You’ve probably heard of Hope Channel. But did you know it is a partner of Heroes: The Bible Trivia Game? What role does it play?
In this blog, we will talk about:
- Hope Channel and its mission, organization, coverage, and programs
- Its partnership roles and programs for Heroes
Introducing Hope Channel
What is it? What does it do?
Hope Channel is the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s official Christian lifestyle television network. It is a subsidiary company of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
It operates with 67 channels globally. These channels broadcast their programs based on the language and culture of their audiences.
The programs discuss Christian living and focus on faith, health, family, relationships, and community.
Where is it located?
Hope Channel is in the office of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America.
It is part of the Religious Organizations Industry, comprising organizations that provide and promote religious worship and activities. But it excludes schools and hospitals operated by religious organizations.
Meet two of its directors!
1) Derek Morris
As of the time of this writing, Derek Morris is the president of Hope Channel International. He oversees the operations of the network.
What led him into this position was his established relationship with Hope Channel. For instance, he has hosted its Hope Sabbath School for over 6 years.
Aside from that, he also served as the associate secretary of the Ministerial Association. He pastored various churches as well, such as Forest Lake Church.
2) Vyacheslav Demyan
As of the time of this writing, Vyacheslav Demyan is Hope Channel’s vice president for programming. He facilitates the strategic development, production, acquisition, and broadcast of the network’s television programs.
Before assuming this position, he served with distinction as the general director of Hope Media Group Ukraine. He has led this team since the start of its operations in 2008. Through his leadership, Hope Channel Ukraine became the most famous Christian channel in the country.
What is the network’s mission?
Hope Channel supports the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church manifested in God’s great commission in Matthew 28:19-20. That is, to make disciples of all people, communicating the everlasting gospel in the context of the three angels’ messages.
Through this, they accept Jesus as their personal Savior and unite with His remnant church. They are to be discipled to serve Him as Lord and to be prepared for His soon return.
What biblical principles drive its mission?
Generally, Hope Channel believes that “true inner peace and contentment” are “found in Jesus Christ.”
But particularly, these are the core biblical beliefs that inspire the network’s programs:
- God is love and He has revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:9; 1 John 4:16).
- Jesus is the divine Son of God, and not a created being, but the eternal God (John 1:1).
- Jesus came to this earth to live a perfect life and give His life on the cross to redeem us from sin (Romans 5:6-10).
- When Jesus comes into our lives, He makes us new creatures (John 14:15; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 8:10).
- Bible prophecy reveals that the end of this world is imminent and Jesus will return soon (Revelation 22:12).
What are some continents it covers and languages it caters to?
Hope Channel covers Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Pacific islands.
With these, here are a few of the countries covered:
- Inter-America
- Canada
- Sweden
- Finland
- Ukraine
- Australia
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Korea
- China
- Philippines
- United Kingdom
- Ghana
- France
- Italy
- Israel
- Armenia
Now, these are some of its supported languages aside from English:
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- German
- Romanian
- Mandarin
- Russian
- Tamil
- Hindi
- Ukrainian
- Arabic
- Telugu
What are some of its programs?
1) Bible HelpDesk
This program answers biblical questions from its viewers via live call or text message.
Giving insights for each episode is a panel of theologians, pastors, and other Bible experts.
The hosts are Kenia Reyes, Ruben Covarrubias, and Tiffany Brown.
2) Hope at Home
This program offers you a weekly worship experience you can enjoy in the comfort of your home.
It is hosted by Sam Neves, Associate Director of Communications of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
The show includes the following:
- Sing-along music
- Children’s feature
- Interview segment with self-care tips for a healthier mind, body, and spirit
- Story-based sermonette
These program components all focus on the hope that Christ brings to this life and beyond.
3) Hope Sabbath School
This forum is an in-depth, interactive study of the Bible hosted by Derek Morris.
In this program, a group of young adults participates in a lively discussion of the Bible lesson every week.
4) Let’s Pray
This is a global community of prayer.
Hosted by prayer volunteers, the show invites viewers to call in with their prayer requests and thanksgiving. Then, the hosts pray for them.
5) Revival for Mission
This program is hosted by General Conference President Ted Wilson and Associate Director of Communications Sam Neves.
It features real-life stories of faith and testimonies of revival and reformation around the globe. It also includes a study on the life of Bible characters.
Hope Channel in Partnership With Heroes
What has been the role of Hope Channel?
Hope Channel has been the publisher of Heroes: The Bible Trivia Game in coordination with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The network launched the game last March 25, 2021 with the name Heroes 2: The Bible Trivia Game.
What inspired this partnership?
Heroes 2 was a prequel to its first edition, Heroes the Game, spearheaded by Sam Neves.
This original version set the trend for other Adventist Bible gaming apps because of its massive success. For instance, it had 10 million minutes of interaction in 2013.
What was the result?
The outstanding performance prompted the General Conference to hire international game development experts to develop an enhanced edition.
This development relaunched the game with 3D animation, multiplayer mode, and more challenging trivia questions. It also added a more detailed background of the biblical characters.
What programs has Hope Channel been sponsoring or will be providing Heroes with?
1) Content translation
The management of Heroes wanted to reach more people through the game.
And so, “we need to work through these affiliates…to get this game in multiple languages,” Sam Neves noted.
It is because “people don’t want to read in someone else’s language.” They “learn the stories in their own languages” and hope to use the same medium in playing the game.
Sam asked Hope Channel Vice President Vyacheslav Demyan how Hope would contribute to this initiative.
Demyan answered, “The idea is to involve all our networks in developing this game in many languages.” By working together, he assured the work of translation would be much faster.
And so, translators from various countries were hired.
With this, as of this writing, Heroes is available in French, Hindi, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Swahili, all based in English. More languages are coming soon!
2) Bible study
What if you can’t answer the difficult game questions because you don’t have much knowledge of the Bible?
Well, Demyan said, “If you can’t reach the next level, go to the Bible study.” For this, Hope Channel helped Heroes put up The Big Questions.
It is a Bible study course with over 20 modules that answer frequently asked questions about the Bible. Guiding you in the modules are the same “heroes” you play in the game.
These are some of the questions included in the course:
- Is God real?
- If God is good, why do we suffer?
- Is pornography sinful?
- What is God’s design for intimacy?
- What does the Bible say about marriage and divorce?
- What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
- What does the Bible say about racism?
- What does the Bible say about politics?
- What happens when you die?
- Why are there many religions?
- What does it mean to keep the Sabbath?
- What is the mark of the beast?
But why are these questions not about the Bible characters themselves? How can they help you answer those questions?
Well, the heroes are in the course for a reason. Aside from being your study guides, they also share bits of their life stories in relation to the study questions they’re answering for you. From those facts, you get clues for the game questions you find difficult.
3) Prayer support
Remember Hope Channel’s Let’s Pray, which we discussed earlier?
The prayer portal for Heroes is much like the same, except that this one is not on television.
So, you don’t have to worry about having your prayer requests and thanksgiving broadcast publicly. You just have to send them privately via Facebook Messenger and our prayer warriors will listen and pray for you anytime.
Amen?
4) Game show
Yes, you’ve read it right! Hope Channel is planning to launch a game show based on Heroes in the USA this year.
What will it be like? You will know soon. So, keep an eye out for more details.
What is the ultimate goal of this partnership?
According to Demyan, “it’s not about us.” It’s neither about the “brands” we promote in this digital ministry. Instead, “it’s about Jesus—about His love.”
Jesus “wants to save these young people who [may not have heard about Him yet]. He wants to reach [out to them]. He wants to touch their hearts.”
Demyan ended with an invitation for all of us to unite in promoting and developing Heroes. By doing so, we support digital evangelistic ministries around the globe. All these efforts contribute to God’s mission for us—to preach His gospel to all the world.
”Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV).
Let Us Hear From You!
Did you enjoy this article?
What have you learned about Hope Channel? What do you think of its collaboration with Heroes?
Let us hear your thoughts in the Comment section below.
