wfn.org | CRC NEWS: CRC Ends Production of Primary Focus TV Program

["Henry Hess" <hessh@crcna.ca>]

Dec. 15, 2005 Palos Heights, Ill. - The Christian Reformed Church
announced today that it will no longer produce its award-winning weekly
television program Primary Focus in order to direct resources into other
areas of media ministry.

The decision was made by the Board of the Back to God Hour (BTGH), the
electronic media ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North
America, at its meeting on Dec. 12.

The BTGH Board announced that production of new Primary Focus
programming will cease effective immediately. Programs already produced
will continue to air as long as markets are available.

Rev. Robert Heerspink, the interim director of the Back to God Hour,
said that although Primary Focus won many awards for quality and has
been aired on a growing number of stations across the United States and
Canada, it has been increasingly difficult to fund the program at the
levels required for high-quality television production.

Heerspink noted that in recent years the Back to God Hour has shifted
additional resources into international broadcasting initiatives because
of great international response.  In addition to English, the Back to
God Hour has radio broadcasts around the globe in Arabic, Chinese,
French, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Heerspink said the Board's decision does not signal a retreat from media
ministry in North America.  The Back to God Hour is currently working on
employing new web-based ministry outlets, including pod-casting and
web-casting, as well as video programming.

He said the Back to God Hour also is continuing to explore partnerships
and ministry opportunities that would open the way for new initiatives
in North American and international English language broadcasting.



For more information contact:

Rev. Jerry Dykstra, Director of Denominational Ministries

The Christian Reformed Church

616-224-0744

Dr. Peter Borgdorff, Executive Director,

The Christian Reformed Church

616-224-0832

...................

Henry Hess

Director of Communications

The Christian Reformed Church

To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church visit www.crcna.org