Share Digg Facebook Google+ Myspace Pinterest Reddit Twitter Email Print

John Bradshaw Speaker/Director, It Is Written

Web Site: www.itiswritten.com

 

Mission Statement

It Is Written is a deeply spiritual, donor-supported ministry passionate about communicating the Gospel to the world. It Is Written seeks to impact lives for Christ in four ways—through the weekly telecast, a worldwide evangelistic ministry, the Internet, and Christian living and faith-sharing resources.

 

History

Fifty-five years ago, the world was a very different place. Disneyland had just opened its doors to the public, Elvis appeared on the entertainment scene and immediately captured international interest, and Warner Brothers unveiled its first television studio in Burbank. 

 

Although these are often noted as the great developments of that time, perhaps someday we will discover that one of the most significant contributions began with much less fanfare. It all started in the heart of a man who strongly believed that the Adventist Church could harness a new technology—television—and use it to powerfully proclaim the Good News of Christ’s love to the world.

 

That man, Pastor George Vandeman, saw his plans come to fruition when It Is Written, the first Christian television program to broadcast in color, hit the airwaves in the spring of 1956. Under Pastor Vandeman’s direction, It Is Written entered into many new evangelism arenas. His live “Revelation Seminars” attracted tens of thousands of eager visitors, and the telecast reached millions of homes in numerous countries.

 

In 1991, Pastor Vandeman retired and Pastor Mark Finley accepted the position as the ministry’s new speaker/director. He also shared Pastor Vandeman’s vision for Adventist evangelism, and in 1995 made history with a satellite evangelistic series called NET ‘95. It was the single largest evangelistic meeting in the history of the Adventist Church.

 

NET ‘96 followed one year later, and whereas NET ‘95 had targeted North America, NET ‘96 reached the world with messages in 13 languages. It is estimated that 2,200 churches from 45 countries participated in at least one of the NETs, and more than 30,000 people were baptized at the conclusion of the meetings.

 

The next major It Is Written satellite effort took place from 1999 through 2001 with ACTS 2000, when the ministry covered the entire globe with multiple satellite meetings. Pastor Finley conducted a total of 10 series to a combined audience of 3 million people.

 

By this time, the telecast’s reach had expanded by leaps and bounds. Although scores of other Christian broadcasts had flooded the airwaves, It Is Written maintained its rank as one of the top 10 religious programs in North America, and received more than 30 awards for excellence in programming. Today, the weekly broadcast is produced in a total of 12 languages, and can be seen in nearly every country of the world.

 

In January 2005, Pastor Shawn Boonstra became It Is Written’s third speaker/director. Pastor Boonstra came to the ministry headquarters from It Is Written Canada, where he had served as speaker/director for four years. 

 

Pastor Boonstra’s Revelation Speaks Peace evangelistic meetings in cities like Phoenix, Portland, Los Angeles, India and Rome energized attendees and church members alike with the hope in Christ that is revealed through the final book of the Bible.

 

Short satellite series such as The Appearing, The Presence and Out of Thin Air covered topics such as the Second Coming, the Sanctuary, and the Creation/Evolution debate. Thousands of churches participated in these events.

 

A Global Ministry

In recent years, It Is Written’s full-message telecast—the longest continuously running religious telecast in the world—has expanded even further around the world. Since its recent debut in Australia, It has become the #1 religious program in the country. 

 

The ministry’s overseas projects have taken the Gospel to some of the most remote places on Earth. In recent years, the team has traveled to:

 

• The Arctic—to deliver Bibles to Inuit tribes.

• The Kalahari Desert—to deliver solar-powered water wells and solar-powered audio Bibles to the San tribes.

• The Democratic Republic of Congo—to work among the Pygmies.

• Vanuatu—to provide mosquito nets for children living in malaria-plagued villages.

 

Speaker

In January 2011, Pastor John Bradshaw became the fourth speaker/director of the international It Is Written ministry. Pastor Bradshaw’s experience makes him uniquely suited for the role of speaker/director. 

 

His broadcasting career began in his home country of New Zealand, where he worked as a disc jockey on a number of the nation’s top radio stations. He left this job in 1990—and his life was changed when he gave his heart to Christ and made a decision for baptism.

 

He met his soon-to-be-wife, Melissa, at church, and after their wedding, he worked as an evangelist for Amazing Facts. After 12 years, the family—which now included a son and daughter—decided to put down roots. In the years that followed, Pastor Bradshaw pastored a church in Lexington, Kentucky, followed by the Village Church near Walla Walla University in Washington.

 

During his 15 years of pastoral ministry, Pastor Bradshaw has held more than 80 series. For him, nothing matches the joy of introducing others to Christ.

 

“When the presence of Christ floods into a person’s life, the impossible becomes possible. The chains are broken. The old is made new. I love that It Is Written communicates this around the world on a daily basis,” said Pastor Bradshaw.

 

Upcoming projects include a yearlong effort in Las Vegas, which will kick off with a four-night series called Babylon Rising in May 2011, and a full-month series in January 2012. 

 

Pastor Bradshaw has also launched a new online spiritual boost for busy people. His Every Word devotional is available seven days a week at www.itiswritten.com/everyword. 

 

To read the latest news and learn more about It Is Written and Pastor Bradshaw visit www.itiswritten.com. 

Contact Information

Telephone: (805) 433-0210	Fax: (805) 433-0218
Email: iiw@iiw.org	Web: www.itiswritten.com

 

 

NewsPoints Newsletter

Signup for NewsPoints

Find an Adventist Church in your neighorhood

More

Your Church can have a beautiful website for free!

Click for Details