“Witnessing Through Media turns 20”

By William H. Perkins, Jr.
Editor

Broadcast media specialists from churches across the Mississippi Baptist Convention gathered at Park Place Church, Brandon, on May 4-5 for the twentieth annual Witnessing Through Media Conference sponsored by the Communication Services Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB).

“Witnessing Through Media was begun 20 years ago to provide fellowship, inspiration, recognition, support, and training for local church workers involved in Christian media. This year’s conference had 153 registrations, the largest number ever,” said Ian Richardson, MBCB communication services director.

“Every year a variety of workshops is offered to assist local churches in the areas of media ministry including television, radio, sound, web site, and video projection.

“Also at the annual meeting, an awards banquet is held to recognize outstanding work in the area of media ministry. For the 2007 banquet, the keynote speaker was Barbie Bassett, chief meteorologist for WLBT-TV in Jackson, and a member of Colonial Heights Church, Ridgeland,” Richardson said.

Among the workshops conducted at the conference were:

• Nuts and Bolts of Camera Operation and Creative Production, both led by Don Moore and David Bunger.
• Sound Advice Basic and Advanced, both led by Trooper Hales.
• How to Get Started on the Web and Advanced Web Site Design, both led by J.C. Howell.
• Non-Linear Editing and Me? The Director, both led by Lynn Bullock.
• Projector Systems Forum, led by Joe Dillon.

“This event has steadily grown over the years and I believe there are several reasons for this,” Richardson said. “First, we are continuing to listen to our churches in an attempt to offer the workshops that are vital to their media ministries. Secondly, we live in a special time when technology is rapidly advancing, and Mississippi Baptist churches understand that. Lastly, it is my belief that of all the valid and fruitful ways to reach our state and world for Jesus, the use of media will have a powerful and lasting impact.”

Richardson said plans are already underway for the 2008 Witnessing Through Media conference, to be held May 2-3 at Park Place Church.

“Our keynote speaker for the awards banquet will be Ted Baehr, editor-in-chief and publisher of Movieguide: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment,” Richardson said. “According to the Movieguide web site, this is a ministry dedicated to ‘redeeming the values of the mass media of entertainment according to Biblical principles by influencing media executives and by informing and equipping moral people.’”

The Witnessing Through Media conference is supported by gifts to the Mississippi Cooperative Program.

For more information on the annual conference or the other programs of the MBCB Communication Services Department, contact Richardson at P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530. Telephone: (601) 292-3378 or toll-free outside Jackson (800) 748-1651, ext. 378. E-mail: irichardson@mbcb.org. Web site: www.mbcb.org.