The Adventist Hour Telecast

THE challenge to the church is to reach the mass of human hearts in the great metropol­itan cities of the world. These pulsating cities are becoming more con­gested as a result of a booming world popula­tion. More and more people are gravitating toward these centers. It is predicted that certain coastal areas of the United States. which extend over an area of hundreds of miles, will be one continu­ous mass of humanity within the next few years.

Six Inches of Concrete

These millions of people concentrated in jungles of concrete and steel are the tremendous responsibility of those who be­lieve this Advent message. As a people we commend and prefer a pastoral environ­ment. Yet we must not neglect the masses of humanity in the sprawling cities of the world. The almost overwhelming chal­lenge to the finishing of God's work is not the scattered people of the rural areas. They are significant to our allotted task, but they are more receptive to the printed page and the personal contact. City dwell­ers are more prone to insulate themselves against personal contact. In many cases they are apartment dwellers who have lived for years as neighbors to other families with no personal communication having been developed. Only six inches of con­crete may separate them from others, but it is an iron curtain of resistance. A church within that city may be missionary-minded, but its members will encounter cold resist­ance when trying to make personal con­tact with such people without some kind of a lead or introduction.

To reach these people within the greater Los Angeles area has burdened the hearts of the church in the Southern California Conference. To make direct personal con­tact is almost impossible. Five years ago it was decided to use television in an effort to portray Adventism. The objective was to let the people know what we are like and what we believe. Many people have strange ideas about Seventh-day Advent­ists. They wonder what goes on inside the walls of a Seventh-day Adventist church. Some questioned whether they would be welcome at our worship services. The for­mat of the Adventist Hour telecast was planned to answer such questions. It was decided to release a regular Sabbath wor­ship service on TV. Accordingly, a video tape was used to record a regular worship service so that it could be released from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. each Sunday morning. This format has been followed for five years.

Some months ago the Southeastern Cali­fornia Conference joined in the sponsor­ship of this telecast. Some of the larger churches in both conferences plan the pro­gram for four consecutive weeks. This gives the pastor an opportunity to conduct a series of messages on an assigned subject. Other churches will release the program for one or two weeks. We have found two advantages in such a procedure. First it gives the members of our churches in a community special cause to invite their friends to view the telecast when it is being released from their home church, and second, such a procedure portrays a wider image of Adventism.

Sabbath Subject Sparks Interest

The subjects presented from Sabbath to Sabbath have been strongly doctrinal. The pastors have reached an outstanding achievement in superbly presenting such material. On different occasions the Sab­bath and related subjects have been pre­sented. Consistently this subject has brought a large audience response. Almost all the letters that have reached the office following these presentations have been favorable. Also the prophecies of the Word have been given in an understandable and inoffensive way.

The people knowledgeable regarding telecasts state that the uniqueness of the Adventist Hour program is the actual por­traying of a worship service. They suggest that few churches have courage to follow such a procedure. The rating of the Ad­ventist Hour has remained consistently near the top for religious programing in the Los Angeles area. We feel its original purpose is being accomplished. Through the TV sets the Adventist message has en­tered thousands of homes and shared with the viewers a favorable image and the be­liefs of Seventh-day Adventists.

Letters Tell the Story

The letters we have received are re­vealing. "How does one switch to Saturday when they have been worshiping on Sun­day all their life?" Another states: "I am interested in learning more about your reli­gion. It is with deep satisfaction that I watch the Adventist Hour each Sunday morning." We would like to think the fol­lowing communication reveals the deep thinking of many. "This is the first time I have ever written to any program, religious or otherwise, but happened to tune to Channel 5 last Sunday morning . . . and heard the minister's presentation on 'The Christian Sabbath.' That I was impressed would be an understatement. To me this is the way religion should be presented." An­other writer frankly states: "I am not a Seventh-day Adventist, but I think I would like to be one." Even more encouraging is this note: "I always listen to your Sunday broadcast and it is through this and the Faith Bible Course that I am now an Ad­ventist."

Long-Range Evangelism

Television is merely one major media that is available for use in the proclaiming of this message. Its immediate tangible re­sults may be disappointing to one who con­cludes that such programing is the answer to all evangelism for a populous area. At this point it is my personal opinion that such a concept is premature. TV and ra­dio have tremendous potential for long-range evangelism. They open doors for personal contacts. Their witness invites and urges people to visit our churches. Limited are the ones, as of this date, that make a full decision without the personal work of a representative of the church.

We believe statistics in the Southern California Conference reveal trends. Dur­ing the past four years 5,559 joined the church in this conference by baptism and profession of faith. This is approximately a 25 per cent increase over the previous four-year period. We believe the Adventist Hour has been a contributing factor. But it is not a complete answer to evangelism in a congested area. It is one important prong along with literature and personal evangelism. Where time can be purchased, however, it is becoming more evident that we should use more fully the mass media of communication in proclaiming this mes­sage to the millions of the metropolitan areas.