When most students toss their books aside in favor of hitting the beach for spring break, North Greenville University’s missionary media ministry class will be traveling to Thailand during the week of March 7-11 to help spread the love of Christ.
The trip will be led by Shurajit Gopal, professor of broadcast media. The class initiative is designed to teach students how to integrate media and ministry.
The base city will be Chiang Mai, a regional headquarters for the International Mission Board. The North Greenville group will be working with the IMB, shooting videos, taking photographs and conducting interviews. The material will be brought back home, where the class will work on editing and producing the videos and photos for the IMB to use.
James Eaton, a senior media ministry major from Kingsport, Tenn., said that although the trip is a requirement for his class, it is also an opportunity he has been waiting for. He said God has called him to go to Asia, and this trip is finally allowing him to do so.
Brian Alexander, a senior broadcast media major from Charlotte, specializes in video post-production and camera operation. He hopes the trip will further prepare him for a future working with video in either a church or traveling ministry setting.
“With this generation, we’re always surrounded by entertainment,” Alexander said. “God created all of this. We should be creative people. If we’re not producing our media in the most creative way, we’re not doing all he wants us to do.”
Gopal said he is looking forward to seeing how the Lord works in and through the students. “It is really a blessing to accompany talented students with a heart for lost people,” he said.
Other North Greenville spring break mission teams will travel to Israel, Ecuador, Greece and Mexico. – NGU