Successful Workshops in Chile
On every street in the small town of Linares, Chile the effects of the February 27, 2010 earthquake are still evident. Buildings are seriously damaged or completely destroyed. Most of the tile roofs of the older buildings are gone. There remains enough rubble in the street to keep some roads completely closed. The earthquake and tsunami were on the minds of all those who attended a previously scheduled media training workshop sponsored by Back to God Ministries International from April 19-21.
In spite of some initial logistics difficulties, Rev. Guillermo Serrano, Spanish ministry leader for BTGMI, was able to conduct the workshops in the local government offices of Linares, 200 miles south of Santiago. The governor and several other official dignitaries attended the opening events of the workshops, drawing a great deal of local media coverage from television, radio, and newspapers.
Rev. Serrano developed the media workshops in 2004 as a way to build bridges with communications personnel in Latin America. Since 2004 more than 900 pastors or radio and TV station technicians have attended these workshops to learn how to more effectively communicate the Gospel through media. The workshops often result in new stations airing BTGMI Spanish programming.
Fifty-two mass media professionals, most of them from the "secular" sector, attended the Linares workshop in spite of difficulties caused by the earthquake.
The three-day workshop included a panel of BTGMI Spanish media experts presenting the challenges and opportunities of new technologies in media. Team members from El Salvador, Brazil, and the United States covered topics such as blogging, podcasting, streaming and other digital genres, ethical dilemmas in contemporary communication, and working with new high definition technologies in TV. Rev. Serrano discussed the impact of writing in new social networks.
Part of the workshop was held in a local TV setting, after which the TV station broadcast a live one-hour program featuring BTGMI team members. Government dignitaries also attended Wednesday's closing ceremony.
The most important aspect of the workshop was the impact on those attending. The message of the Gospel was clearly presented. After the first day of workshops, BTGMI staff received several emails asking for further instruction. "A great victory was that both a local secular TV and radio station have now decided to air BTGMI programs," reports Nancy Ayala, assistant to Rev. Serrano. "We now leave with a profound and grateful knowledge that our workshops were needed and welcomed."
A second workshop held in Santiago, April 23-24, produced similar results.
