FRESNO, Calif. (BP)–A Southern Baptist Convention church-planting effort will be featured on the Discovery Channel Oct. 22.
A six-minute segment featuring Set Free Christian Fellowship in Yucaipa, Calif., is scheduled to be included in a Pat Summerall Productions program titled, “Champions of Industry.” Airtime for the broadcast is 7 a.m. Eastern and Pacific times, 6 a.m. Central and 5 a.m. Mountain. Airtime for viewers on the West Coast with satellite or direct TV is 4 a.m.
The segment features the California Southern Baptist Convention congregation characterized as “one of the more radical church-planting efforts” of Southern Baptists that helps “set people free from their pasts.”
The segment outlines the mission of Set Free and the ministries in which the Yucaipa church is involved. Set Free congregations are urban, ministry-based churches designed to reach hurting humanity in inner-city and economically depressed neighborhoods.
“Most persons come to Set Free from the school of hard knocks,” Summerall says as the program’s announcer. “It’s a tough crowd, but Set Free proves the love of Jesus is even tougher.”
California Southern Baptists in cooperation with the North American Mission Board have started 23 Set Free congregations in the Golden State. The California contingent also has started Set Free congregations in the Seattle and Atlanta areas.
Willie Dalgity, pastor of Set Free in Yucaipa, and several church members are featured in the segment, along with Fermin A. Whittaker, CSBC executive director, and Phil Langley, director of the CSBC new church extension department.
“This is a great opportunity for America to see what Southern Baptists, and California Southern Baptists in particular, are doing to minister and evangelize our communities,” Whittaker told Baptist Press.
Robert E. Reccord, president of NAMB, said, “Set Free is one of the most innovative and creative ministries Southern Baptists have. It reaches people who literally have nowhere else to turn for help. When a person comes to know Christ through Set Free, it is a radical and life-changing experience that results in the person being completely and totally sold out to God.”
During the broadcast several members testify how Set Free introduced them to Jesus and changed their lives.
Melody Romero, one of the church members interviewed, said, “Set Free changed my life because it led me to Jesus, and I learned that I could rely on Jesus instead of drugs and alcohol and men and all that.”
Another member, Lisa Steinkamp, testified, “The most important thing that I’ve learned at Set Free is that through the Word of God and through knowing Christ as your personal Savior, that you can overcome anything, including drug addiction.”
Pat Summerall Productions (PSP) of Dallas produces “Champions of Industry” and initiated the segment. The broadcast recognizes outstanding organizations that make a positive difference in today’s world, according to a PSP news release. More than six years ago, “Champions of Industry” aired as a regional show in the Los Angeles area. Today, it is seen nationally on the Discovery channel.
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