The Communication Department of the Negros Occidental Conference hosted the Adventist Communicators’ Training at Bacolod Central Church from November 1-2, 2024.
In today’s digital age, this training provides church communicators with essential skills to effectively reach the online world with the gospel message. Trainees learn to strategically use and expand social media platform coverage, creating compelling content that engages audiences.
While some topics addressed the digital era’s communication needs, Pastor Berdandino Maniego, the Central Philippine Union Conference Communication Director and guest speaker, and Pastor Joy Cantela, NOC Communication Director, also emphasized the vital communication roles of local church members.
To address the need for more news contributions, Marilyn Lucero, CPUC Mizpah associate editor, conducted lectures on the importance of news writing and the rules for crafting effective news reports.
News stories, shared on digital platforms, can reach global audiences beyond the confines of churches. Such reports inspire readers from other parts of the world and inform them about the growth and impact of our ministry.
“News writing has several rules we need to master. Since global audiences are reading our works, we need to conform to proper standards of news writing,” Lucero said.
Bryan Lacson, NOC Adventist World Radio personnel, also gave tips on video editing and camera angles.
He encouraged the attendees to create powerful videos because they can become effective tools for ministry and evangelism in this highly competitive digital age, offering dynamic ways to capture audiences and share messages of hope and salvation.
“Nowadays, we share so many videos or vlogs on social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. But the question is, what kind of content are we sharing with the world? Do we use our social media sites to share messages of salvation?” Lacson asked as he made an introduction to his message.
Meanwhile, Pastor Maniego stressed the relevance of the training on God’s great commission call, which is found in Matthew 24: 14, which says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Elaborating on this verse, he led the worshippers to realize that the phrase “…the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached” also means “…the gospel of the kingdom shall be communicated.” Thus, the church’s role as a communicator in spreading the gospel.
After discussing the various roles of communicators and their significance in evangelism, he encouraged everyone to accept the role sincerely. “As Adventist Communicators, we should seek, sense, and share our role in the ministry.”
He also pointed out that the communication department is the umbrella, under which is the media ministry. Thus, church members must also develop skills to improve communication in their local churches.
Pastor Cantela, among the different topics he discussed, also stated that writing is a powerful tool for introducing good news. He explained that through writing, the activities of a local church can have a chance to be shared globally.
“It’s the easy way to let the world know that our church exists,” Pastor Cantela explained. He then explained the process of how news is shared from the local church to its mission or conference, then to global networks such as the Adventist News Network.
In the afternoon, Hope Channel Bacolod’s live program, “Together We Pray,” which was held at the church, further enriched the Sabbath afternoon program. It featured personal experiences and prayers shared by hosts and audience members.
The event culminated with more lectures that empowered church members, officers, and delegates to better understand and fulfill the roles and responsibilities of church communicators.
By Stephanie Loriezo, Negros Occidental Conference
The original version of this article is posted on the official Facebook page of the Negros Occidental Conference.