On July 1, 2023, the Adventist media ministry Hope Media celebrated its 75th anniversary. This period also includes the existence of the predecessor organization Voice of Hope. Under the motto "75 years of hope," around 130 invited guests gathered at the media center of Hope Media Europe in Alsbach-Hähnlein (near Darmstadt), Germany, for a service of thanksgiving, combined with an additional program of visits and music. The sermon was preached by Guillermo Biaggi, general vice-president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and chairman of the board of Hope Channel International.

In his opening remarks, Klaus Popa, director of Hope Media Europe, acknowledged the commitment of the founders and subsequent generations in building up the media ministry. In doing so, he also remembered Arno Patzke, who died shortly before and had led the predecessor organization Voice of Hope from 1978–1993. He described the goal of Hope Media's work as follows: "We have always been concerned that people come to know God, decide to believe in Him, and have a hopeful life."

Greetings were given by Norbert Zens, chief financial officer for the Inter-European Division, who is also chairman of the supervisory board of Hope Media Europe, and Sebastian Bubenzer, mayor of Alsbach-Hähnlein. The latter expressed his great appreciation for the work of Hope Media. He thanked the sponsors and donors as well as the Hope Media team, which "plays in the champions’ league in terms of content and technology."

From Ten Minutes of Radio per Week to a Full TV Program

Max Busch founded Voice of Hope in Berlin-Wilmersdorf in 1948, which produced radio programs. In the same year, the Bible Correspondence School, now called “Hope Courses,” also started. The weekly radio broadcasting time was ten minutes in the beginning. After a move to Darmstadt in 1959, the work grew even more.

In 1968, the Blind Listening Library was added, with Christian listening services for blind and visually impaired people. In 2006, the library moved to its present building in Alsbach-Hähnlein. The construction of the new media center was made possible by an unexpected donation of €1 million (approx. US$1.11 million presently), as Günther Machel, then head of Voice of Hope, reported at the celebration event. In 2009, the Christian television station Hope Channel started and was renamed "Hope TV" in 2019. Today, Hope Media, as Voice of Hope is now called, employs over 70 people.

Production Expansion Planned

Reflecting on Hope Media's history, which has been "full of miracles," Biaggi spoke about seven miracles mentioned in the Bible: the miracle of creation, redemption, life, mission, faith, hope, and love. A prayer of intercession by Hope Media employees concluded the service.

A tour of the building included a report on the ongoing renovation of the media center, which should enable it to produce 20 hours of new content per week from the autumn (currently, it is about five hours per week).

The day concluded with a classical concert. Lynn My Lin Trinh (violin), Simon Scheibe (cello), and Eva Paul (piano) performed works by Camille Saint-Saens, Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and Johan Halvorssen.

About Hope Media

Hope Media Europe operates the Hope TV channel, the Hope Bible Study Institute (Hope Courses), and the Hope Audio Library. The media center is part of the international Hope Channel family of channels, which was founded in 2003 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the USA and now consists of over 60 national channels.

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-European Division website.