Seventh-day Adventist Christian television program
It Is Written is an internationally broadcast Seventh-day Adventist Christian television program founded in 1956 by George Vandeman.[1] Its title comes from the Gospel of Matthew: "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"[2] The programs are produced by the Adventist Media Center in California.[3][4]
It Is Written was the first religious television program to air in color, and the first to take advantage of satellite technology. The program broadcasts to millions of viewers in more than 140 countries.[5]
History
The program aired in March 1956 with founder Pastor George Vandeman as speaker. It made history as the first religious telecast to air in color.[6] Over the next half-century, It Is Written grew exponentially. Under Pastor Vandeman's direction, It Is Written entered many new evangelism arenas. His live “Revelation Seminars” attracted tens of thousands of eager visitors, and the telecast entered millions of homes in numerous countries.
In 1991, Vandeman retired, and Pastor Mark Finley accepted the position as the ministry's new speaker/director. He also shared Pastor Vandeman's vision for evangelism, and in 1995 made history with a satellite evangelistic series called NET ’95.
NET ’96 followed one year later, and whereas NET ’95 had targeted North America, NET ’96 reached the world with messages in 13 languages. It is estimated that 2,200 churches from 45 countries participated in at least one of the NETs, and more than 30,000 people were baptized at the conclusion of the meetings.
It Is Written was the first major Christian ministry to utilize satellite uplink technology. The next major It Is Written satellite effort took place from 1999 through 2001 with ACTS 2000, when the ministry covered the entire globe with multiple satellite meetings. Pastor Finley conducted a total of 10 series to a combined audience of 3 million people.
By this time, the program's reach had expanded by leaps and bounds. Although hundreds of other Christian broadcasts had flooded the airwaves, It Is Written maintained its rank as one of the top 10 religious programs in North America and received more than 30 awards for excellence in programming.
It Is Written entered a new era in January 2005 as Pastor Shawn Boonstra became the third speaker/director. Finley passed the mantle to Boonstra with his blessing.
Pastor Boonstra came to the It Is Written headquarters from It Is Written Canada, where he had served as speaker/director for four years. As someone who joined the Adventist Church after attending an It Is Written evangelistic series, Pastor Boonstra passionately believes in the mission of the ministry.
The next five years were a whirlwind of outreach via technology and public evangelism. Pastor Boonstra's Revelation Speaks Peace evangelistic series in cities like Phoenix, Portland, Los Angeles, India, and Rome energized attendees and church members alike with the hope in Christ that is revealed through the final book of the Bible.
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In January 2011, Pastor John Bradshaw was named new speaker/director for It Is Written.[8]
In May 2011, Bradshaw conducted a short series live from Las Vegas called Babylon Rising. This effort was broadcast worldwide via satellite and the Internet. Following the success of the Babylon Rising series, Bradshaw presented a month-long series called Revelation Today live from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas in January 2012. He followed this series with meetings in Paris, Dayton, Southern Mexico, Costa Rica, Prague, New York, Charlotte and more.
Ministry facts
It Is Written can be viewed each week in approximately 7,000 cities in the United States and 700 cities in Canada. The telecast's reach extends to at least 140 countries.[citation needed] An average of 1.5 million people view the North American telecast each week and the program consistently ranks as one of the top 10 religious programs in the United States according to the Nielsen ratings.[1]
In addition to broadcasting on regular network and cable stations, the telecast regularly airs on six satellite networks: Trinity Broadcasting Network, the Hope Channel, and 3ABN.[citation needed]
It Is Written has an inventory of over 1,100 recorded programs, with at least 36 new broadcasts produced each year.[citation needed] Over the last 50 years, the ministry has received 30 Angel Awards, 10 Telly Awards, and three Aurora Awards.[citation needed]
Outreach
Several Bible study tools on the It Is Written site include “The Discover Bible Guides," "New Beginnings," "Unsealing Daniel's Mysteries," and "The Search for Certainty."[9]
In 2004, It Is Written—in conjunction with the Joni and Friends ministry—shipped wheelchairs to Rwanda in an effort to assist with a shortage in local hospitals.
The ministry partnered with the Pilgrim Relief Society in 2006 to deliver 1,500 “Godpods” to the San people of the Kalahari Desert.[citation needed] Since the San people have no written language,[citation needed] these solar-powered devices—which are the size of a garage door opener—contain the entire Bible in the clicking San language.[citation needed] In addition to this Bible project, It Is Written is also building solar-powered water wells to help the San people combat the problem of dehydration.[citation needed]
In 2007, It Is Written traveled to the Arctic to deliver hundreds of Bibles in Inuktitut to Inuit who live in remote areas.[citation needed]
It Is Written on the internet
It Is Written became one of the first Christian television programs to broadcast free video podcasts via iTunes in 2006.[citation needed]
On Sept. 3, 2007, the ministry launched a daily (Monday – Friday) internet-based devotional program called A Better Way to Live. The tagline for the online program is "A daily spiritual boost for busy people" and in each program, Boonstra takes one Bible verse and applies it to daily life.[1][verification needed]
This was followed by Bradshaw's launch of a daily one-minute "Every Word" devotional in 2011.[2]
It Is Written TV network is available on Internet, Apple TV (current and future models), Roku, Amazon Fire TV and other means.[verification needed]
It Is Written on mobile
It Is Written offers email sign-ups, gifting opportunities, access to weekly programs and more, via its mobile presence.[10][verification needed] In 2011, the mobile site won both a Silver W3 Award and a Silver Davey Award in the category of Best Mobile Website.[11] The mobile site was designed and developed by Trinet Internet Solutions.[11]
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