George Vandeman, 84,� passed away in his sleep early November 3 at his home in Newbury Park, California,� Vandeman founded It Is Written television ministry and served as primary evangelist and director for more than 30 years.

The Seventh-day Adventist evangelist and author was born in 1916. The It Is Written ministry was established in 1956 in California, and was a pioneering force in the Adventist Church's use of communication technology for public evangelism.

For 2,000 consecutive Sundays, Vandeman was a guest in the living rooms of millions of Americans for a half-hour look into the window of Christianity. As a pastor in Fresno, California, he began the ministry as a 13-week experiment. Today It Is Written is seen via broadcast, cable TV and satellite in more than 5,000 cities in the United States and Canada and in eight languages in more than 150 countries around the world.

Vandeman's warm voice defined a new approach for religious television.� Instead of preaching, he quietly shared insights from God's Word to meet people's needs. Taped in a homelike setting, his programs used a semi-documentary format, illustrated with footage from current events, history, and science. Vandeman was also a pioneer in the tele-seminar format, in which groups in many locations around the country could study together via satellite downlink. He founded the New Gallery Centre in London to serve as a metropolitan headquarters for city evangelism and community services.

It is Written received 10 Angel Awards from Religion in Media.� In 1980 Vandeman received the Religious Heritage of America Faith and Freedom Award for Television Religious Personality of the Year. He was a member of Religious Heritage of America, the Strategy for the Elevation of People Foundation, and the Year of the Bible Committee. Vandeman was invited to presidential briefings during both the Reagan and Bush administrations.

One of his most popular TV miniseries focused on different faith groups: "What I like about ..."� The series then described the common aspects of faith between Seventh-day Adventists and Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Charismatics, and others.

"George Vandeman was a visionary who often was far ahead of time," says Mark Finley, who became leader of the ministry in 1992. "He had the unique ability to see possibilities where others saw only problems. George had the ability to communicate to people at all levels, but he especially ministered to people who are highly educated, affluent, and in upper echelons of society. He seemed to understand their heartaches, their longings, and their basic human needs."

Vandeman's family has expressed its appreciation for the prayers and support of their Adventist Church family, both locally and around the world. He is survived by his wife, Nellie, who lives in Camarillo, California, nursing facility,�and by three children, sons Ron and George Jr. and daughter Connie.

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Edited by Monti Sahlin, this report includes material from the Adventist News Network reported by Bettina Krause, an obituary written by Elwyn Platner, communication director of the Pacific Union Conference, and Betty Cooney, communication director of the Southern California Conference.