Mission Magazine 2022 Winter e-issue

Vision Statement We see Christ followers effectively utilizing media to reach every people group in Asia 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.] MISSION | APMEDIA.ORG

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

BILL & KIM SNIDER ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA DIRECTORS

BEAUTIFUL FEET, MULTIPLIED As the pandemic continues to influence daily life, words like “discouragement, depression, isolation, and frustration” grip people across Asia.

I’ve been heartbroken to see many pastors and friends across Asia Pacific and worldwide lose their lives to COVID-19. It seems that God is using this season to get our attention, to realize that life is fragile — and more than ever, this world needs HIM. However, Romans 10 attests to the reality that people who haven’t heard the Good News will never have the opportunity to believe it. It also describes those who carry His Message as “beautiful feet.”

At APMedia, we are committed to sharing hope and training a generation of capable, compassionate workers whose feet bring the gospel to the largest mission field in the world — the digital mission field. The Digital Church has the potential to reap the greatest harvest that we’ve ever seen before! And every month, I see greater demand to train this generation of media missionaries than ever before!

Next month, our team is doing nationwide online training in Japan for workers and leaders. The Japanese people have not heard the Good News, but they are online every day.

That’s why, even after 33 years, APMedia continues to do everything we can to support the work on the field! Your investment is making a difference! In this new digital issue of Mission magazine, you will have the privilege of meeting those you are helping carry His Message.

Together we can be carriers of His Good News!

2022 Winter Update [3.]

[4.] MISSION | apmedia.org

“The Church in Malaysia lives with restrictions in sharing the gospel to most people in the nation. In this age of COVID, I’m so thankful that our churches can learn to utilize digital ministry and fill the gap with His Good News.

As pastors, we’ve learned the importance of using media as an evangelism tool to reach this digital generation. Our church is taking this opportunity seriously and has formed a digital media committee to support our online ministry.

The Malaysia AG has also asked APMedia to help in training their pastors and media workers. We’ve realized that pastors are the gatekeepers to new ideas. This was a result of APMedia Director Bill Snider’s vision-casting and strategy training session with pastors a few months ago.

In November, 185 church workers joined this online training session, “Church Online Workshop.” The response was very positive as we were instructed in streaming, the content of your online service, and how to engage your audience and build a social media ministry.

These workshops helped us realign our view of media as a tool for evangelism in this digital generation. It significantly impacted church leaders who are looking to amplify the gospel through their online services and communication.

—Youth Director Ling Zhi Yong, Charis Christian Centre The “Church Online Workshop” is truly a blessing! The workshop not only included the technical aspects, but also emphasized the reason we are doing online ministry.

—Pastor Nick Lim, First AG During the training, I picked up strategic ideas we could implement immediately, especially in the area of social media.

—Rev. Ignatius Anandharaja, Agape Community Church

2022 Winter Update [5.]

[6.] MISSION | APMEDIA.ORG

Our congregation at Life in Christ Assembly of God in Valenzuela City, Philippines, has 150–200 members and regular attenders. I have been serving as the head pastor in this church since 2011.

We were producing live broadcasts of our Sunday worship celebration even before the pandemic. We have since strengthened our Facebook page and our promotion of our online gathering to our constituents. Also, we hold our midweek prayer night to further connect, not only to God, but to the members as well.

Although we were already using APMedia resources, we had to go solely to online services. We received so much help from your ministry.

I attended the Media in Ministry training regularly because that is where we needed to focus our efforts.

The Lord moves in ways we don’t expect. Throughout this time the congregation has expanded through our online church ministry! We are able to reach more people from different places, near and far.

Families and friends who can’t join us for in=person “Christian” gatherings are now connecting with us online. New people have been reached and touched by our online ministry. And some of them even express that when face-to-face gatherings are back, they will visit our church and join us in worshipping the Lord.

They regularly send us testimonies like these: • A widower said she found a family in our church. Now she regularly watches and connects with us and is engaged in our online Bible studies.

• A family from Pangasinan who was looking for a church here in Manila joined us regularly and even shared our online broadcasts with their families and friends. They are now also actively connecting with us. The youngest in the family (2 years old) almost lost her life due to COVID. She was miraculously healed through the prayers of the church.

• A young mother, a regular viewer of our online broadcasts, was separated from her husband, son, and daughter for a long time. She was living with a married man. After hearing the Word of God being preached in our online broadcasts, she repented and is now back with her family!

All praises to God!

2022 Winter Update [7.]

[8.] MISSION | APMEDIA.ORG

I remember before the pandemic, pastors or some Christians would actually condemn social media. But when the pandemic started, everything was turned upside down. And they were actually the ones who invited people to their Facebook Live sermons.

When I was in elementary school, I started liking photography.

But when I was in preschool, I really liked practical arts like singing, theatrical arts, performing arts, dancing, drawing, and sketching. Then in college, I took up communication arts, majoring in film.

Late 2017 or early 2018, I tried joining my first ever contest, a videography contest here at APMedia. That movie was not technically perfect, but the story won. That’s when I understood that the technical should be secondary; the priority should always be the story.

I attended AIMM 2018. There I realized that media is not a tool for the devil to attack us, but can be God’s tool if used properly. It can be God’s tool for us to reach out to other people so they can hear the good news and be saved.

Personally, working with APMedia has had a great impact in my life — the trainers have mentored me.

Now that I am taking a film course, the things that I have already learned from APMedia — the techniques, the skills, the vision, telling a story — help me as a student and as a minister in our church.

This was especially true when the pandemic started. I was the one who did and continued to do the livestreaming as well as the photo and video editing. I think if I didn’t have that skill or that passion, our church would not be producing videos or even sharing the Sunday services and sermons. I know what I’m doing now aligns with my future career goals.

The Lord has chosen me. I’m really happy with that. I do media ministry for the love of the Lord; that makes it even more fulfilling!

Thank you for helping us continue to expand our APMedia staff as we increase our training efforts across Southeast Asia in the year ahead!

2022 Winter Update [9.]

[10.] MISSION | apmedia.org

Imagine that the last time you gathered at church was March 2020.

Imagine that you could not move freely around your town or village, that there were military checkpoints everywhere.

Imagine that the banks were closed, COVID was sickening your friends, and a vaccine was not accessible.

That’s a picture of Myanmar right now. But the gospel message is not quarantined!

Beginning in 2014, our APMedia team made a concerted effort to develop a media ministry at the request of church leaders. We made numerous trips for training, helped the church build a video and audio studio, and helped them produce many videos for teaching and outreach.

When the military took over the country in February 2020, the team was in place. Their work did not stop, and we continued to mentor them and give them access to video footage.

Every day His Message is still being multiplied! Several times each week, the media team produces and releases messages of hope, and thousands of people across the nation see them.

One media worker shared: “As life is getting more difficult, we are finding more and more people turning to digital media for hope and encouragement. Though the churches are closed, we can deliver the Word of God online.”

Every week through the Media for Hope Facebook @mediaforhopemm, our media team is sharing relevant life-building video messages like “How to Know God Exists,” “How to Find True Happiness,” “Finding Hope in Christ,” and “Where Do We Go When We Die?” Let’s continue the work we started in Myanmar!

Thank you for your partnership as we continue to help provide resources to produce these relevant Messages of Hope during this crisis!

2022 Winter Update [11.]

PRAISE REPORTS 1) A nationwide training workshop for workers in Japan is coming up in February.

2) More than 3,600 people have joined our Media and Ministry Forum, which has twice monthly online training sessions.

3) We are getting regular reports of churches in Asia growing in outreach through the online media efforts.

4) Our team in Manila is expanding with the addition of two new workers.

PRAYER REQUESTS 1) Japan nationwide online media training — February 10–12 2) 2022 Asia Institute for Media in Ministry — March 7–11 3) For the Myanmar Media team as they continue to serve thousands online through Media for Hope Facebook.

4) Vietnam Media Team of Dream Church — for continued creativity and outreach in Vietnam 5) That COVID would diminish so that we can have open doors back to in-person training in Asia [12.] MISSION | APMEDIA.ORG

2022 Winter Update [13.]

[14.] MISSION | APMEDIA.ORG

2022 Winter Update [15.]

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HIS MESSAGE, MULTIPLIED

MISSION

ASIA PACIFIC MEDIA

TRAINING MEDIA MISSIONARIES TO RESOURCE THE DIGITAL CHURCH

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