Moving the Message

KEITH & DELSEY GARNER ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA—PHILIPPINES

MOVING THE MESSAGE

Imagine a group of young people talking together. What do you think they are talking about? Who is “it” in a game of tag? The latest movie? Are they complaining about how bored they are?

A staff member recently met a group of 10- to 15-year-olds and was amazed at their conversation. They were discussing their personal YouTube channels and video editing. For most adults, getting a picture to Facebook from our phones is a challenge, but these kids are already producing and publishing videos!

Young people appear hardwired for media because they grew up immersed in it. As a result, media is important to them, and any message viewed on a screen has added credibility.

This raises the question: How does the Church respond to this reality? The goal of the Church is to present the gospel to the masses, and right now the masses are in front of a 3½-inch screen that fits in their pockets. Christ-centered media resources are needed to reach through these screens to communicate the gospel accurately and creatively.

Our last training event started with our commenting about how young the attendees were. By the end of the first day the comments switched to how talented they were.

These young people were passionate and eager to share Jesus in their native language — media. Training is good, but without empowerment it is useless. At our training events, we are meeting talented young songwriters, videographers and writers who are looking for ways to express their faith, speak to their generation and bless their churches. Since that training event, numerous evangelistic social media sites have been created, church media ministries have been enhanced, and the gospel message is being multiplied.

We are now beginning to invite some of these participants to join us in the creative process and help us produce new media materials to share the gospel. Their energy is contagious. Their creativity is inspiring. Their love for Jesus is unbridled. AP Media—Philippines is equipping and empowering the next generation to multiply His Message through media.