Kaleb Eisele, creator of “Humans of Adventism,” the social media storytelling ministry, tells attendees, “Everything we do, you can do on your cell phone.” Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
"We're here to serve with purpose, to have passion in work that we do to spread the gospel, and to build partnerships with communicators," said Libna Stevens, president of the Society of Adventist Communicators (SAC), about the 29th convention.
Nearly 300 dedicated professionals and eager students attended the annual convention, which was hosted at the headquarters of the North American Division (NAD) in Columbia, Maryland, on Oct. 18-20, 2018.
Stevens’ statement unpacked the convention’s new tagline, “Purpose. Passion. Partnership.” The tagline reflects the organization’s clarified vision — “to expand and strengthen our global network by developing leaders who pursue excellence in communication.”
“We wanted to highlight that we have a purpose to be part of this mission of spreading the gospel. Whoever we are, whatever responsibilities we have, we need to make sure that our identity is focused on that,” continued Stevens, who is also the assistant communication director of the Inter-American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. “We have to do it with passion because we care. We need to be passionate about God's church and our role in communicating. In addition, we need to focus on networking because we're all on the same big team.”
“I hope by the time we’re done you’ll each have 40 new networking relationships established,” said Daniel Weber, SAC executive director, and NAD communication director, during announcements.
Justin Khoe, creator of “That Christian Vlogger,” shares his perspective on how social media is changing ways to do mission. Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
Ivan Ruiz-Knott, a second-year board member of SAC, who also attended the convention as an exhibitor, spoke on the necessity of networking, especially when it comes to creativity.
“Without a place like SAC, it's [easy] to create in a vacuum and not have a lot of feedback. It's good to have this community,” said Ruiz-Knott, principal at Types & Symbols, which showcased its redesigned Conflict of the Ages series by Ellen G. White, co-founder of the Adventist Church.
“With Adventism, there are a lot of close connections. The two degrees of separation from everybody is something we talk about often. But even though that is the case, you can't always communicate with those people easily,” continued Ruiz-Knott. “Having events like this where all of those people come together is a really great way to reconnect to see what's happening and share what you're doing. Face-to-face communication is always fantastic.”
Young Adult Spotlight
The three-day convention featured professional development workshops; a presentation by Adventist Health on its revamped brand identity; a “TechTalk,” which highlighted the "must-have" gadgets of the year; a Q&A session with Dan Jackson, president of NAD; tours of local museums, a local television station, and the local NPR affiliate radio station; and an unprecedented keynote presentation for the SAC convention.
“Every year we decide who we want to be our keynote presenter,” said Weber to attendees. “We said, ‘What if we pick people you may not know about who are doing some really cool things?’ We decided to feature some younger people who work for the church, or don’t work directly for the church, to help elevate their platform.”
Erica Jones, assistant director of NAD women’s ministries, and director of Gorgeous2God, shares her passion for telling young girls, “You are so much more than your mistakes.” Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
The keynote presenters were Kaleb Eisele, creator of “Humans of Adventism,” a social media storytelling, community-building ministry; Erica Jones, assistant director of NAD Women’s Ministries and director of “Gorgeous2God” ministries, an online safe-space for girls to ask difficult questions about various topics, including sexuality, dating, and suicide; Emily Long, founder and editor-in-chief of the 715 magazine, which provides an avenue of expression for those on unconventional journeys with God; and Justin Khoe, creator of “That Christian Vlogger,” a YouTube ministry that helps viewers “experience faith in the first person.”
Each speaker was given approximately 20 minutes to discuss their ministry and answer questions. At the end of Khoe’s presentation, one audience member raised her hand to say, “Your blog is the reason why I’m still in the church.”
Communicating the Bigger Picture
The Sabbath programming was untraditional, much like the keynote presentation. The Friday evening and Sabbath morning schedules were coordinated by the Columbia Union. The programs featured a total of six speakers and two musical performances – the Takoma Academy Camerata, and 9- and 12-year-olds Jana and Gabriella Apola, who played the violin.
Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president for strategic communication and public relations for the Columbia Union Conference and editor of the Visitor, tasked the six speakers to share how they communicate God through their ministries. The speakers included Michael Speegle, senior pastor of New Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland; Catherine Nyameino Ontita, director of communication for the East Kenya Union of the Seventh-day Adventist Church; Tim Madding, senior pastor of Beltsville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland; Jarilyn Conner, communication professor for Washington Adventist University; Joseph Khabbaz, youth and young adult pastor of Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Maryland; and Ann Roda, vice president for mission integration and spiritual care of Adventist HealthCare.
Jarilyn Conner (left), communication professor for Washington Adventist University, gives her student from Saudi Arabia (right) the platform to describe her experience at the school. Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
“Those of us whom God has given voice, whether it’s through an e-newsletter, blog, or if our conferences or unions hired us to do videos, run magazines, whatever avenue God has given us the opportunity, [I hope] we will use it [to communicate Him],” said Blyden. “We’re only here and given this call for such a time as this, and then it will be someone else’s turn. So, while we have this moment, what are you and I going to do?”
An SAC Testimony
Tori Allen, a senior at Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama) studying communication arts with a minor in psychology, arrived at the convention burdened. Her mind was flooded with doubt as she considered her future.
“People have asked me, ‘What are you going to do?’ It's just theory, what are you going to do with that book knowledge? How can you apply that? Communication is so broad,’” said Allen. “These are the types of things I've been fighting,”
Camera operator focuses on a presenter during the 29th annual SAC convention. Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
“But then I got here,” said Allen with a huge smile. “First of all, the fact that this exists [is amazing]. It'd be one thing for me to be at a communicator convention, I would still be inspired. But these are Adventists and Christians, these are people who get [the Adventist culture].”
Within the culture, Allen is mindful that the health message is a big component of Adventism. Further, she has held medical professionals in higher regard when it comes to their ability to help others.
“But it’s not my passion. I’ve struggled with how I can be an effective Adventist, Christian, and person in general [with communication],” said Allen who was encouraged by a mentor to study nursing, but decided against it once she realized where her interests lay. “I like talking to people, I like finding out what experiences impacted them and shaped them into who they are.”
Allen attended one of the professional development sessions that focused on writing. During the workshop, she asked for tips on how to improve writing. The presenter’s answer? Reading fiction.
“I could've cried when he said that. I used to feel like my hobby of reading books was a waste of time,” said Allen. “I'm a very ambitious person, so I try to use all my time efficiently. So, [I would get disappointed in myself when I would use up my free time] reading books. When he said reading actually helps, I realized it’s an efficient way to spend my time.”
Further, the convention inspired Allen’s decisions for her immediate future.
“This has changed what I think I want to do next semester,” said Allen, who is currently in her final semester, but will graduate in May 2019. “I saw these communicators who went out on a [limb]. I saw Justin Khoe do his YouTube channel, I saw Kaleb do Humans of Adventism. I'm seeing people take their ideas and make them [into] something. They have definitely inspired me tremendously. I want to take this next semester to explore my ideas."
Awards Ceremony
The convention concluded with an awards ceremony that highlighted 31 of the year’s best content production by Adventist professionals and students in the following categories: writing, design, video, spoken word, and campaign.
Shane Hochstetler (center) accepts the “Cutting Edge Award” for his work on the Gulf States Camp Meeting Campaign, “Forgiven to Forgive.” The award is presented by Libna Stevens (left), president of SAC, and Daniel Weber (right), executive director of SAC. Photo: Pieter Damsteegt
The organization’s five top awards were given to the following: Student Award –Sheann Brandon, Southern University alum; Young Professional Award – Heather Thompson-Day, assistant professor of communication for Andrews University; Award of Excellence – Walla Walla University Brand Refresh; Cutting Edge Award – “Forgiven to Forgive,” Gulf States Camp Meeting Campaign; and Lifetime Achievement Award – Martin Butler, founder of SAC’s predecessor, SSAC – the Southern Society of Adventist Communicators.
“I've been blessed,” said Weber during his closing remarks. “Having the opportunity to meet all these people, these wonderful communicators, and to hear their stories. It’s been a huge blessing to get to know them a little better and also see their commitment to God, and to the Church.”
The 2019 Society of Adventist Communicators convention will take place next fall in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Visit the NAD Flickr page to see photo coverage of the 29th annual Society of Adventist Communicators convention.