WORLD NEWS & PERSPECTIVES

BY SANDRA BLACKMER, Review news editor

AR: How did Adventist Television Network (ATN) get started?
HC: The first NET evangelistic meeting, held in 1995, was a North American Division event. In 1996 the General Conference got involved and took the NET meetings to an international audience. AGCN, the forerunner of ATN, was started in 1997 to broadcast NET meetings to the world church.

How many people have been baptized as a result of satellite evangelism?
Almost 70 satellite evangelistic meetings have been held worldwide, resulting in more than 1 million baptisms. Our world membership is about 13 million, which means about 8 percent are a result of satellite evangelism.

I understand that in January 2004 ATN launched a new television network worldwide called the Hope Channel. What is its mission?
For nine years the church has focused on occasional satellite evangelistic broadcasts. With the Hope Channel we now broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, a variety of programs to appeal to a larger in-home audience. This enables us to take Bible truth directly into people's homes.

Some would ask whether we need the Hope Channel when other Adventist television networks already exist. How would you respond?
Each network has a unique style, or flavor, that appeals to certain people. We believe the Lord is raising up many networks so we can be more diverse and reach a wider market, but we're all sharing the same message. Hope Channel uses six satellites to cover the world, and we offer the world church a wide availability of airtime to represent Adventism in culturally relevant ways.

Is your programming geared for North Americans or for a global audience?
This September we will separate North American programming from Hope Channel International, which will be geared specifically for the global market. The programs will be culturally relevant for each area-such as Africa, Europe, and Asia-and reflect the diversity of our church. We currently have English and Spanish channels for North America, and Spanish and Portuguese channels for South America, Inter-America, and Portugal. We plan to add Hope Channel Africa in Portuguese and French, and eventually Hope Channel Asia.

What specific types of programs do you air?
Evangelism is our number one mandate. So we broadcast NET evangelistic events and other outreach Bible study programs. We also have a strong emphasis on spiritual nurture programs. Doug Batchelor presents a Bible study hour in which he reviews the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide. And we have the relational-style Sabbath School University for the early 20s age group. There are event programs, such as the Pathfinder Camporee and the 2005 General Conference session. And we also have health programs and some programs for children.

How would you describe your program styles?
Christian television is typically a couple of people sitting in a studio talking to each other, and it looks distinctly different from regular television. We're striving to look more like regular TV-to get the cameras out of the studio. For example, we're doing a program that debuted on the Hope Channel called In the Footsteps of Paul, in which Pastor Tony Moore travels throughout the Middle East following the footsteps of the apostle Paul, and he incorporates spiritual truths within the travelogue. Anybody who watches history or biography channels would be interested in this type of program.

In what other ways are you formatting your programs to look like regular television?
Reality TV is very popular today. This fall we'll be recording an evangelistic teaching program with a twist. During the typical evangelistic program viewers don't know what the listeners in the audience are thinking-whether they agree or disagree with the Bible teachings presented, or whether they're feeling passion, confusion, or perplexity. This program will allow live questions from the audience. It's a risky thing to do, but viewers will see real people process Bible truth, and watch how it changes their lives.

Where does your funding come from?
The General Conference provides a base subsidy to cover administrative and office expenses as well as some satellite costs. Beyond this we are completely dependent upon donations for our productions and for getting the television signal into homes. The good part of this arrangement is that donations go for ministry and not for overhead expenses.

Studies indicate most Europeans don't attend church. How does that play into the role of the Hope Channel?
It's true that few Europeans regularly attend church, but it is not correct to assume there is a low level of spirituality. Actually, there is a deep spiritual hunger among many Europeans. And even if they're not attending church, most watch television, and we will be there with program options on the Hotbird satellite, the number two satellite television network in Europe. It has a potential audience of 110 million homes.

Tell me a favorite story about someone who has come to know Jesus through the Hope Channel?
Sonny and Dot in South Africa had been looking for "God's truth," as they described it. They visited many churches but were disillusioned by what they found. Then one day Dot was cooking in the kitchen, and Sonny came in, turned on the TV to watch the news, and found us instead. He and Dot started watching the Hope Channel. After a few weeks they called a local church, and now they want to be baptized. If we had time, we could tell you many similar stories of God using the Hope Channel to lead people with no previous Adventist contact to our church.

What about viewers who have questions and want to learn more?
We direct them to the local church. Pastors, Bible workers, and Bible schools follow up the interests.

How can people get the Hope Channel?
Beginning September 1, AdventistSAT.com will provide the necessary satellite equipment. They offer a quality system, and can also arrange professional installation at a reasonable fee. To order, people can call toll-free: 1-888-393-HOPE. Some Adventist Book Centers also sell equipment. The system costs US$204 and Cdn$299, but there are no monthly subscription fees. The receivers come preprogrammed to receive five Adventist television networks and three Adventist radio channels. If people already receive 3ABN on a 36-inch dish, they can call us to learn how to tune their existing equipment to receive our programming.

How can our church members help to accomplish the mission of the Hope Channel?
There are four ways:
1. Purchase a satellite dish and begin using our programming for outreach, as well as for personal spiritual nourishing.
2. Contact us for our cable TV kits, take them to local cable companies, and ask those companies to carry the Hope Channel.
3. Because this is a donor-based ministry, financial contributions are always greatly appreciated.
4. But the most important way they can help is to pray for us, asking God to continue opening doors for ATN to reach people with the message of hope, truth, and Jesus' soon return.

For more information about the Hope Channel or Adventist Television Network, go to hopetv.org or Adventist.tv, or call 301-680-6689.


Militia Attack Levels Sudan Mission Center
Safarig, a Global Mission Center in the Darfur region of Sudan, was attacked and leveled to the ground by Janjweed militias. Homes were burned, and an Adventist church was destroyed.

“Everybody fled for his life,” says local church leader Daniel Marach. Forty-six church members, along with many others, managed to travel safely to a camp in Abujabra. According to Marach, the journey was difficult, but no one was injured.

The camp at Abujabra is supported by the United Nations World Food Program and OXFAM, an international non-government organization.

“When I arrived [at Abujabra] I was delighted to meet church members from Safarig,” said district leader William Oliver, who visited the area. “It was an emotional time of reunion. In spite of the many difficulties, the believers continue to worship God each Sabbath.--Middle East Union/AR.

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