Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God / Asia Pacific Region
USING EVERY MEANS! RADIO • CDs • TELEVISION • BOOKS • MAGAZINES DVDs • NEWSPAPERS • MP4 PLAYERS • MOVIES
You can be part of changing lives through media.
HOW?
GIVING
• Send an offering of ANY AMOUNT to help us utilize every means to reach every person in Asia Pacific. • Send your offering NOW to help meet urgent needs we presently face. • Watch for SPECIAL PROJECTS you can give to as an individual or family, or as a church or small group. • Teach CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO GIVE TO MISSIONS by your example, and by giving copies of MISSION magazine to them. The magazines are FREE – all you have to do is ask for the number of copies you need!
PRAYING
• Pray for AP Media ministries, personnel and special needs in PERSONAL PRAYER TIMES. • Provide copies of MISSION to SMALL GROUPS so they can pray for the needs presented in each issue. • Share AP Media prayer needs with your church and church groups for COLLECTIVE PRAYER. • Teach CHILDREN AND YOUTH to pray for missions and missionaries by giving copies of MISSION magazine to them. Remember we’ll send as many FREE copies as you need!
ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA MINISTRIES
Empowering Christian leaders to use and produce media to effectively spread the gospel in Asia Pacific.
2010 Volume 24 – Number 1
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From My Perspective ~ Bill Snider Changes in technology have affected our everyday lives and communication, as well as our ministry, far beyond what we could have imagined in 1988. There are more ways to communicate the gospel than at any other time in history.
News and testimonies can be accessed on our website: www.apmedia.org
By Every Means…Movies and DVDs
FEEDBACK
It was time to make a Christian movie that was relevant to problems faced by today’s youth, and REBOUND was one of the first such films produced in the Philippines.
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By Every Means…Print Media
Approximately 200,000 people receive a gospel witness and guidance for living through every issue of MOMS.
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Prayer
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By Every Means…Radio
One survey conducted by a group of Christian ministries showed that our radio programs reach parts of Indonesia that no other Christian ministry is reaching.
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By Every Means…MP4 Players Who could have imagined twenty years ago that something so small it fits in the palm of your hand and contains massive quantities of materials would be a discipleship tool today. The portable and easy-touse format of MP4 players makes them an excellent teaching tool for Chinese believers.
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Investment Opportunities
The Family Talk series has met with huge success on television and in DVD format, and a second volume of episodes has been produced. The series continues to be used for evangelism and church planting in the Philippines.
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News Bytes
I really enjoyed reading this edition [Vol. 23 No. 2]. It is probably the most informative yet. The editor did a great job and the articles were excellent. Please keep up the good work. You folk are well ahead of the power curve when it comes to keeping your partners informed of what the Holy Spirit is doing in Asia Pacific. I’m sure I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, but when you keep people informed on what their mission dollars are accomplishing, they are much more willing to support the work. Thanks to you and all your staff for the great work you are doing!
-Alabama
PGCAG Website... Nara and Grandpa Choy... Think a Minute... Free Airtime... Video Seminar... Book Now Available
All your magazines are great, but this issue [Vol. 23 No. 2] was the best ever! I got more excited with each article I read about what the Lord is doing through your ministry. May I have more copies of the magazine to share with friends and colleagues? Keep up the good work!
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By Every Means…Radio, Newspaper, Books, CDs, Television, Internet
Think a Minute is available in multiple venues today and reaches a potential audience of millions on a daily basis.
-By Phone
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In Closing ~ Carolyn Dorsey
By Every Means…Television and DVDs
Opportunities to build the Kingdom have been impacted by the same technology that has connected the world and made it a global village. We do missions differently today than twenty years ago.
MISSION is a publication of Asia Pacific Media Ministries of the Assemblies of God World Missions – Asia Pacific Region. www.apmedia.org
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There are more ways to communicate the gospel than at any other time in history.
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hen my wife Kim and I moved to the Philippines in 1988, Christian media basically involved radio, some television, Betamax video tapes and music cassettes. We thought these were wonderful ministry opportunities and couldn’t imagine how different our ministry would be twenty years later. In 1988 a quarter-inch tape was edited with a razor blade, equipment was extremely expensive and had to be
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imported, and it took five years to get a home phone line installed in Manila. Today technology has changed the entire media scene. There’s even new media language. Terms like digital, Google, YouTube, Skype, Blu-Ray, SMS and Twitter are part of our everyday vocabulary, but they were primarily non-existent a few years ago. Changes in technology have affected our everyday lives and communication, as well as our ministry, far beyond what we could have imagined in 1988. There are
From My Perspective... more ways to communicate the gospel than at any other time in history. That’s exciting! And it’s also a challenge to us to avail ourselves of these opportunities to reach maximum numbers of people with the gospel. In 1988 AP Media was primarily a radio ministry. We were just beginning to consider production of some teaching videos on VHS for home groups. We are still doing radio today, but also so much more! We produce dramas for television and home video – on DVDs which are more efficient and cost effective than VHS. We produce movies in several Asian nations that put a relevant gospel message into the marketplace. We have websites for AP Media and for our work in Mainland China, and we are developing a new evangelism website for the Philippines. We produce CDs and DVDs of audio and video programs for use by churches and small groups and for nationwide distribution in a variety of retail outlets. We distribute MP4 players that contain the Bible, study materials and lessons, music and even videos to people in restricted nations. Without a doubt, there has been a quantum leap in communication of the gospel in Asia Pacific since 1988! The cost of equipment in 1988 made most of our ministry dreams impossible. At that time, a high quality video camera cost at least $30,000. A video editing suite cost even more. Today a high-definition video camera can be purchased for about
$3,000 and video editing is done on a notebook computer. What a difference two decades has made! I am personally committed to using every means possible to share the good news of the gospel with as many people as possible in Asia and the Pacific Islands. The entire AP Media team and I embrace the Apostle Paul’s commitment to become all things to all men that by all means some would be saved in I Corinthians and believe it is a mandate to all believers. In this edition of MISSION we are featuring ways that Asia Pacific Media is using every means of technology to present a relevant Christian message to the masses. Enjoy the articles and testimonies, and as you read, reflect on how much the world has changed in just a little over 20 years. Also remember that every opportunity before us requires two things in order to be successful. First, we must have faithful workers who have caught the vision to share the gospel with their own people through media. And second, none of these things could happen without the consistent support of people and churches – like YOU – that give to our ministry and pray faithfully for our ministry and staff. We don’t know what the next twenty years will bring. We can only focus on the means and opportunities that are available to us today. Let’s work TOGETHER to make a difference in as many lives as possible through every means possible! Bill Snider Director www.apmedia.org
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By Every Means...
Movie/Film/DVD
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bout two years ago, AP Media and Sword Productions, a Christian production company in the Philippines, jointly produced REBOUND, a youth-oriented evangelism film. It was time to make a Christian movie that was relevant to problems faced by today’s youth, and REBOUND was one of the first such films produced in the Philippines. Young people in the Philippines are no different than young people around the globe. They grow up watching MTV and movies and listening to contemporary music. To reach their hearts with the gospel, we have to take the message to them and not wait for them to come to us. That’s what REBOUND did. AP Media staff did extensive research to determine the most common problems faced by Filipino youth, and from that research, a storyline was developed. The unique plot centered around a basketball team, the most popular sport in the Philippines, and the problems faced by individual members of the team. The characters were young and the problems they dealt with were the same ones young people face every day. The consequences that result from choices, both good and bad, were vividly portrayed.
In addition to a strong evangelism message, the movie presented truths about God’s love and His relevance in our daily lives and relationships. And it conveyed the hope we have in Christ for a better and brighter future. It was fast-paced and entertaining while presenting the gospel in a way that spoke to young hearts. REBOUND debuted in several theaters across the country. It was also broadcast on a national cable television network, and was later made available on DVD in retail outlets nationwide. Today REBOUND continues to touch many young lives. It’s even being used in schools because of its strong anti-drug message. And it’s an effective evangelism tool for churches and small groups that want to reach young people in their neighborhoods and communities. In fact, there is seldom a week that goes by that churches are not using this movie to reach young people. Some pastors have rented theaters for special showings of REBOUND and they report hundreds of people coming to Christ. Almost all members of one basketball team became Christians after seeing REBOUND. Because of the long life of movies, we anticipate hearing about lives that are changed because of REBOUND for many years to come.
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• • • • • Reviews • • • • • I have a film ministry that takes me to many remote areas across Luzon and even as far as Surigao. Over the past year I have been using REBOUND as the film shown and the responses have been very good. The first time I used REBOUND a man testified that he returned to the Lord after watching it. He turned against God after the death of his son, but the movie made him realize he needed to get straight with God if he wished to meet his son in heaven. We also had government officials tell us how good the movie was to teach moral values to the community. We have shown REBOUND in many locations, including a jail and at our orphanage. I have plans to use it in an upcoming film showing inside a medium security prison. Everywhere we go we get a favorable result. The movie has a real appeal to people, especially the young. The basketball theme, the relationships, the gospel message and the style of the movie all work together to make it a hit. What I like is that REBOUND is a movie we can show in a community and even the unconverted can watch it and enjoy it, yet at the same time, they are getting a real good gospel message. Many thanks to you and your fellow workers who labored to make the movie. We can thank the Lord together that He is using it to His glory.
Greg Cox - Missionary, Valley Cathedral Ministries
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As a way of saying thank you for producing REBOUND, I am sending a few comments from young people who were touched, blessed and changed by it. They are members of a basketball team in one of the barangays [villages] here in Iloilo City. About 15 members of the team regularly attend Bible studies now and some have already become part of our local church. We are using REBOUND in evangelistic gatherings, both small and large, and a lot of people, especially youth and young adults, are being blessed by it. Thank you again and keep on producing wonderful evangelistic movies!
Pastor Rommel Atanque - Full Gospel Center Church Continued on page 10 www.apmedia.org
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By Every Means... Print
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dvances in digital technology have made print media significantly more cost-efficient and time-efficient today. What took hours, if not days, to print in the past can now be done is beyond in minutes, and the resulting product s, and comparison to mimeograph machine . even the early photocopiers of the past While audio and video technology is ia appropriate for many people, print med specific for tool remains a very effective ministry in the groups. The MOMS magazine produced Philippines is one example. s ago MOMS was launched over seven year er, Snid specifically for Filipino women. Kim serves wife of AP Media director Bill Snider, thoughtand as editor. MOMS is easy to read stages in provoking for women of all ages and
life.
AP Media publishes 40,000 copies of MOMS each quarter and distributes them as well free of charge through subscriptions, ns, as in churches, government offices, priso es, offic youth centers, video stores, doctors’ s other beauty salons, airports and numerou the than e venues. But MOMS reaches mor ause 40,000 women that pick up a copy. Bec es copi find, free Christian literature is hard to ed of each issue are passed on and shar that by multiple readers. We estimate a gospel approximately 200,000 people receive every ugh witness and guidance for living thro issue of MOMS! en This creative little magazine equips wom to win the battle for their families, their part of communities and their nation! It is a vital ilies. our ministry to build strong Christian fam
READ MOMS ONLINE! www.apmedia.org/moms
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• • • • • Reviews • • • • • When I visited a church in Cebu, copies of MOMS were distributed after the Sunday service. I was really blessed and inspired when I read MOMS. It should be in the hands of every modern family because it is a very good source of information and inspiration, not just for parents, but also for children like me.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • This is my first time to read MOMS. I can really relate to this issue [Fighting for a Better Life]. I am the eldest in the family. I graduated college and got married two years after. Then I got pregnant. I looked for a job after my pregnancy but, unfortunately, I didn’t find one. Now that my first child is three, I am two months pregnant again. I feel I am my father’s biggest disappointment in life. Please help me. I need your advice. I really feel down today.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I am a solo parent living with my only son. We have gone through lots of struggles since 1996, but we are now happy living without his father. But this is the beginning of more struggles to come, as my son has post traumatic stress disorder. I have nobody to cling to but the Lord. Receiving your magazine will be a lot of help to both me and my son, since it is for male and female readers, young and old alike, married or single. Thank you very much and may God continually bless you and your publication family!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Thank you for sending me MOMS. I read every article. They really help me understand and appreciate our unique Filipino culture, beliefs and traditions from a Christian perspective. And the articles give us an opportunity to take a second look at issues we often ignore because our society accepts them. Your approach is effective because it educates your readers with Christian values. MOMS will help both believers and unbelievers have an awareness of what is really important to all of us and our families. It will help us be rooted and grounded in God’s Word and, with God’s grace, wisdom and guidance, apply God’s Word in our lives.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • My husband and I pastor two churches. I write today to request 15 copies of MOMS to share with our churches. I also need 10 additional copies to share with my co-workers. Thank you for this ministry to women. May the Lord continue to use it to reach more moms for the Lord. God bless you.
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Continued from page 7
REBOUND is a good movie because it not only has lessons, but also teaches us about God and forgiveness. ~ Arnaldo
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REBOUND is a very good film because we got a moral lesson and people had an opportunity to know more about God. I’ve learned that in spite of bad things, life must go on. I also realized I can use my career to share the gospel. Indeed, everything happens for a reason for God is good all the time. ~ Cherrie
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I’ve learned a lot of good lessons from this movie, but one great thing that happened to me is that I received the Lord as my Savior and I want to obey Him and His will for me. I also want to share this with others. ~ Aimy
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I like REBOUND because it shows how people change by the influence of the Lord. It’s a movie that reflects the realities of life because, like the characters, we are all sinners. But, thank God, we all have hope and a chance to change course. ~ Robert
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REBOUND is a great movie! The actors and actresses portray their characters clearly. One thing that really impacted me is the truth that fame sometimes can ruin one’s personality and life if he/she is not careful. I also loved the message this movie showed that God is the God of possibilities! ~ Rizza
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • REBOUND is a good movie because it tells you to stay away from bad vices such as drugs. I also learned that I should be a good sport in any game because it is God who helps us play. And another important thing is that the movie shows that we should forgive others. ~ Hector
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REBOUND teaches us to stay away from drugs because they destroy our lives and futures. And I learned you can become mentally ill if you use them. ~ James
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I learned a lot from the REBOUND movie and got to know God more. And I learned to be humble. ~ Cris 10
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Prayer Our AP Media – China team is upgrading our website for listeners and believers in China. This will allow us to reach many more people – millions more – with the gospel message. Pray that we will receive many more contacts from people who want to know Christ and from people who want to know more about living a Christian life. Also pray that Christian workers will use the ministry tools we are making available to them to reach even more people. Our Philippines media team is working on a new drama video. Pray that every phase of production will be anointed and the end product will be a valuable ministry tool that believers across this nation can use to reach the lost for Christ.
Our Indonesia media team has Christian programming on 65 secular radio stations throughout the nation. Listener response is excellent and it is apparent many lives are being influenced for Christ in this strong Muslim nation. Follow-up with listeners is done primarily through SMS text messaging and then personal visits. Pray for this growing ministry and the team that works faithfully to produce the programs and for the follow-up team. Also pray that God will provide additional funding that is urgently needed for media work in Indonesia.
In April AP Media – China began broadcasting radio programs from a new transmitter in the South Pacific. Pray that people in central and eastern China will find the signal and get clear reception so they can hear our Christian programming.
Eleven Christian workers from a restricted country were in the Philippines in April for a two-week intensive course in video production and editing. Pray that from this group of believers, great storytellers will emerge to produce Christian media tools that will facilitate the growth of the Church in their country.
The prayer of a righteousJamesman5:1i6s powerful and effective. www.apmedia.org
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By Every Means...
Radio Broadcasting
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or many years Asia Pacific Media has used radio extensively for broadcasting the gospel in Indonesia. One survey conducted by a group of Christian ministries showed that our programs reach parts of Indonesia that no other Christian ministry is reaching. This is amazing when you consider that Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and is one of the most challenging nations to reach with the gospel in all of Asia. Through radio, the gospel is shared in places an individual would not be allowed to share. And it reaches individuals and families that would not hear the true gospel message otherwise. Each program produced by our Indonesia media team is unique and targets a specific listening audience. Key for Today and Campus Connection target youth and young adults. Our House focuses on marriage and families and relationships, and Healthy Solutions provides information applicable to all ages but with an adult listening audience in mind.
These programs air every day on 65 stations across the nation and all our airtime is FREE. Every program has a follow-up team for listeners to contact to ask questions, request information or ask for prayer. Typically, followup teams are contacted via SMS messages (a form of text messaging that is popular in Asia). In one area where there are very few Christians, the follow-up team has been receiving about 35 messages per month. Phone counseling follows text messages. Not long ago, some listeners requested a personal meeting with our program speakers for advice and counsel. To date, team members have had personal visits with 12 listeners. This is significant when you consider each of them comes from a Muslim background. We believe this is just the beginning and anticipate many more personal contacts in the future. There is no question our radio programs are touching lives and reaching people that would not hear the gospel otherwise!
Through radio, the gospel is shared in places an individual would not be allowed to share. 12
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• • • • • Reviews • • • • • Thank you for your help. God does answer prayer! When I asked you for prayer for a job, the Lord answered. I got work as a driver delivering snacks. A few months later I was promoted to salesman, but I really wanted to have my own business. Then, suddenly, my boss told me the company had gone bankrupt. When this crisis struck I asked for help again through your prayer and counseling services. Well, my boss loaned me a car and I was able to start my own business. Praise the Lord, it is running smoothly. And what’s more, three weeks ago I was able to pay off the car loan from my former boss. Now I do have my own business. This is truly a blessing from God!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • A young Muslim woman contacted the Campus Connection follow-up team to request help in dealing with her frustrations over dorm life. Her roommates ignored her and didn’t seem to care, and she was filled with hatred toward them. The counselor on the follow-up team shared how Christ wants us to treat others the way we want to be treated and not the way they deserve to be treated; how we must show kindness if we want to receive kindness. The counselor also shared that there was more to life than the small dorm room where the young woman lived, and that many people cared for her. This young woman put the counselor’s advice into practice, but she continues to need prayer as she deals with rejection and learns to accept God’s unconditional love.
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By Every Means... MP4 Players
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hina is an amazing country that is changing almost daily. Believers and church leaders hold tenaciously to their faith in the midst of difficult circumstances. Many Christian leaders have spent time in prison, yet their love for God and their commitment to building the Church is unwavering. Bibles are more readily available today than ever before, but other Christian literature and study materials are not, and there is a strong, almost insatiable, hunger for teaching that will help believers grow and mature in their walk with Christ. One of the ways AP Media is meeting this need is through the purchase and distribution of MP4 players loaded with a variety of Christian materials. Each player is pre-loaded with the 27 books of the New Testament, sixty 30-minute Bible teaching programs on the book of Genesis, fifty-two 30-minute teaching
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programs on the Fruit of the Spirit and fiftythree 30-minute Sunday worship services that include worship, a message and prayer. Each player also contains twenty short choruses and twenty-three hymns. In addition, there is 500KB free memory for the user to record or download other materials, and extra memory can be added if needed. The portable and easy-to-use format of these MP4 players makes them an excellent teaching tool for Chinese believers. They also facilitate sharing with others one-on-one or in small groups. Who could have imagined twenty years ago that something so small it fits in the palm of your hand and contains massive quantities of materials would be a discipleship tool today! Even five years ago it would not have been possible. We thank God for this innovative ministry tool that is helping build the Church in China!
• • • • • Reviews • • • • • Thanks for giving me the MP4. I’m so lucky because God loves me. I’m a student and I introduced the MP4 to my father who is a kind and warm-hearted man. He listens to it and loves it very much. I’m glad. I really hope all human beings will follow Jesus on the right and promising life road!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I would like to thank our Lord Jesus, and you, for sending me an MP4 player. I like it very much. The contents let me know more about God and Biblical truths. Since I received the player, I am in a good mood because I am able to listen to God’s Word, read the scriptures, praise Him and pray to Him at any time. Thank you very much. May the Lord Jesus remember you for all that you have sacrificed and bless you with peace and joy every day.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Thank you for giving me this valuable gift [MP4 player] to enable me to listen to God’s Word. May we keep loving one another. May God bless you and give you joy. Continued on page 16
VISIT THE AP Media - China WEBSITE: www.zgtai.com
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• • • Reviews Cont’d • • • Thank God for your love and help in this poverty area. Thank you for bringing us these MP4 players. The messages, the praise songs and the messages in our language help us understand God’s Word. It also strengthens our communication with each other. It helps us grow and mature and have the whole measure of fullness of Christ and empowers us to overcome the world.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • May God be with us always, to stand firm in His truth, to be kept in His love, and let us love each other and preach the good news and serve our Lord together.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I am a girl from a village. One day when I went to Uncle Paul’s home to play, he gave me an MP4. I brought it back to school. When I am tired of studying, I turn it on. You know, when I turn it on, two words – peace and joy – jump out and warm my heart. Because of my tight study schedule, I hardly read the Bible. But now I am able to listen to God’s Word on this MP4. Especially on winter nights when the weather is too cold to study, I hide myself in a quilt and carefully turn on the MP4. It always accompanies me before I sleep. I join in the praise songs and it links me to God. I know all these blessings are because someone far away, whom I have never met, silently sacrificed. Because of that, I sincerely thank you for bringing so much joy to me. I really appreciate and am grateful for what you have done! Surely God will grant us a chance to meet someday!
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InvestmentOpportunities INDONESIA
Production of one daily radio program costs as little as $152 per month. It airs on 65 radio stations nationwide. Airtime if free but funds are needed for production. Please consider investing in at least one program that will provide a strong Christian message in this Muslim nation.
CHINA AIR TIME
In April we began broadcasting radio programs from a new transmitter in the South Pacific. This increased our airtime costs by $1,000 per month, which has placed a strain on our budget. We are in urgent need of people to contribute toward this need.
PHILIPPINES
Operational expenses for our Manila office, including training national workers to use and produce media tools for a variety of ministry outreaches, are only $300 per day. This is a small amount for all that is accomplished, but we are falling short of funding most months and urgently need additional support in order to maintain momentum.
CHINA OPERATIONS
Operating expenses for our China ministry, including airtime, total $425 per day. Tens of thousands of people are being influenced for Christ each day through our ministry in Mainland China. Please consider helping us with this need. Perhaps there is a special person you would like to honor by sponsoring a day of China media ministry in their memory.
If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. Romans 12:8
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By Every Means...
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DVD/Television
ollowing is an excerpt from an interview published in Volume 20 Number 3 of MISSION magazine. Carolyn Dorsey interviewed Evelyn Damian, a script consultant for Family Talk (Usapang Pamilya).
Family Talk is a video series produced by APMM for television and for use in small groups. It is also available on DVD and distributed nationwide in the Philippines through a variety of retail outlets. The series has met with huge success and a second volume of episodes has been produced since this original interview. It continues to be widely used by the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God as an effective evangelism and church planting tool.
CD: How important is the family unit in Filipino culture? ED: It is the basic unit of our society, so it’s very important. However, recent statistics show that quite a large number of Filipino families are dysfunctional. Building a strong family, particularly a strong Christian family, was not a focus of our regular education. Today there is specialized help for Filipino families, but few can afford this type of help. CD: Why is Family Talk important and how is it making a difference? ED: It is a timely move for APMM to produce the Family Talk series. Like the rest of the world, watching television is a popular pastime for most Filipinos. Unfortunately, soap operas, particularly Filipino and Korean soap operas, have become extremely popular. These soap operas do not provide realistic models of family life, yet people watch them every day and, as a result, family relationships are affected over time. In contrast, the Family Talk series presents 18
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Christian models for family relationships while offering hope and guidance in dealing with very real issues that families face. CD: What are some of the topics covered in Family Talk episodes? ED: Some of the topics covered are family finances, raising children to love and serve God, OFWs, or Overseas Foreign Workers, surviving temptations to be unfaithful to the marriage relationship, single parent family issues, peer pressure among teens, the devastating impact of gossip, suffering, forgiveness and worry. You can see that many of the topics are difficult issues that many people are afraid to talk about, or they feel they have no one to go to for counsel. CD: Tell me about the program format. ED: Each television program is 30 minutes in length. The episode begins with a 10- or 15-minute drama that raises an issue relevant to Filipino culture and family life. That is followed by a brief discussion of what the Bible has to say about the topic. At the conclusion of the program, a brief drama shows what happens when biblical principles are applied to the situation being discussed. CD: We understand from the title of the program that Family Talk is obviously a program for families, but give our readers a little more insight into your specific target audience. ED: Family Talk was launched to target Filipino families both in the Philippines and abroad, and Asian families in other countries with cultures and family structures and issues similar to the Philippines. Our initial goal was to strengthen Christian families and provide help and answers
for issues they face. However, to our surprise, Family Talk has become a very effective tool for evangelizing neighborhoods and communities. God had a bigger plan than we realized. Families, whether Christian or non-Christian, need help in dealing with the types of issues Family Talk addresses. CD: I understand Family Talk episodes are also available on DVD for use by churches and small groups. Tell us how these DVDs are being used.
They are also using them for evangelism in their communities. A host invites neighbors and friends to their home or a nearby community hall for a film showing. If they were invited to a Bible study, most would not come. But when they are invited to a film showing, they feel comfortable coming. In most cases, those who come easily relate to the characters in the drama and the situation being portrayed. That opens the door for comfortable discussion and leads to building or strengthening a relationship between the Christian host and the non-Christian viewers. As a result, people are drawn to a relationship with Jesus Christ and the local church.
ED: Yes, the programs are available for churches and small groups. These versions are a little longer than the television versions, usually about 30 to 40 minutes in length. Churches are finding the program to be very useful for ministering to families in their congregations.
• • • • • Reviews • • • • • I am one who has been blessed by watching Usapang Pamilya [Family Talk]. Every time good points are emphasized, my faith is encouraged. However, if correction is emphasized, I pray fervently that God will guide me to make the right decisions according to His will. Thank you very much for producing these movies. I hope more people will be blessed as they watch them.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Thank you for the great ministry you have. I have been very blessed by the more than 20 DVDs [Family Talk] I have watched, especially the question and answer part. Being one of the leaders in my church, I have been the moderator after each episode we watched during what we call our “movie fellowship. Please continue your excellent work in reaching the world through these Bible-based DVDs. Do you have more? Please send us more. Thank you. www.apmedia.org
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NEWS BYTES NEWS PGCAG Website AP Media is helping the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God launch a new website, while at the same time training a new generation of Christian workers to use media to share the true message of Christ. We believe this new website will reach many people that would not visit a local church. And we believe these new media workers will help their churches develop creative new tools to reach their cities and communities. Bill Snider
Nara & Grandpa Choy There is an incredible need for discipleship material in Cambodia, especially for children. Working with a number of missionaries over a period of about two years, we have designed the Nara and Grandpa Choy series to meet this need. It is based on the original Dan and Louie children’s programs created years ago by Dan Betzer, and addresses some of the key issues faced by Christians in a Buddhist culture, specifically in Cambodia. We have been working on this project for a long time and it is exciting to see it come to completion. Pray that God will continue to bless and anoint this project and use it to change the hearts and lives of many children and, ultimately, families too. To see a detailed overview of this project and pictures that go with it, visit www.taborfocus.com/dan_and_louie.html. Troy and Lisa Tabor
Think a Minute
An Assemblies of God leader in Croatia is now translating and using our daily messages to connect with the scores of unreached people in his nation. While yachts glide up the coast and movie stars buy one of Croatia’s idyllic islands, this jewel of the Mediterranean is filled with sin that has fractured its people’s hearts and families. Pray that many of them will be shown the way home to God through our programs. Jhan and Iris Hurst
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BYTES NEWS BYTES Free Airtime
It is amazing that all airtime for our radio programs is FREE! That’s right, we pay for no airtime on 65 radio stations across the nation of Indonesia. We believe this is reflective of the quality of radio programs produced by our team. Stations want to air our programs because people want to hear them and, therefore, stations draw larger listening audiences. Thank God for this miracle!
Pat and Linda Cochenour
Video Seminar
Last August we worked with Ecclesia Ministries Limited of Hong Kong to conduct a Basic Video Seminar at their campus. More than 30 participants from 10 different churches attended the three-day seminar. Topics ranged from pre-production planning to actual production and even how to establish a media team. Participants left with a desire to use what they learned to improve or introduce media ministry in their churches.
AP Media – China Staff
Book Now Available Welcoming Jesus Into Your House is now available in bookstores and through the AP Media office in Manila. This book is an easy-to-read, verse-by-verse reflection on the book of Ephesians. It’s meant for the everyday person and focuses on how we can have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ if we allow Him complete access to our heart.
Kim Snider
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By Every Means...
T
Radio - Newspaper - Books - CDs - Televison - Internet
welve years ago Think a Minute was launched on a radio station in the Pacific. Little did anyone know the impact it would have and the phenomenal growth it would experience in just over a decade. What is Think a Minute?
It’s a popular daily radio program and newspaper column in numerous countries and languages around the world. Collections of Think a Minute messages have been published in three books. With humor, stories and wisdom, Think a Minute points the way to a successful life. Each brief message gives thought-provoking, practical answers to the questions and problems confronting people in today’s world. Today Think a Minute reaches a potential audience of millions on a daily basis through a variety of venues. The program not only airs on numerous secular radio stations, it can also be seen on television, read in newspapers and in book format, listened to on CDs and seen on the Internet. It is ministering to people through at least one of these formats in 27 countries and 11 languages, and those numbers continue to grow consistently. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists and Animists are all hearing and receiving the gospel, and being directed to local churches, because of Think a Minute. We are thankful for every new door of opportunity that God opens and every new venue that becomes available for Think a Minute!
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VISIT THE
Think a Minute
WEBSITE: www.thinkaminute.com
• • • • • Reviews • • • • • We’ve never received such a strong response to a program as we have to Think a Minute. It is now part of the nation’s daily routine. Manager of #1 Pop Radio Station in a Pacific Country
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Few organizations in the Pacific are reaching and helping so many people as effectively as Think a Minute. Civic and Religious Leader
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Please keep sending your columns. Think a Minute continues to be very popular…a big demand from the public. Owner/Manager of a Leading Newspaper
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I’m going through a very difficult time with my teenage children. Listening to your program helps me get through the day. I will share your book with my friend. A Mother
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I really enjoy listening to the CDs every morning. I sent copies with your book to the Philippines so my wife and family can share them with others. Video and Audio Technician
www.apmedia.org
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We must use every means at hand today to reach as many people as possible for Christ because there’s no assurance we’ll have an opportunity tomorrow.
In Closing...
T
wenty years ago this September, my family moved to Cambodia to pioneer the Assemblies of God missionary work in that country. While it was 1990 and the rest of the world seemed to be exploding with technology and industry, Cambodia seemed stuck in a time-warp decades earlier. Even the most basic technology, like telephone service, was non-existent. When phones eventually became available two years later, it cost $2,000 to have a land-line installed and $6 per minute to call anywhere outside the country. Cell phones were unheard of! Cambodia hasn’t quite caught up with the rest of the world yet, but twenty years have certainly made a difference. As I worked on this issue of MISSION I was amazed and grateful to God at the same time. I don’t believe there has ever been a more exciting time to be a Kingdom worker! Our opportunities have been impacted by the same technology that has connected the world and made it truly a global village. We do missions differently today than twenty years ago – even just five years ago! While I am in awe of the means we have at hand to reach the masses today, I wonder what the next five years and ten years and twenty years will bring. My mind can’t begin to imagine what media tools will be available to us by then. But I am reminded that the challenge is for today. We must use every means at hand today to reach as many people as possible for Christ because there’s no assurance we’ll have an opportunity tomorrow. I believe Christ will return for His Bride very
soon and that inspires a sense of urgency to do all we can while we can. Thank you for being a part of our efforts to build the Kingdom in Asia Pacific through media. You may never go on a movie shoot or sit at a computer and edit a film; you may never produce a radio program or write for a magazine; your may never write or translate a script; but you can still be a valuable part of our media work. You can pray. We need your prayers more today than ever before. Along with great opportunities come great challenges. Your prayers will help us overcome the challenges we face. You can give. While equipment costs have decreased dramatically over the years as technology has advanced and improved, it still takes money to do the work of the Kingdom. Without sufficient funding, ministry projects have to be cut back or put on hold and we lose the momentum we’ve gained over time. That isn’t what God wants. Until next time, let’s all work with renewed commitment to build His Kingdom…by every means!
Carolyn Dorsey Editor
Proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96:2-3
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Insights...
> > > > > >
80 million Indonesians have a mobile phone. Web surfers in China typically spend more than 12
About
hours per week online.
The average Filipino spends at least week watching television.
21 hours per
There are more Internet users in Asia than any other region of the world. Internet usage in the Pacific Islands increased percent between 2000 – 2008.
154
The number of text messages sent and received each day exceeds the total population of the world.
>
Radio - 38 years TV - 13 Years It took Internet 4 years to reach a market audience of iPod - 4 years Facebook - 2 years
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Asia Pacific
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50 million people.
Want to know more about our media work?
Want to give to a media project?
Want to be an APMM prayer partner?
Want to get your church or small group involved in a media project? Want to give a year of your life to media work in Asia Pacific?
Find out more! Find out more! log on:
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Asia Pacific Media Ministries Assemblies of God World Missions 1445 North Boonville Avenue Springfield, MO 65802-1894 Address Service Requested
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