Adventist Communicators in the Philippines Are Trained for Better Service

By: Edward Rodriguez, Southern Asia-Pacific Division, and Adventist Review

Adventist Communication Training (ACT), a brainchild of the Communication Department of the Adventist world church, seeks to empower and equip local communication leaders. Its goal? That they be frontrunners in disseminating accurate and factual information to the church and the community by using a variety of methods of communication.

According to Adventist communication leaders, the ACT intensive training primarily aims to remind church leaders working in communication about their important role as the media personnel, spokespeople, crisis managers, news curators, and bridge builders toward members and the community.

From July 31 to August 4, 2019, the ACT program landed in the Philippines after its successful launch in three cities in India. More than 200 delegates across the Philippine archipelago flew south to Cagayan de Oro to experience this novel initiative.

Adventist Church communication director Williams Costa led the team from the world church, bringing in new insights, strategies, and activities. In his opening message, Costa stressed the importance of communication inside the church and how much value we should give to information.

“When I started receiving letters from viewers converted through a program on TV, that persuaded me to have passion in communication,” Costa said while sharing his experiences when he was starting in the ministry. “I discovered, through a TV program of the church, the potential we have to impact people’s lives,” he added.

North American Division communication director Dan Weber recalled how God sent him to different places around the world where challenges are fierce and danger is imminent, yet the Lord’s work to communicate His word remained on top of every believer’s priority list.

“What do you think God can do to each one of you?” Weber said, while challenging the delegates about what they can do for Christ. “You are devoted to this church. You are devoted to being a Christian. You’re devoted to sharing the gospel. That’s why you are here,” Weber added.

The ACT program spearheaded by the Communication Department of the Southern Asia-Pacific region through Mamerto Guingguing II is a first in the Philippines. In an interview, Guingguing said that this meeting opened numerous possibilities for the Philippines to maximize the potential of communication in reaching in and outside of the church.

“We have a lot of talented young people in our churches in the Philippines. Their skills, honed primarily for ministry, can bring great results in the growing mass media technology in this country,” Guingguing said.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.