15 February 2019 | Jordan [EUD/TED News. Corrado Cozzi/Victor Hulbert]
For two years running, participants at GAiN Europe (the Global Adventist internet Network) have worked on a joint project that can make a difference for each country involved. The aim is that media centres of any size, together with communication departments, editors and even individual participants, can work together utilizing their respective skills, creativity and ideas, to produce a mission focused project that is ultimately bigger than ‘the sum of its parts’.
The first project theme, “This is my Mission” was chosen at GAiN Europe 2017 hosted at Newbold College, England, and then presented one year later on 23 March 2018 in Valencia, Spain. [See: European Adventists emphasise ‘This is my Mission’ during GAiN Conference.]
Participants then actively discussed and selected an even more ambitious cross-media project involving books, film and podcast. That project, ‘Fathers’, will premiere on 22 February when GAiN Europe runs alongside the Global GAiN Conference in Jordan.
Why fathers?
“Father
s play a very important role in families,” says Adrian Duré, TV-producer and Filmmaker at the Stimme der Hoffnung Media Centre, Germany. “Some roles are specific only for fathers or some other roles run in a different way than mothers. We decided to create special material focused on fathers to orient, motivate and highlight the special privilege and process of taking the responsibility of being a father.”
Fatherhood is a unique experience but, at the same time, a huge responsibility. To be a father is a privilege but, at the same time, is something serious. Many fathers and families around the world need more information about the meaning of being a father in today´s complex society; a society where women take on myriad roles, where sometimes the role of the father is downgraded, and where there is a need to highlight the significant role they play within the family circle. Much is written about the role of the mother, not so much on the value of fatherhood.
Recognising the need, the goal of ‘Fathers’ is to create concrete, positive and focused material for families, giving strong relevance to the important value for families. The project equally coincides nicely with the 100th anniversary of Family Ministries within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, providing material to motivate, inspire and to strengthen families around the world. It is a collaborative effort supported by Adventist experts on family and education.
What’s in the project?
A Magabook, composed of 13 chapters with articles from different authors and experts in family and education from various countries and backgrounds, highlighting the meaning of being a father in today´s society;
An intercultural documentary film produced together with media centres from Australia, Lebanon, South Korea, Spain, Mexico and South Africa. The 45 minute film follows six fathers in six cultures with varied joys and challenges. They tell six stories but have one shared experience: the privilege of being a father.
Two inspirational video clips, for Social Media, produced by the close cooperation of more than 8 countries from Europe.
A mini-interview series with fathers and podcasts, a contribution of three countries working together.
Who can use the material?
All the resources included in this project will be available for use by the diverse media entities, media ministries, Hope Channels and Radio Stations around the world. In addition, the material will be an asset for family ministries in our churches everywhere.
The materials can be used in many ways. As well as our media outlets such as Hope Channel, local churches will be able to create special community events focused around fatherhood and family, showing the film, making the book available, and tying that in with local resources and experts, as well as sharing on social media. As with ‘This is our Mission,’ the resources will be made freely available for media centres and publishing houses to translate and use within their own language groups.
“When you see a project like this, where each of the members really contributes their part from professional work and the desire to do something bigger than ourselves, it really shows the work to be guided by the hand of God,” declared Ragüel Cremades, Producer and Director of 7dayproductions. “It is a very positive experience where God has blessed us a lot at every moment of the project. I am very happy to have been involved in this.”
The content will be provided in English, with the possibility to be adapted/translated easily to many languages and cultures.
“In a cross-media project, a book’s fundamental contribution is to provide more arguments,” said Norel Iacob, Editor in chief of Revista Semnele timpului in Romania. “While the other media will undoubtedly impress people and will create a great interest in the subject, the book will offer exactly what people will want to have next: more info, in depth research, an analysis of different facets of the topic.”
With all these resources combined together, the hope from across Europe, and our gift to the world, is that people will find their interest in the topic grow and can find answers and resources for those pressing questions on Fatherhood.
The GAiN Europe family pray that these cross-media resources allow the dialogue to develop, inspire reflection, enhance fatherhood, and help us all to consider the privilege of being a father, enhancing the development of the next generation around us.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Sajitha Forde-Ralph, associate editor
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tedNEWS is an information bulletin issued by the communication department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Trans-European Division.
