Arizona Conference camp meeting attendees are used to bright lights and television cameras as the programs are recorded for streaming video links on the conference website. The guest speakers are available throughout the year for people to review their messages or share them with their friends.

Gabe Romero, a church member from the Tucson area, approached conference treasurer Kent Sharpe with a proposal that would give the Arizona camp meeting an even broader exposure. Romero had arranged with Cox Cable, a major competitor for the television audiences in Arizona, to broadcast the meetings on public access channel 22. He had negotiated a price of $25,000 to televise the evening meetings.

Sharpe reviewed the proposal, but decided tightened budget restrictions would not allow for this last-minute expenditure.

Not wanting to miss this unique opportunity, Romero went back to Cox Cable and negotiated a new price to broadcast only five of the night meetings for $8,000. The featured speakers included evangelist Ron Halvorsen and Amazing Facts Speaker-Director Doug Batchelor.

Halvorsen recounted how one of his friends who had not come to camp meeting was at her local beauty salon in Phoenix getting her hair done during the time of his meeting. She was surprised to look up at the shop's televison and see Halvorsen preaching from Prescott. The beautician commented that she really enjoyed his sermons.

In addition to the telecasts on Cox, the camp meeting lectures and sermons — featuring Dick Duerksen, Richard Davidson, Don Mackintosh, Nancy VanPelt, Halvorsen and Batchelor — are available on the conference website at www.azconference.org.

The evening meetings for the Hispanic speakers were also televised on one of the Cox Spanish channels.

Statistics are not available for the cable TV audience, but during Batchelor's Sabbath sermon, approximately 860 people were logged on and watching via computer. The final Saturday night program attracted 1,150 viewers online.

"This was one of the best camp meetings ever for Arizona," said Tony Anobile, conference president. "So many people have come to me expressing gratitude for the excellent line-up of speakers. We had more than 2,300 people in the pavilion on Sabbath morning. That must be a new record for Arizona! We praise God for his blessings and hope to do even better next year."

"Hopefully we have broken down some barriers to getting our Adventist message to the people of Arizona," Sharpe concluded. "I know that television executives were watching our broadcast. We look forward to working with Cox Cable again next year."