19 September 2009

Series on Happy Family Forever ends with 153 accepting baptism

Three weeks after the launching the Happy Family Forever Seminar in Zamboanga City, the exposition culminated with 153 people joining God’s family through baptism, September 19.

Pastor Alberto C Gulfan, Jr, president of the more than one million Seventh-day Adventists in the southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD), was the speaker during this 20-day event that was taped through the facilities of Hope Channel Philippines and went on nightly broadcasts on Hope Channel International starting September 13 through October 2.

The first NET series conducted regionally, the Happy Family Forever seminar had thousands of viewers within SSD who also were listening to the languages of their choice: English, Bangla (Bangladesh), Singalese (Sri Lanka), Burmese (Myanmar), Bahasa (Indonesia), Tagalog, and Ilonggo.

Besides groups attending nightly broadcast at more than 150 downlink sites, thousands also view the on-going series through cable connections on their television sets and through the Internet.

At one downlink site comes the report of Kap Lian Thang, principal of Upper Myanmar Adventist Seminary (UMAS): “We at UMAS enjoy listening and watching Happy Family Forever sermons of Pastor Gulfan at Hope Channel. Our nightly attendance is over 200 both church and non-church members, and we thank the Lord for the satellite facilities of the church.”

“I wish I could listen to my native tongue as I view Pastor Gulfan’s nightly message in the Internet,” says a Bangladesh lady who sent her letter to the management of Hope Channel at the church headquarters in Maryland, USA.

World-wide viewers, many of them Filipinos now living beyond Asia, identified so much with Pastor Gulfan as he presented the nightly topics with nostalgic local Filipino dialects. “My! I am proud to be identified with the speaker and his audience at the broadcast site as I listen to him speaking my dialect once-in-a-while,” emailed one Filipino viewer from Africa.

“I praise God for the church using satellite and Internet facilities to keep me abreast with principles that establish a happy family,” said one Internet viewer from Singapore. “And I want what it offers—happiness now and beyond!”

Zamboanga City, known for its notoriety, is just a neighbour to “kidnap lair” island of Basilan. The many apprehensions why the city has been chosen for the event faded rapidly as the nightly series went full blast. Nightly attendance did not break below the 1000 mark as church leaders of different denominations, employees and employers, military personnel, government leaders, came together to listen to the messages.

As the presentations went on air two weeks after the start of the series at the Orchid Garden Convention Center, many of those who were at the site gathered in front of their television sets to refresh their minds with the messages they listened to during the actual taping of the programs.

This Latin City of Asia has proudly defied the threats of terror and instead brought about a new era of family closeness not only among church members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but also among family members of the community.

“It is hoped that the on-going broadcast of the nightly series time-tuned with the countries of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, and the other southeast Asian countries will produce a new roll of church members in these countries and worldwide.,” said Dr Jonathan C Catolico, Hope Channel coordinator for the southern Asia-Pacific region.

“Indeed, we have come to a time when the proclamation of the gospel goes to the ends of the earth and we are glad that our Church in the Philippines has acquired the capability for this kind of outreach. We are praying that our newly acquired franchise to operate radio and television stations nationwide will get full financial support from every Seventh-day Adventist member. With this support we can establish radio and television stations throughout the country,” concluded Nelson Paulo, Zamboanga NET series executive producer and Hope Channel Philippines coordinator. [AND Staff]