Technology has made peoples lives a whole lot easier. It has allowed people to shop, pay bills, make bookings, collect medical reports and do so much more. The New Apostolic Church in India and Sri Lanka has also benefitted greatly: Over the last four years, almost 50 congregations in India and Sri Lanka have been part of a number of international transmissions that have been streamed through the Internet.
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About the Pentecost Transmission 2015
National Transmissions in India – Just a Dream?
For the last few years, it sounded like a big dream to transmit a Divine Service from somewhere within India to select locations in India and abroad. In 2016, this dream finally became a reality. The location selected for setting up the first national transmission was Delhi. After the first preliminary test proved successful, the team was ready to go live. Days before the first live transmission, the team in Delhi and the 10 receiving locations were involved in heavy preparations. The technical team in Delhi was in constant touch through Whatsapp, emails, and phone calls with the technical team in the 10 locations. Each wanted to ensure that the first national transmission of a the Divine Service, which was being conducted by District Apostle Helper David Devaraj, would go smoothly.
The Divine Service Goes Live
There was an excitement in Delhi. The Divine Service conducted by Apostle David was going to be recorded and transmitted to 10 locations for the very first time. Everything was in place and the Divine Service began. Apostle David based the Message on Acts 22:14-15, “Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” Apostle David shared God’s will for the youth; they should remember that in the center of everything in the world, there should be love, as that is what God wants the most. When Priest Alwin was called up to serve, he reminded the congregation of the hardworking ant who kept climbing the wall despite falling down several times. The choir’s beautiful voices made the service more poignant and more than 400 youth watching the message across all the locations were stirred.
After the transmission was over, the ten locations that were part of the first live streaming session got back with their feedback – the clarity of the audio and video were good in most places and there were only few quality and buffering issues.
Behind the Scenes Fun
While the pilot and the national transmission was the main focus in Delhi and the other locations, many congregations had some special activities planned to celebrate the big event.
In Pune Kalewadi, the congregation had a day full of fun and excitement. Apostle Jagtap started the programme with a message which he based on Apostle Paul from the Bible. After a powerful and inspiring message, Bible quizzes, ice breaking sessions, a new hilarious game called Mafia, and a delicious lunch followed.
In Belagavi, the youth gathered before the transmission and prepared for the Divine Service with a session of praise and worship.
All the time and effort that went into planning the pilot, and the first live transmission, was well worth it as both were deemed a success.
The next live transmissions are already planned for 2017, and the coordination team is confident that future events will be just as special as this first one.