28 January 2016 | Watford, UK [Sam Davies & Andrew Willis] A decision at the Sunday, 24 January 2016 South England Conference (SEC) Executive Committee meeting has paved the way for SECmedia and Adventist Media Centre UK to scale up British-based programmes for Hope Channel-UK.
The decision by the SEC Executive Committee follows on from a similar decision voted by the British Union Conference (BUC) Executive Committee last December. Hope Channel GC Vice President, Kandus Thorp immediately responded to the news. “We are so thrilled to receive this wonderful news! We believe this decision will lead in time to the sharing of Bible truth with many sincere seekers. May God bless this huge step of faith!”
“This is a very practical synergy”, stated BUC President Pastor Ian Sweeney during the 10 December, 2015 BUC Executive Committee. “The BUC have the Hope Channel-UK franchise but clearly need more support in terms of programming. The SEC is developing its media strategy and so together we can make a greater difference.” He equally emphasised that this was not to exclude other partners across the BUC territory. Victor Hulbert noted that the Scottish Mission now has an effective media ministry developing. There may be a possibility of input from there, also from Ireland, where the equipment purchased for ‘Mission to the Cities Dublin’ can also be used for media projects. While the North England Conference does not currently have its own media set-up, Pastor Hulbert emphasised that it is a Conference bursting with talent and may be the primary source of guests for programming that the BUC will be generating in the coming months.
Pastors Hulbert and Sweeney explain the benefit of this development in a short video message.
In practical terms this means that Hope Channel-UK, which has been operating for some time as an effective on-demand service while using the North American live feed, will now develop its own channel. This will give the ability to organise the schedule to allow both for prime-time programming to be more targeted, but also for the ability to increase the proportion of programming that will speak directly to a more local audience. It will also be a benefit for viewers right across Europe who may appreciate more programme content from within a European context.
This week staff are learning the intricacies of the soon-to-be upgraded Hope Channel UK website which is under-development. Robert Williams, the Hope Channel web developer, based at Stimme der Hoffnung, the German Media Centre, is providing two days of training. The new site will be more media centric.
The SEC committee also voted a proposal to purchase a warehouse close to the SEC office. With a floor space of 2,025 square feet (188.13 sq m) this will be converted into a production studio. The SEC Media and Communication team are delighted at the decision. They are grateful to the vision of SEC President, Dr Richard de Lisser. As a former Communication director himself, he sees the value of utilising media to share the Adventist message.
Anticipated SECmedia productions include ‘Women Unwrapped’ – exploring issues facing families, communities and the Church as well as a weekly magazine show, ‘The Sabbath Sofa’ talk show, and ‘The Hot Topic’ – a dialogue between Church leaders and the youth on issues not normally discussed in church.
Hope Channel-UK is available on the internet, on platforms such as ROKU and Samsung Smart TVs, and will shortly be available on Apple TV and Amazon Fire. It is also available on Apple and Android apps for your smartphone or tablet. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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