17 June 2009

First Australian-made show airs for IIW

Wahroonga, New South Wales
Melody Tan/Matthew Butler

For the first time, It Is Written (IIW) Oceania will be screening an Australian filmed and produced episode on free-to-air television.

‘"The Day it Rained Fire' is unique because it is an Australian-made episode about a major Australian event and will be screened to the Australian public," says Matthew Butler, special projects manager of IIW Oceania. "But this will not be the last. We praise God for the opportunities before us to screen more Australian-produced episodes in future."

Although anchored by Pastor Gary Kent in Australia, stories produced by IIW International feature strongly in current IIW Oceania episodes.

It is anticipated that future IIW Oceania episodes will be filmed and produced by the Adventist Media Network, either on location or in the new IIW Oceania studio in western Sydney.

Upcoming series include "The Big Five," co-presented by Pastor Kent and IIW International speaker Shaun Boonstra that answers the five big questions faced by people today, and "The Touch of Freedom," a show currently being shot on location in Israel that highlights the impact of Jesus onthe lives of five Bible characters.

"The Day it Rained Fire" is a program about the Black Saturday bushfires and their impact from a Christian perspective.

It features Pastor Ivor Jones and Rod Leisfield, a Marysville Baptist pastor and one of his church members, both victims of the bushfires that claimed over 170 lives in February this year.

Pastor Ivor Jones, his wife, Yvonne, and Pastor Gary Kent (left to right)
during the filming of "The Day it Rained Fire" for It Is Written.

"Mr Leisfield was previously approached by some 60 different media outlets to share his story but he declined all of them," says Mr Butler. "However, he chose to share it with IIW Oceania because he knew it would accurately portray his journey of faith."

Pastor Kent says, "‘The Day it Rained Fire' will answer questions such as ‘Where is God during such terrible tragedies?' and ‘Can we still believe in God when bad things happen to us?' We will be sharing a message of hope with the viewers and pray that many hearts will be turned to Jesus as a result."

"The Day it Rained Fire" will air on the Seven Network in Australia on June 21, Hope Channel on June 26 and July 3, and Australian Christian Channel on June 22, 26 and 27.

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