Five Seventh-day Adventist professional communicators were honored April 5 at an awards breakfast held at the Adventist Church world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.  A newspaper columnist from Canada, a television producer from the United States, a local radio producer from France, and a long-time church communication director from Australia were among those who were recognized for their contributions in the field of communication.  An award was also given posthumously to an Australian videographer whose productions are credited with breaking new ground for Adventist communication.

The inaugural Bridge Awards, established by the communication department of the Adventist Church worldwide, were not just about recognizing personal achievements or contributions, says Ray Dabrowski, communication director for the Adventist world church.

“We want to acknowledge and encourage high professional standards among Adventist communicators who work both within church institutions and in the mainstream media,” he explains. “But more importantly, we wanted to emphasize that the purpose of Adventist communication is not merely to make sharply produced videos, or to publish well-written articles, but rather to effectively communicate a message of compassion and hope to those who need to hear it.”

Dabrowski says the award honors those who have been “committed to communicating Christian values and ideas, through different media, in ways that make a difference in people’s lives. In acknowledging these individuals, we also honor the many thousands of Adventist professional communicators who work in all aspects of the media.”

Those honored were David Brillhart, a television producer based in Columbia, Maryland; Royson James, a well-known newspaper journalist in Toronto, Canada; Dany Guenin, a community radio broadcaster in Annecy, France; and Ray Coombe, who for 15 years headed up communication for the Adventist Church in the South Pacific region. A Bridge Award was awarded posthumously to Gabriel Reynaud, a film and video director from Sydney, Australia, who died last year.

Journalist Dr. David Aikman, who was a senior correspondent with Time magazine for 23 years, spoke at the awards breakfast.  A committed Christian, Aikman said that journalism, like Christianity, is about proclaiming truth. He challenged Christian communicators to strive for professional excellence.