At 4 p.m. (PDT) on May 12, 2018, students from Walla Walla University will dialogue with Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders from the North American Division (NAD) during a 120-minute livestreamed conversation. [Click here for NAD Facebook page.] During “Is This Thing On?” Dan Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America; Alex Bryant, executive secretary; and Tom Evans, treasurer, will answer questions via audience and social media during the program’s third Facebook Live event.

This will be the first “Is This Thing On?” for Evans, who is looking forward to answering questions on finance. “I’m excited to see what they’re teaching our kids in college these days; and hopefully I can teach them a thing or two about how the church handles tithe and offering, how we allocate funds,” said Evans. “ I am also hoping that we can touch the nerve of some of our upcoming graduates to think about working for the church in the area of finance and accounting.”

The program is unscripted; questions will be taken primarily from Facebook and Twitter. Subjects may include the church finances, the Bible, church policy, Adventist lifestyle, race relations, theology, relationships, and more.

The young adult audience featured during the live event will be selected from a group of interested students. Those participating online are encouraged to use #NADNOW. Social media “ambassadors” from the student body of the College Place, Washington, university will tweet live from the event, and engage in the conversation by sharing live stats, comments, and questions with host Julio Muñoz, associate director of the NAD Office of Communication.

“Our church only becomes stronger when we talk to each other, pray with each other, and learn from one another,” said Jackson. “Transparent and open dialogue on issues important to young people is something we are able to engage in with this conversation. And it’s something we, as a church, should foster beyond this event.”

The first Is This Thing On? Event, held on March 14, 2017, drew more than 23,000 viewers, with hundreds of questions and comments pouring in during the event and directly after. The second event on December 2, 2017, at Oakwood University drew 11,300 views and about 2,000 reactions and posted comments, which included 975 questions and statements regarding the conversation. More than 80,500 Twitter accounts were reached through almost 400 tweets and retweets.

“I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this very necessary conversation,” said Loriann Lawrence, a junior Interdisciplinary Studies: French, Art & Marketing major who helped as a social media ambassador on the Dec. 2 ITTO show. “The dialogue between corporate leaders and young adults are far and in between so when opportunities like these arise, it shows that we are moving in a good direction.”

"What I appreciated most about this event was how thoughtfully and purposefully it was put together to make sure as many people as possible could have their questions answered," said Nicqelle Godfrey, La Sierra University Student Association president (2016-2017) and AIA participant, regarding the March 14, 2017, event at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. "It was very clear that no question was treated as insignificant, which showed us how much the church earnestly wanted to converse with us all."

— NAD Office of Communication; CLICK HERE to learn more about ITTO.