From November 9-11 there were about 70 leaders in Communications, Media and Evangelism Departments from eleven Western and Southern European countries. They worked on strategies for the years 2016-2020 common for all media areas where the Seventh-day Adventist Church operates.
The meeting entitled "Shaping the Future" from "EUD GAiN 2015", took place in the "Voice of Hope" Media Center in Alsbach-Hähnlein, Germany. EUD stands for the Adventist continental church leadership in Western and Southern Europe, EUD, the "Inter European Division". GAiN is the abbreviation for Global Adventist Internet Network.
The conference was planned and carried out by the EUD Communications Department together with the Adventist Media Center in Germany. Approximately 60 TV and radio stations as well as Internet, Seventh-day Adventist Communication and Evangelism leaders exchanged ideas first on planned and realized projects in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland.
Afterwards they discussed Internet projects, as well as current trends on internet and technology development in the field of social media. The following two days they worked in eight groups on a media strategy until 2020 in the areas of television, radio, social media, printing, IT, the Web and security. The group results were collected by a team to be delivered to the participants after the editorial revision. These should be submitted in the spring of 2016 at the national church leadership and the EUD church leadership for a media strategy approval until 2020. This is to be published on the EUD communications site: http://gain.eud.adventist.org/
Personal, non-electronic encounters
The media is only a means to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and to establish contact with everyone, said Paolo Benini, Head of EUD Evangelism Department. “The main point, however, is still the personal touch, face to face relationship, this could never be replaced by any media activities. There is no electronic church,” said Benini.
“Based on this background the German-speaking world sees an even closer cooperation between the electronic media of Hope Channel and the Bible Study Institute, implemented in 2015,” said Pastor Klaus Popa, head of Voice of Prophecy. The Hope Bible Studies Institute offers Bible and other courses by correspondence.
Corrado Cozzi, EUD Communications Director declared: "Our goal with this GAIN is not to improve our technological structures, neither to improve our channels of information, but above all to highlight the importance of Evangelism as 'core business' of our church. We have to raise awareness on the return of Jesus; this should be done with the support of all the forces and resources that we have in the church. The Communication Department has to work in synergy with the Adventist Mission and support its activities", so Corrado Cozzi.
Hope Bible Studies Institute is the oldest institute for free Bible correspondence courses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and was founded in 1948, because listeners on Christian radio broadcasts wanted to hear more about the Bible. Every year there are about 6,000 listeners who ask for the Bible correspondence courses, free and without obligation.
Hope Channel is a radio and television station of the Seventh-day Adventist Evangelical Free Church. The station is part of the international family of Hope Channels, which was founded in the US in 2003 and now includes 36 national channels. For more information visit www.hope-channel.de.