HIS HOPE, MULTIPLIED... YOU’VE HELPED US PREPARE HUNDREDS OF DIGITAL MISSIONARIES FOR THIS MOMENT! SPRING 2020 e-issue
Volume 32, Issue 3
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bill Snider MANAGING EDITOR/DESIGN Amber Weigand-Buckley COPY & LAYOUT EDITOR Tom Young EDITORIAL SECRETARY Annette Santos WEB MANAGER Patrick Tan APMedia was established in 1989 as a regional ministry of Assemblies of God World Missions.
[2.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
Vision Statement We see Christ followers effectively utilizing media to reach every people group in Asia Mission Statement We advance the gospel in Asia Pacific by empowering Christ followers to effectively utilize media and technology Values Statement We are a Christ-centered ministry that values: • Integrity • Excellence • Contextual relevance • Innovation • Partnerships and teamwork
Letter from
Bill
BILL & KIM SNIDER ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA DIRECTORS
SEIZE
THE DAY Although Kim and I are in Memphis, Tennessee, I recently returned from a lot of travel, which included a trip to Asia. This week, I was supposed to be in Vietnam and Myanmar and next month in the Philippines, but all that has changed; it’s changed for all of us. Change has abruptly cut into our lives. As a ministry, I think it’s important that we seize the day. I’m so thankful that over the last months and years we have trained hundreds of Asian workers in how to use video and how to communicate through social media. Today, those messages are going out across Southeast Asia — in the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia and other countries. People that we trained to share the good news creatively. This is a moment when they are doing it. They have been doing it before, but it’s even more important that they be doing it now. I can’t imagine how much time people are spending online looking for information about the COVID virus. Looking for answers. Looking for hope. It’s good that the message of the gospel can be there. We’re there because you have partnered with us over the years. We thank you for your prayers. Spring 2020 e-issue [3.]
Watch “The Bakit List” at apmedia.org. [4.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
KEITH & DELSEY GARNER ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA—PHILIPPINES
AP MEDIA PHILIPPINES UPDATE—The church holds the an-
swer to the questions and problems of the world. That answer, of course, is found in the good news of the life of Christ. Asia Pacific Media—Philippines is seeking to shed a biblical perspective on the heaviest social issues impacting the Philippines. Young people across the globe are struggling to figure out love and relationships are swamped with all the new cultural messages regarding sexuality. “The Bakit List” served as a lead into our current projects. In the last couple of years, teenage pregnancy in the Philippines has spiked. Recent government studies report that one in five teenage girls will end up pregnant. We are currently working on a video that will address this topic traditionally not spoken of in church. Over 15 years ago, AP Media produced a series called “Usapang Pamilya” (“Family Talk”), which addresses common issues in marriage and family. Even though the visuals are naturally a bit dated, we never envisioned that this series would still be in use . We are now working with a scriptwriter on a drama that will depict an average Filipino family as they encounter the challenges of raising children and the conflicts of familial and other social relationships. Finally, the AP Media production team finalized “Empty,” our Easter video for 2020. The message of Empty points to our traditiionally negative definition of a challenge which can’t be overcome or,desire that can’t be fulfilled. We compare that with the transformational power of the empty tomb of the living Christ Jesus, Only He can fill the empty places in our lives. Spring 2020 e-issue [5.]
Watch more of our AIMM student testimonies at apmedia.org. [6.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
“ The training we received gave our team a more informed and educated way to reach the world.“
-digital missionary-
MEET RONNEL —Video Production— The media ministry I’m involved with started when we livestreamed a ministry conference back in 2016. Since then, they have invited us to join them in their other gatherings throughout the Philippines. Our primary function is to be of service to this ministry organization. We record these seminars and conferences and also make them accessible to churches and individuals in the Philippines and throughout the world. Our media team prayerfully desires to disciple the body of Christ in utilizing their ministry gifts Though I have worked with media ministry for several years, I attended the AIMM (Asia Institute for Media in Ministry) in 2019. I was a Video Production delegate, My wife, Tina, who attended as a Social Media delegate. The training we received was a benefit to us. It gave our team a more informed and educated way to reach the world through video production, writing and social media. In this time of crisis, our team has produced a prayer video. We encourage pastors, leaders and other members of different churches throughout Asia Pacific to send their prayer for the nations and prayer abut this Covid-19 virus so we can tell viewers that Christians around the world, in unity, are praying for them. Spring 2020 e-issue [7.]
“ The empty tomb of Christ is HOPE we can all cling to.”
-a new digitract for easter-
“EMPTY” —a message of hope— JAYR MANALO ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA—PHILIPPINES
The idea for the Easter video “Empty” came from the celebration of the day combined with a play on words. The empty tomb is hope we all can cling to. As we shot this Easter DigiTract, we wanted the message to be clear: no matter the emptiness we feel inside, only Jesus can fill it up. Many AP Media Philippines team members wrote the script. We did about four revisions before we came to the final video. Some of the images used were stock footage. Some of the scenes, though, were a collection of B-roll combined with some new footage (like one team member driving and checking out the fridge. We knew we needed to get this project done and have it available for churches to use for Easter. This simple, but powerful, message of hope seems more critical now than ever before. Even though churches may not be able to play “Empty” to a live congregation, they can use it as part of their Easter service live-stream. Our prayer is that many will receive the video’s message of hope and give their lives to the One who left the tomb “Empty.” [8.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
Watch “Empty” at apmedia.org.
Click here to watch the new Easter DigiTract, “Empty.” Spring 2020 e-issue [9.]
-pray for the asia pacific-
ANSWERED PRAYERS & OPEN DOORS PRAISE REPORTS 1) AP Media has trained hundreds of workers in many countries in the Asia Pacific region. These digital missionaries are already in place to help churches start or enhance media ministry to reach their communities with the gospel 2) Even working within the social distancing guidelines imposed by political leaders, AP Media is able to produce training videos designed to help local church leaders start a media ministry.
PRAYER REQUESTS 1) Our AG churches across Asia are seeing the importance of using media. Pray for our pastors and leaders as they use these tools and encourage their churches to be more involved in media. 2) Pray for Vietnam. The government there, according to one of our sources, has encouraged churches to do live stream church services for the people. Pray that our team will be able to multiply what they are doing in other churches in different parts of Vietnam. 3) The church in Myanmar is just beginning to experience the early stages of COVID-19. Pray for our team, that they will continue to produce creative content and that there will be regular live church services available through the Media for Hope Facebook page. 4) Pray for our AP Media Manila team. Everybody is working from home because of a lock down in the city. Pray for good creativity and that we can communicate effectively with hundreds who have been trained in the last several years by these gifted workers. 5) Pray for Japan. Jonathan Lowrance, our AP Media representative and producer there, is being asked every day to help churches begin live stream ministry. Japan has so few Christians, but this is a moment when this technologically savvy society is online looking for answers and hope. [10.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
HIS MESSAGE, MULTIPLIED Through AP Media’s digital ministry tools and training, we are expanding our reach into Indonesia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Taiwan, Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam. Most of these resources can also be accessed by Filipinos living in many nations of the world, including the Middle East and Europe.
Filmmaking
Web and Social Media
Print Publication
Radio Ministry
Video Production
Media Training
REACHING ASIA PACIFIC Spring 2020 e-issue [11.]
“Can you imagine doing ministry the last five hundred years and getting away with ‘Sorry, I don’t do books’? Can you imagine doing ministry in the next five years and getting away with ‘Sorry, I don’t do Facebook’?” —Leonard Sweet
--the ap media app-
TRUTH IN THE PALM
OF YOUR HAND
For years, AP Media has struggled to make evangelistic videos and stories accessible to people. Distribution was our number one problem. Then came the smartphone and something called “apps.” A Christian leader said recently that the smartphone was the one of the greatest inventions for sharing God’s truth since the Gutenberg press. I believe it! Over 89 percent of all content that people access on the internet comes through apps. That fact motivated us to make our content more accessible. Earlier this year, AP Media launched our own app for Android and iPhone. Now, anywhere in the world, people can access AP Media content, view it and share it. This is a mobile witnessing platform for any believer to use. With over 10 million Filipinos working in nations around the world, the AP Media app is being used today in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and America to share stories of hope, to listen to the latest radio programs, and use our “DigiTracts” as a 21st century witness to youth and young professionals. The gospel message in creative form is now in the palm of your hand. Pray with us that the app will be a powerful tool broadcasting hope around the world. [12.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
Spring 2020 e-issue [13.]
Dream Church in Vietnam live-streaming their Sunday service.
-when church goes online-
NOW’S THE TIME BILL SNIDER
ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA—DIRECTOR
At AP Media we have heard again and again in country after country that church leaders just basically don’t know exactly what to do in terms of media. So, just before the COVID-19 lockdown in the Philippines, the AP Media team produced several short videos about how to do live streaming and how to use media during this crisis time. In just two days, one of those videos that was posted on the Philippine General Council AG Facebook page had over 4,300 views. And that’s only one page where we posted it. Many pastors have commented that because of these videos have jumpstarted social media ministry to enable them to reach out to their congregation and beyond. Now, their churches are reaching many more people than ever showed up in person. They are doubling or more the number of people that are actually attending online ser[14.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
vices. There is a genuine opportunity for the gospel to be heard by millions who have never heard it before. This week we are beginning to create additional videos that walk them through the basics: How do we live stream? How do I speak on camera? How do we keep our audio quality good? How do we follow up? Each video will be less than 5 minutes long; we will probably do six or seven of them. We have people in several countries who will take the English version and subtitle it into their local language. Japanese, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Khmer, Burmese, and more. Churches in Myanmar were able to move to online services due to the investment of AP Media training and the building of a studio that was completed last year.
This training is for the small church that doesn’t have 500 members and people stepping up with all kinds of cameras and equipment. We will answer their most fundamental questions: How do we do online services with limited money, equipment and manpower. to make a difference in our own community? After the filming is completed, workers we have trained in our AIMM conferences will be able to do the technical side of the subtitling. The connection is already there. There is an incredible openness. God is mobilizing an army of digital missionaries. Many who we have trained. We are hearing from many we have trained that they are actively involved in media ministry. But now the Lord is calling into active duty many who have been waiting for the right moment. That moment is NOW. Spring 2020 e-issue [15.]
APMEDIA.ORG/GIVE
[16.] AP Media MISSION / apmedia.org
-thank you, partners for preparing the workers-
FOR THIS UNIQUE MOMENT!
Click here to watch this special message from Bill It is in times of crisis, like this, when partnership really means something. In Philippians 1:5, Paul talks about how grateful he was for the partnership he had with the Church in Philippi from the very beginning. “Partnership” is the word koinonia. It conveys the idea of sharing life together — both the good and the bad. We’ve walked through things together, and we trust and love and appreciate one another. That’s what the Church needs to be about today, and we are. So, thank you for allowing us to serve you. As we all adjust to doing church differently, if there is any way we can be a blessing to you, especially in the area of video or communication support, I would be happy to help. Thank you again. We pray for you. God bless you in this very unique time in history and strategic moment for the Church to seize the day! Spring 2020 e-issue [17.]
