Mobile phones are continuously shaping people’s daily routines – from simple hellos to loved ones and friends, short and lengthy chitchats, and ordinary decision-making to complicated business transactions. And Members Church of God International (MCGI) was never too late to notice.

The advent of mobile phones has unlocked a seemingly impossible breakthrough in today’s communication ground. It has opened almost all possibilities for people to communicate with each other wherever they may be and whenever they wanted to. With its handy and fascinating features, one can’t just afford to not have one on his pocket.

The growing number of consumers relying on mobile transactions for their personal, banking and commercial needs had served as an eye-opener for business tycoons to see the potential of mobile telecom industry, hence, the boom of mobile technology.

In the Philippines alone, the network coverage of major providers has reached 99 percent of the country’s population, with more than 55 million mobile phone subscribers and whose daily total of 250 million notes, jokes, and other exchanges made the country the text messaging capital of the world, according to a Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) study.

Deemed as today’s goliath among other communication and information channels like the Internet, television, radio, and newspaper, mobile phone has proven its supremacy in the world’s communication technology surpassing the three billion mark of mobile cellular subscribers in August 2007, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data.

Though Internet, television, radio and newspaper have shown their importance as communication media, still mobile phone’s easy access and availability made it the people’s choice. True! There were billion users of internet across the world but over 750 million of them access the internet via mobile phones. Even Google's new CEO Eric Schmidt, says the future of the internet is mobile.

In March 2008, Internet World Stats recorded 37.6% Internet users in Asia, 27.1% in Europe, 17.5% in North America, 9.8% in Latin America/Caribbean, 3.6% in Africa, 3.0% in Middle East, and 1.4% in Oceania/Australia.

Meanwhile, television also proved how far it can reach the world. With about 1.5 billion TV sets in the world today, users can be tripled in number or more since it may have two or more people watching in just one sitting.

However, with these numbers of users for internet and television, global mobile penetration still tops, expected to reach 50 percent by early 2008.

Taking the Advantage

Taking advantage of these gadgets’ convenience and availability, they have become one of the most easily-accessed means to Biblical wisdom. For most people, mobile phones are used mainly for sending messages, calling or internet browsing; but the MCGI has introduced their most important usage—to evangelize people.

Looking back at the church’s history of evangelization, it is interesting to know how it has made people realized the utmost purpose of the introduction of the mass media. In an effort to reach every home and evangelize people, the Church take advantage to ride in the evolution of these communication channels, from published works to radio, television, Internet, and now, the mobile phones.

Utilizing mobile phones for propagation echoes the ardent intention of the Church Presiding Ministers, Bro. Eli Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon, in saving souls from every nation. And through the mobile technology, the goal to bring the truth right at people’s hands is being realized.

“If a movie which runs for one or two hours can be viewed through a mobile phone, why not use it to view episodes of our Bible Expositions?” This was Gino Dizon’s question, one of the group’s pioneer members, answered through the foundation of Ang Dating Daan Mobile (ADD Mobile), an organization currently looking into the opportunities in mobile phones and other related technologically advanced devices so they can serve their purpose for evangelization.

Through the ADD Mobile, MCGI has offered valuable services like Bible Expositions episodes’ free installation and free cell phone repair to brethren and non-brethren. It also takes a major leap as it introduces one of the most advanced Digital Bible with features to change text’s font and backlight, and options to shut down or view the application in full screen.

Other features to be launched are still in the offing. Among them is the 1001 Bible Trivia which highlights the common and unusual questions of truth-seekers on Bible Expositions hosted by Bro. Eli Soriano.

As what Dizon said, “We give anything we can give for free as instructed to us by our Presiding Ministers Bro. Eli and Bro. Daniel … it’s just one time that we live so we grab every chance to help our preachers. We’re happy for the opportunity that we are able to contribute something to the church through the mobile technology.”

As a defense tool? Of course it can be one elaborated by Dizon. “If someone asked about the Bible you could readily use it. Imagine, you already have God’s Words in your hands.”

(Illustration provided by Seenag)
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Source:
http://www.up.edu.ph/upforum.php?issue=24&i=187
http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2007/01/putting_27_bill.html