes. The first show aired on April 5.

For more about SSU, including channel information, visit www.Adventist.TV; to contact SSU directly, e-mail the crew at SSU@gc.adventist.org.

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Amanda Sauder is an intern at the Adventist Review and a student at Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska.