12-YEAR AVANGELIST

Pastor Acar using Torch Kit with Children

Pastor Epafras Acar was already deeply committed to audiovisual evangelism when InterComm first connected with him back in 1994.  So driven by his need to present Christ to his countrymen in the Philippines he would borrow films or rent equipment whenever he could afford them.  He received a Torch Kit in 1995 and quickly began to hold AVangelism programs.  Later he cautiously asked, “Due to my limited financial resources, do you loan old 16mm films to National Workers like me?”  We sent 5 prints right away and 5 more a couple years later.  Reporting was not his strong point, but with great prodding a Report would turn up from time to time.  Schools offered open doors for Media Showings, and Pastor Acar was skilled in relating the Gospel to young hearts.  “People are praying and God is touching and convicting the hearts of many,” he shared.  Following one youth film showings, over 80 students prayed to accept Christ.  Not only did he use the new films he had received, but he often combined ministry, showing both 16mm Films and Torch Filmstrips in the same event for impact.  God continued to bless with results.  Carefully crafting each opportunity, he used children’s material for elementary schools and college level selections for university.  3 Film Teams were now operating and great results were being seen.  He even unselfishly loaned his film prints to others. Yet, Reports seldom arrived with statistics. 

Being certain he was faithful, we continued to equip Pastor Acar, eventually sending over 30 video selections to expand the work of Home Evangelism.  Often entire families become involved in Media Ministry.  Mrs Lolita Acar began using the Torch Kit often in her children’s ministry with Epafras at the controls.  We love to hear such Reports of couples in ministry, supporting one another. 

Young People in the Philippines Viewing InterComm Media Tools

But do InterComm films connect in such faraway places?  “Your film HIDDEN ISLAND is very touching.  The actors are just like Filipinos.  The background locations look just like our country.”  So as you see, God has blessed us with material useful around the world.  To God be the glory!  Over the years, we have received Reports listing ministry to over 10,000 people where over 1,400 prayed to receive Christ.  We believe this represents perhaps 25% of the actual ministry God has blessed.

Do please continue to pray for the Acar family and their future ministry.

KEN ANDERSON

1917-2006

A Life. A Ministry.  A Legacy

Part 3

But there were other needs. Through his frequent overseas trips, Ken was meeting missionaries with a heart to visually share the work God was accomplishing from their life’s investment.  Not only did these servants lack basic skills, so also did their sending agencies.  But God had blessed the young ministry, called Ken Anderson Films.  A new sound stage was now part of the office complex.  Why not offer a 3-day training program right there on the premises and invite industry experts to help God’s select gain the skills needed to become 20^th century communicators.  By the mid-60's, the Missionary Communications Seminars were launched, cramming 80 to 100 delegates, home on furlough or from their mission staff offices nationwide.  Oh, and why not provide it free of cost, which was done, by the way, for nearly 20 years, as God blessed it for His purposes.  We taught basic and advanced camera, script writing, sound recording, etc. and demonstrated each concept with a finished product or film yet on the editing table.

Following one Seminar, Bob Bland, founder and director of Teen Missions, International, approached Ken about a promotional film.  Instead of just a documentary, Ken showed Bob, another former YFC Director, how God had used other carefully crafted films, developed for mission organizations, to gain much greater ministry audience by creating a drama story, featuring the work of TMI in the lives of those appearing in the drama.  These films would enjoy significant distribution through the Ken Anderson Films dealer network all over North America and English-speaking countries around the world.  In 1984, MUD, SWEAT, & CHEERS was released, and in 1986, SECOND STEP, produced on location with an actual team in New Guinea.  This relationship further blossomed into what today is a quality production unit, producing original video dramas in countries all over the world.

In the early years of Ken Anderson Films, many documentary films were produced for Christian clients, desiring a tool to advance their ministry.  Each Project provided a needed influx of financial resources, but none held greater future impact than a 1962 Project for Evangelist John Haggai, who was in Baltimore, Maryland, holding a city-wide arena Gospel Crusade.  13 years later, having established the Haggai Institute, John not only asked Ken to produce additional promotional films for his new Training Center in Singapore, he also asked Ken to come and train National Christian Leaders in the fundamentals of Christian Audiovisual Ministry.  Thus, began 3 to 4 yearly trips to Singapore, where the concept of AVangelism, Audiovisual Evangelism, was advanced over the next 25 years. 

Prior to the impact of Parkinsons Disease on his teaching skills, Ken duplicated his course work for at least 5 others, who continue to this day, opening the eyes of God’s servants to the effective use of media, integrated within the evangelism vision. 

When Ken Anderson Films was launched in 1961, at least 25% of our first distributors were Youth for Christ locations across the USA.  The same YFC locations where Ken had preached, where the YFC Magazines had ministered, where each new Gospel Film had been premiered all over North America.  These also, then, became a founding core of dealers, who rented Ken Anderson Films to churches in their areas.

It wasn’t unusual for Ken to return home from a long overseas trip with a nearly empty suitcase, well, at least nearly empty of clothes.  He was also equipping those with a vision to the best of his ability.  This giving concept emanated through every aspect of ministry he touched, even helping many other visionaries to establish new film production companies to compete with his own.  You see it never belonged to Ken.  Everything he had always belonged to God, who had provided it.  Everything was a gift to be shared.  This was fundamental to eventually every aspect of ministry he touched.  Shared concepts in writing through articles and books.  Shared concepts through preaching and teaching.  Shared concepts through films or other forms of ministry tools.  Everything to build up the Body of Christ. 

By the mid-1980's, Christian films became fodder for the ever-emerging paradigm shift.  In just 8 short years, 95% of all Christian film production ended.  Cable television and the video industry, coupled with a decrease in Sunday evening services, effectively closed the door to new drama productions as we had known it.  We could no longer produce new media.  Should we close Ken Anderson Films?  What about the thousands of international leaders who had been trained in AVangelism and needed media equipping?  As a taxpaying business, Ken Anderson Films was ending.  God urged us towards a new beginning.  InterComm emerged, with Ken as a founding Board Member, to become the International Communications Ministry Established by Ken Anderson Films, a not-for-profit entity, dependent on God’s people to provide prayer and financial resources to keep the vision alive.

Founded 15 years ago in 1991, InterComm today equips and tracks as much of the media placed around the world as possible.  Millions of lives have been touched through the Gospel of Christ, as the media, produced by Ken Anderson Films continues to impact the world.  Asian films dubbed into Asian Languages.  African films to African Languages, and Filmstrips into every language spoken that can be translated from an English transcript.  Computer generated tools.  PowerPoint Presentations.  PraisePoint Presentations, and whatever form of media that may yet be popularized, AVangelism is poised to further impact the world with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ now well into the 21^st century. 

What began as a sincere prayer, seeking God’s call to Venezuela, God expanded into a worldwide ministry, vibrant today as the vision continues to blossom around the world.  Perhaps as he now resides with the Lord, Ken has become aware for the first time the width, the breadth, and the depth, the impact that dedicated lives can truly have on eternity.  The legacy continues.  Simply put on Ken’s stone marker, however, are these words - “Gone to the Celestial City”.

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Memorial Gifts, honoring Ken Anderson may be sent to InterComm

SAFE BY THE GRACE OF GOD

Mrs Sita Poudel of Kathmandu, Nepal writes:

“One of our missionary brothers from West Nepal recently reported area huts were burned by angry villagers without any definite reason.  3-4 of the huts belonged to new believers, and these Christians lost everything they owned.  The missionary was afraid that these new believers would no longer come to the fellowship and perhaps turn back on their faith, but just the opposite happened.  On the day the fellowship met all of them came, shared their experiences and blessings, with tears in their eyes, about when their huts were burned.  Those believers said that they were saved only by the grace of God.  It was so good to hear this.  The missionary brother believes that these Christians are stronger in the faith now.  Praise the Lord!”

PRAYING GROUND - REVIVAL GROUND

Pastor Jacob Oluwaniyi of Osun State, Nigeria writes:

“Let me share this news with you and praise God for what He did.  We were having a 30-day powerful revival outside of our church.  The place that we were using faces the prayer grounds of the Muslims living in this immediate area.  They were just concluding their annual 30-days of fasting and prayer.  In the evening when we started to show our films, first of all, the children left the prayer ground and came to watch our presentation.  Then the women came to begin watching, and eventually many of the men also came and left their prayer grounds to watch our film.  It was life changing, and later we were able to baptize some of these people, who had decided to follow Jesus Christ instead.”

He sent a Report showing 18,000 viewers and over 600 salvation decisions.                                         

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