Don Schneider, president of the church in North America, center, on the It Is Written television set with production director Colin Mead.
Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders from across North America attended a ceremony February 7 marking the opening of the final stage of the new Adventist Media Center facility in Simi Valley, California.
The new 123,000-square-foot structure houses Adventist Media Productions and four major Adventist radio and television ministries: La Voz de la Esperanza; Voice of Prophecy; Faith for Today; and It Is Written. The media center contains two technologically advanced television studios, audio and video production and editing areas, administrative offices, and warehouses. The facility also provides services to two additional media ministries—Breath of Life and LifeTalk Radio.
“This [event] is about more than a building,” said Don Schneider, president of the Adventist Church in North America, who attended the ceremony. He reminded listeners that AMC’s sole purpose is to share with others the Christian message of hope in Jesus Christ, saying, “These facilities will be used to change the lives of the people for whom He died.”
The Media Center allows each of the ministries to save time and money by using the most advanced technology available, said Kermit Netteberg, assistant to the president for communication for the Adventist Church in North America, and president of the Adventist Media Center. “At this point, there is no production task we can’t handle.”
The new facility includes digital satellite transmission equipment that can beam programs in over 40 languages, motorized studio lighting that saves days of production time, digital, audio and television recording and editing tools, and the ability to broadcast almost anywhere in the world.
The equipment can also be taken on the road, which happened when It Is Written traveled to 10 countries for its “ACTS 2000” evangelistic series. Mark Finley, Speaker/Director of It Is Written, said, “This state-of-the-art Media Center will enable us to touch more lives for the kingdom. I praise God for it!”
The new facility replaces AMC’s former premises in Newbury Park, California, which was sold in 1995. That same year, AMC moved into a renovated building in the Simi Valley location and, in early 2000, began construction of television studios and a production facility.
For more information on the Media Center and its ministries, visit www.sdamedia.org.