The Rampage Spring 2019

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Spreading

Hope thr ough Videos James Dick Subscribe:

His inspiration for the video ministry came from his own personal experiences viewing the works of Clayton Jennings, an evangelist in Indiana, and Steven Furtick, founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church. Both provide videos to the public with teachings and messages from the Bible that spread hope in the world. Local youth have also inspired Dick to make videos, since watching vlogs and spending time on social media is highly popular these days. Dick said he noticed that not all, but much of the content distributed within the media was often very negative and discouraging to viewers. “None of it was really positive for Christianity or making a difference for the community,” Dick said. His intentions are to provide something for his students and others that is positive, influential, and helpful toward their lives. As a result, his video ministry YouTube channel has grown noticeably within the past few months. “I started out with about two subscribers, and now I am at about 54,” he said “It is not huge but it is encouraging.” In addition to his video ministry, Dick wears additional hats in the community. He ministers to local youth as the youth minister for Highlands Fellowship in Bluefield, VA. He also organizes camps, leads •••

by Kaleigh Compton Communication Class of 2020

W ith the rise of social media, leaders and speakers are meeting their audiences where they are in this day and age. Bluefield College junior James Dick is doing just that with his ministry through the use of weekly videos on his YouTube Channel. “Why I started making videos was to spread hope,” Dick said. On Mondays, he spreads hope with motivational videos as a way of encouraging people who may be starting a busy work week. On Wednesdays, his videos are more Bible study related with a hint of theological questions. They address “things churches do not often have time to address because either it is hard or people do not want to talk about it,” Dick said.