A new series depicting the great controversy for children was launched with a special program held at Avondale University church on February 3. Created by Abide Family Ministry for Hope Channel, The Rescue utilises animation and puppetry to simplify Christian teachings and the story of redemption for children with little or no biblical literacy.
“Children today are living in a media-saturated world. A lot of what they see and hear doesn’t necessarily help them grow in positive ways, especially from a biblical perspective,” said Pastor Wayne Boehm, director of Hope Channel South Pacific. “There’s plenty of Bible stories being told on Christian television, but we’re aiming to dig deeper, to help kids really grasp the Biblical story in a way that sticks with them.”
Building on the success of the Kings Kids TV series, which supported children’s spiritual growth during COVID-19 lockdowns by following the children’s Sabbath school curriculum, the team behind The Rescue identified media gaps in the Church for children post-pandemic. “After the lockdowns, we asked ourselves what we could do next to continue supporting our young audience. The Rescue is our answer to that question,” explained Pastor Boehm.
The series is specially designed to bridge a crucial gap highlighted by Mark Baxter in The Coming Revolution: Because Status Quo Missions Won’t Finish the Job, which noted that “91 per cent of all Christian outreach/evangelism does not target non-Christians but targets other Christians.” Based on this statistic, The Rescue was intentionally crafted to engage children from non-churched or nominal Christian families, as well as those from Adventist homes.
Pastor Boehm emphasised, “The focus of The Rescue is to introduce children to a God who loves them and has a plan for their lives, using language and concepts that are accessible to all, regardless of their prior exposure to the Bible”.
The launch event was met with enthusiasm at Avondale University church, drawing a crowd of 150 attendees, including families and children, eager to see the new series. Special guests at the event included Greater Sydney Conference children’s ministry director Pastor Daron Pratt and Australian Union Conference representatives, associate ministerial secretary Pastor Brendan Pratt, family and children’s ministry director Pastor Sylvia Mendez and resource development coordinator Amanda Bews.
Pastor Norman Hurlow, Avondale University Church senior pastor highlighted the importance of children’s content for the local church to help disciple and teach the next generation about the great controversy.
“We at Avondale University Church are passionate about creatively communicating the story of God’s love to our children. What better way to do that than connecting it all to the grand Meta-Narrative found in the Bible and portrayed through The Rescue? Stories inspire and teach. This series teaches our kids about the great controversy between good and evil, and inspires them to choose the way of love,” said Pastor Hurlow.
With more than 100 people involved in the production of the series, The Rescue will be covered in three seasons, totalling 44 episodes, which will be available globally through the website therescue.au, social media and Hope Channel.
