Of the 7.2 billion people in the world, approximately 3 billion are active Internet users, according to We Are Social, a global agency that specializes in creative social media marketing and communications.
And Talladega resident James W. Anderson is trying to grab a piece of that market for God’s glory.
Anderson sees the unlimited reach of the Internet and understands the power of such a medium.
“I feel that history will bear out that the Internet and its spin-off services will be recognized as the greatest invention to date of mankind,” he said.
One of those spin-off services is Anderson’s SonShine Satellite Network.
In 2006, Anderson was approached with the idea for creating a Christian radio station in the Talladega area. Because he has been involved in radio broadcasting and television production for about 30 years, Anderson took the idea and got to work.
However, after hitting a “political brick wall blocking approval” Anderson had to get creative. In May 2006, SonShine Satellite Network began with a monophonic (AM) and stereophonic (FM) Christian broadcast ministry through the Internet.
Since its inception SonShine has grown from one pastor delivering weekly sermons and Anderson handling the technical side of broadcasting to “opening up airtime” to 18 local churches and religious organizations, Anderson said. The network has garnered listeners from 194 countries with the largest concentration coming from China.
Expanded reach
“What we do is vitally important to participating churches and religious organizations since they can obviously expand their reach by virtually limitless boundaries. … This enables the church to reach the homebound and the unchurched and members currently out of the area that otherwise would not be reached.”
In July 2009 the project expanded into a live video broadcast with a call-in program with Talladega Mayor Larry Barton called “In the Interest of the People.” To date the political program has reached more than 38,000 viewers.
Now run by four volunteers, SonShine also works with budding Christian artists to help them get started in the music industry. Artists Anderson has worked with include Ivan Parker, Squire Parsons, Henry Brooks and the Chuck Wagon Gang.
Partnering with churches
Locally Anderson works with Bill “Guitar Bill” Smelley to broadcast a Christian cowboy kids show affiliated with First Baptist Church, Sylacauga, on SonShine three times a week.
Smelley said, “I can’t say enough … that I appreciate his ministry.”
SonShine is an important ministry because of the attention it brings to the gospel, Smelley said, and he intends to continue to record the children’s show as long as possible.
Sam Tate, pastor of Central Baptist Church, Talladega, records his sermons weekly and streams them via the “emerging ministry.”
“What (Anderson) is doing is a good thing,” Tate said. “I think (SonShine is) getting the world platform out there and I’m glad he’s doing it.”
Anderson also runs the Coosa River Baptist Association church’s website and uploads Tate’s sermons there.
By opening up website construction and video broadcasting services to churches and religious organizations, Anderson enables “live” worship experiences that reach past the United States and into selected areas of Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Australia, Italy and Great Britian.
Offering all of these services free of charge is Anderson’s ministry. He has always strived to “live a dedicated Christian life” but has a renewed fervor since surviving three life-threatening medical events with his heart.
“I firmly believe that God still had a need for me and that’s why I am still here,” Anderson said. “I feel that my broadcast ministry work is a fulfillment of the mandate found in Matthew 24:14,” which speaks of the gospel being preached to the whole world.
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