The GAiN Americas conference was held June 7-11, 2023, at the North American Division (NAD) headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. On day one, a panel of communication leaders from Hope Channel, the GC Communication Department, and the Adventist Review emphasized that different entities have different audiences and roles and should thus collaborate rather than compete. Photo: Art Brondo
The 2023 Global Adventist Internet Ministry (GAiN) convention, held June 7-11 at the North American Division (NAD) headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, brought together more than 160 communicators and leaders from the North American, Inter-American, and South American divisions for inspiring plenaries, division reports, breakout sessions, worships, and networking opportunities. Sessions were conducted in English, with live Spanish interpretation.
GAiN, a “community of Adventist communicators, technologists, and media professionals worldwide,” is an initiative of the Communication Department of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (GC). This June’s “GAiN Americas” conference kick-started a series of continental conferences for 2023, with subsequent meetings in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Several presentations at the GAiN Americas conference stressed the need to thoughtfully employ burgeoning technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to spread the gospel. For instance, William Timm, coordinator of Novo Tempo, Brazil's Hope Channel, shared that since 2019, the channel has had more than 318,700 individuals engage in English, Spanish, and Portuguese Bible studies via Esperança, an AI chatbot. In a talk titled “Generative AI for Ministry,” Emmanuel Arriaga, head of product PMO, Google Play App Safety, and Sunnyvale church elder, shared other potential uses of AI for ministry, including assisting with research, proposals and programs, and social media, marketing, and strategic plans.
At the GC's GAiN Americas Conference, held June 7-11, 2023, at the NAD headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, Emmanuel Arriaga, head of product PMO, Google Play App Safety, and Sunnyvale church elder, was one of several speakers exploring the thoughtful use of AI for spreading the gospel. Photo: Art Brondo
Arriaga warned, “There’s intense competition for the hearts and minds of the world today. If we’re afraid to apply technology, then we’re not using the resources and abilities God has given us and multiplying them for the kingdom.”
Another theme was collaboration and alignment in mission. On a panel emphasizing Adventist communications entities’ different audiences and roles via a GC-designed branding architecture, Justin Kim, Adventist Review editor, asserted, “We’re a worldwide church. Let’s all work together for God’s glory!”
Later, Alyssa Truman, GC assistant communication director, added, "For too long, we have seen ourselves as separate institutions doing our own thing, and [at GAiN], I saw that start to crumble as we realized our greatest strength is in joining together to proclaim the gospel and empower as many as possible to join us so we can dominate the internet for spiritual content by the end of the decade."
Finally, the Sabbath program, held at the GC headquarters, continued the event’s underlying focus on communicators helping fulfill the great commission. Before Sabbath’s culminating communion service, Sam Neves, GC associate communication director, stated, “If you love technology more than … the people technology needs to reach, this communion is [a] reset. It doesn’t matter how efficient we are. If we don’t love people, there’s no power in what we do.”
From the North American Division
Kimberly Luste Maran, North American Division communicator director, was one of several NAD speakers sharing initiatives and insights at the GC's GAiN Americas conference, held June 7-11, 2023, at the NAD headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. Photo: Christelle Agboka
Several NAD communicators also added to the discourse at GAiN. In a Q & A with Truman, Christelle Agboka, NAD news writer/news producer, discussed elements of compelling stories and the challenges of gathering such stories at the conference and division levels.
Julio Muñoz, NAD associate communication director, shared the power of cinema to tell parables, address complex issues, and foster dialogue — touchstones of the Sonscreen Film Festival, the Adventist Church’s only platform for young filmmakers. Muñoz, executive director of Sonscreen, stressed the festival’s rule of “nurturing [filmmakers’] God-given talent” through its annual festival and competition, network projects — film collaborations with Adventist universities and other divisions, and opportunities to learn from professional filmmakers. Finally, Sonscreen testimonials confirmed Muñoz’s assertion that “Sonscreen is so much more than a film festival. It’s a community.”
Kimberly Luste Maran, NAD communication director, outlined her team’s roles as brand caretakers, NAD storytellers, and mentors/guidance counselors. Under branding, communication manages the church’s visual identity, website, social media, and corporate messaging. They share the story of Adventists in North America via the Adventist Journey magazine, NAD Newspoints e-newservice, and multi-division network projects. And they mentor through the Sonscreen Film Festival, the professional development organization Society of Adventist Communicators, and opportunities for young people to write or produce for NAD projects. Maran concluded, “We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ, bringing the Adventist message of hope and wholeness to others.”
On Sabbath, Brent Hardinge, director of Adventist Information Ministries (AIM), the NAD’s contact center, highlighted that, by partnering with Adventist media entities, AIM serves as a “bridge between media, digital media, traditional media, and the local church.” Then, in Sunday’s final presentation bracket, Philip Baptiste, NAD Adventist-Laymen Services and Industries (ASI) director, asserted that Adventist communicators must “communicate with creativity, community with clarity, and communicate for change and lasting impact, … that there is a Jesus who gave everything so you could live.”
Tanya Muganda, administrative assistant and social media manager for the GC’s Children’s Ministries department and Sligo church member, said, “I’ve been empowered and blessed by Philip Baptiste’s message today, much-needed.” She also appreciated GAiN’s reminder that “we all have the same mission of reaching people through various platforms and departments. Different ideas lead to innovation and saving lives for Jesus.”
Click here for more coverage on the 2023 GAiN Americas and mission of GAiN from the world church's news channel, Adventist News Network.