Adventist Center Helps Spread the Word

From the outside, the Seventh-day Adventist Media Center looks like any other boxy building in the Simi Valley industrial park.

But inside, the 125 full-time employees are on a special mission--spreading the Gospel throughout the world through television and radio productions.

“Our mission is to share the Gospel with the world--the good news of Jesus Christ--and when that’s accomplished, he’ll come back,” said media Vice President Marshall Chase.

Their job may become easier, workers say, when the move into new offices at the Simi Valley industrial park is completed.

“I’m looking forward to more room, new editing bays and proper sound equipment,” said editor Kent Reed.

The Media Center had been housed in three buildings in Newbury Park before the Adventists sold their land and buildings to biotechnology giant Amgen and began preparing for their $6-million consolidation in Simi Valley.

The workers are now operating from makeshift production rooms and cramped offices, filled with stacks of unpacked boxes. Some of their equipment shares space with an organ and a grand piano that stand as a reminder that the TV production crew members are only there on a temporary basis.

But the crew will be moving any day now into its new digs--a 20,000-square-foot warehouse that has been converted into office space, with soundproof radio production studios.

An adjoining 20,000-square-foot area to house television studios is to be completed early next year. That will bring the center back to about the same square footage of working space it had in its three Newbury Park buildings.

In addition, the center will install new state-of-the-art equipment to replace its 25-year-old gear, Chase said.

The 10-million member Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of a religious revival in the mid-19th century uniting those who believed that the Bible indicated that the second coming--or advent--of Christ was imminent.

The Adventist Center reaches its worldwide audience through radio broadcasts such as “Voice of Prophecy” and “La Voz de la Esperanza” and telecasts such as “It Is Written,” “Faith for Today” and “Breath of Life.”

The Seventh-day Adventists try to keep up with--and even advance--the latest technology, Chase said.

They recently found a way to send a broadcast translated in a multitude of languages up to a satellite in a way that can be retrieved by stations around the world in the language of choice, he said.

The Adventists have been continuously broadcasting religious programming longer than any other denomination, officials said.

“On Oct. 19, we will celebrate our 70th anniversary,” said “Voice of Prophecy” announcer Lonnie Melashenko. “The show began with crystal sets and cat whiskers in 1929. We’re the oldest continuous religious radio broadcast in the world.”

Melashenko, whose father sang on the program and brought him on the set when he was only 1, began his own career with the Seventh-day Adventist Media Center in 1989.

He is awe-struck at the impact his show has had on people in more than 100 countries--thousands of baptisms yearly, he said.

At the new center, even though space is currently limited, employees have a large room dedicated to worship where they meet weekly for services. Letters from listeners asking for spiritual guidance are read aloud and individuals are prayed for, said Connie Jeffrey, assistant manager of support services.

And there is an office for Bible counselor Jan Judd, who takes time to call or correspond with those who write with serious afflictions such as abuse, marital problems and rape.

She tries to find help for them in their area and offers her assistance to about 10 to 30 people a day, she said.

“Sometimes I keep in touch with a person for years,” Judd said.

She also offers her insight to employees who may feel a little claustrophobic in the temporary quarters.

“I think the change has brought us all together as a team,” Judd said.