{"id":3933,"date":"2016-11-24T10:25:44","date_gmt":"2016-11-24T10:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2016\/11\/24\/hacksaw-ridge-opens-unprecedented-witnessing-opportunities-in-central-europe\/"},"modified":"2016-11-24T10:25:44","modified_gmt":"2016-11-24T10:25:44","slug":"hacksaw-ridge-opens-unprecedented-witnessing-opportunities-in-central-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/hacksaw-ridge-opens-unprecedented-witnessing-opportunities-in-central-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Hacksaw Ridge opens unprecedented witnessing opportunities in Central Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

24 November 2016 | St Albans, UK [Victor Hulbert with Michal Rakowski and Robert Csizmadia]<\/span><\/p>\n

Karolina and Monika, from Krakow, Poland have spent a lot of time this last month at their local cinema.  Recently baptised teenage twins, you will find them there, dressed in World-War II look-alike T-shirts similar to the uniform Desmond Doss would have worn.  On the back is written, \u201cDesmond Doss saved 75. Jesus saved all. I\u2019m an Adventist like Desmond Doss \u2013 ask me more.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Karolina and Monika handing out "Signs of the Times" at their local cinema<\/figcaption><\/figure>When they stand up at the end of a screening of Mel Gibsons WWII epic, \u2018Hacksaw Ridge\u2019, they make an impression.  They answer questions and share with movie-goers a specially prepared issue of the Polish \u2018Signs of the Times\u2019 (Znaki Czasu).<\/p>\n

They are not alone. Over 100 Adventist youth in cities across Poland have spent the month of November volunteering at cinemas, on the street, at a book fair and at special screenings of the Desmond Doss documentary film, \u2018The Conscientious Objector\u2019 in their local churches.<\/p>\n

The result? People are already having Bible studies with pastors after watching Gibson\u2019s film and at least 100 have attended an Adventist Church for the first time.<\/p>\n

All this did not happen by accident.  Marek Micyk, Youth director for the Adventist Church in Poland, joined with PR consultant Michal Rakowski and a group of youth to formulate a plan that could maximise the witness of the church during the time of the cinema release.<\/p>\n

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Booth and one of the volunteers at the International Book Fair in Krakow, visited by 70,000 book-lovers. Frances M. Doss book was released at the event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>It was not just the youth. The entire Polish Union Executive Committee bought into the vision.  The publishing house printed 30,000 copies of a magazine that normally has a circulation of 3,000.  They have all sold. <\/p>\n

Hope Channel Poland gained permission to voice over and distribute Terry Benedict\u2019s 2004 documentary \u201cThe Conscientious Objector\u201d.  Screenings were organised in five cities and 1,000 DVD\u2019s were sold.<\/p>\n

\u2018Szeregowiec Doss\u2019, a book about the life of Doss, a printed preparation for the film release, was given as a gift to journalists during the Polish premiere. Another 3,200 copies have been sold since, including at the Krakow International Book Fair visited by 70,000 people.  Znaki Czasu hosted a stand there for the first time in their history. Karolina and Monika were among the volunteers, wearing the same original American US military uniforms that Doss would have worn.<\/p>\n

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Adventist youth in Krakow and Lublin giving out \u201cSigns of Times\u201d magazines, leaflets about Desmond Doss and invitations for the screenings of Terry Benedict documentary film.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic,\u201d states pastor Marek Rakowski, Executive Secretary of the Adventist Church in Poland. \u201cA strange paradox is that in a country that is one of the most Catholic in Europe, to talk about spirituality and other religions is generally \u2018taboo\u2019.  This film has broken the taboo and given the church a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

That \u2018voice\u2019 has come at higher levels than expected both in Poland and in near-by Hungary. In both countries, the film distributor contacted the Adventist Church asking for help to check the accuracy of the translation.<\/p>\n

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R\u00f3bert Csizmadia checking the Hungarian translation of Hacksaw Ridge script<\/figcaption><\/figure>R\u00f3bert Csizmadia, Executive Secretary of the Adventist Church in Hungary states that this was an answer to prayer as they had been looking for ways to be able to use the film as a witness. \u201cThere is so much war, enmity, terrorism and people genuinely thirst for peace and love,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have something positive to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only were they able to help with accurate translation and understanding of theological concepts such as the Sabbath, but the Church in Hungary has been offered a 15 second \u2018media partner\u2019 spot before the showing of the film in every cinema in the country, plus an option of an Adventist web address on every poster.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Church leaders will also be present at two special Press and VIP screenings before the Hungarian release date of 29 December.  These will both include discussion time where the Adventist representatives will be able to talk about issues of religious freedom and tolerance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all at their cost,\u201d Csizmadia states, \u201cleaving us free to spend our resources translating and printing the \u2018It is Written\u2019 booklet, \u2018The Faith of Desmond Doss\u2019, Dos\u2019s biography, the UK produced FOCUS<\/a> magazine, and to prepare programmes that will run in local churches including showing Benedict\u2019s 2004 documentary, and running violence prevention day and associated programmes.<\/p>\n

The same is true in Poland where Hacksaw Ridge is already on release.  \u201cIn my entire life as a Seventh-day Adventist I have never seen our church gain such good media coverage,\u201d says Marek Rakowski, the Secretary of the Adventist Church in Poland.<\/p>\n

During a special pre-screening in Poland designed just for press, YouTubers and other influencers, Adventist spokesman, Pastor Andrzej Sici\u0144ski, joined two other specialists (a retired elite counter-terrorism unit commander and a Catholic priest), who reflected on the film during a discussion panel. <\/p>\n

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USB sticks were labelled and filled with ready-to-use press releases and information (like FAQ) about the Adventist Church. You can find the contents here: http:\/\/desmonddoss.pl\/media\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>Adventists also manned a booth during the press screening, handing out specially labelled USB memory sticks crammed with useful media materials about Doss and Adventists. That resulted in Sici\u0144ski being invited to several other media outlets. One film critic talked about Frances M. Doss\u2019s book in his YouTube clip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Working in PR, Michal Rakowski is impressed.  \u201cIf the Church had paid for an advertising campaign of this kind of extent, using the same media, we estimate it would cost 180,700 Euros!  That is a price that is totally unaffordable for Adventists in Poland where there are just 5,820 members in a population of 38.5 million.”  Rakowski concludes, \u201cThis was pretty spectacular – especially the amount and the fact that we did it for free!\u201d<\/p>\n

For Micyk, an active presence on the Internet was a key factor to success. His team translated the Polish Doss Wikipedia page. It was viewed 33,000 times in November, the third highest Wikipedia result globally \u2013 just after English and French. They designed a Church-owned website, www.DesmondDoss.pl<\/a>. It was viewed 35,000 times by 8,500 users.  Micyk is most proud of the Desmond Doss PL<\/a> Facebook fan-page where the most popular infographic was seen by 209,000 users, others by 140 and 120 thousand, he says. Many Polish Adventist youth changed their Facebook cover pictures for film poster images and a sentence \u201cI\u2019m an Adventist like Desmond Doss.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adventist youth promoting Doss materials at the International book fair in Krakow<\/figcaption><\/figure>Karolina and Monika, along with the other youth, are excited to see their witness making a difference \u2013 on the street, on social media, and at associated events such as \u2018runmageddon\u2019 where one of the events was to carry a bag in the same way that Doss carried his fellow-soldiers. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe movie was great, but above all, we admire Doss\u2019s moral rigidity. We are proud to be Adventists\u201d, the twins admit.<\/p>\n

Poland has done it. For Hungary the deadline looms. \u201cWe are actually a bit overtaken by this opportunity,\u201d Csizmadia says.  \u201cIt is now giving us much more work than we expected, but it is worth it. We are genuinely surprised by God!\u201d  [ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n

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  Hope Channel Poland’s Desmond Doss book and documentary film promotion<\/p>\n