Two properties were purchased in Alsbach, near Darmstadt, Germany, on which a new facility will be built
Plans are under way to establish a modern media facility of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe. Two properties were purchased in Alsbach, near Darmstadt, Germany, on which a new facility will be built to house a studio for film, video and audio recording, as well as audio and video cassette production.
“Today Christianity needs to look at new and effective ways of communication with modern society. My church is keen to use such methods to present the gospel message, says Martin Haase, communication director of the Euro-Africa Division of the Adventist Church with headquarters in Berne, Switzerland.
“Methods of yesterday are nostalgic. Some are still good, but society requires different sources of communication and of a different quality. As a church we look at maximizing resources and looking at communication in a comprehensive way,” he said.
The Euro-Africa Division, one of 12 world regions of the Adventist Church, has been analyzing positive results of new media productions in their evangelistic outreach. The core communication program production will be built around Stimme der Hoffnung (Voice of Hope) center in Darmstadt, which partners with Adventist World Radio and Adventist Global Communication Network, an international satellite broadcasting entity of the Adventist Church worldwide. Hasse believes that bringing together several church departments in a common media center will contribute to an effect of synergy.
“Since the Net ‘96 satellite outreach series, all interested churches in our part of Europe have in the Stimme der Hoffnung a reliable partner for the preparation and maintenance of satellite technology,” Haase explains. The current operation is being expanded above what is being produced now. The current facility has for many years produced high-quality short-wave programs in its own studios, dubbed video and audio cassettes in different languages, as well as recorded audio books and other publications for libraries for the blind. The center is also experiencing an extraordinary success with the “Discovery” Bible correspondence course.
“Our church in the countries comprising the Euro-Africa Division is experiencing a new day in church growth. This media center is to become a modern instrument for our evangelism,” says Ulrich Frikart, president of the Euro-African Division.
“Today the world of communicating news and information requires changes in the way we do our communication in the church,” said Haase, who comes to his new responsibility with experience in management consulting and employment of new technologies. “With the present facilities, the growing needs in the realm of the media potential can only be met in a limited way. We are excited to be going ahead with this project.”
The project is being realized by a special budget appropriation from the church’s General Conference and includes private funding. “We are a part of a world family. We all share in our common, global resources. We hope to contribute further through the ministry of the center to reach our common goal as a family of God,” Haase says. “We need this urgently when we consider our limited budgets and growing requirements of quality,” he adds.
Construction of a new building for the studios and editorial staff is planned in a first phase on a 3300-square meter property, to then be expanded in a second phase on the neighboring 2800-square meter property. The new complex will house an internet center of the Euro-Africa Division, with training rooms, and a multi-language telephone response center with secretarial and translation services. Design and operational details for the facility have not yet been finalized, although the ground-breaking ceremony has already taken place. The project’s master plan continues to develop, according to Haase. “We are aiming at the end of 2000. We are excited to see the plan off the ground now.”
Martin said that one of the challenges faced by the diverse international congregation is resource sharing for a culturally, and linguistically diverse church. “The center will be open to a multi-language production. It is in our interest to see that in communication ministry we are thinking globally and cross culturally,” he says.
Seventh-day Adventists in Europe, which are administered also by two other European divisions of the church, Trans-European with headquarters in St. Albans, England, and Euro-Asia, with headquarters in Moscow, Russia, operate several successful media facilities, including studios for radio and satellite broadcast programming.
