At The Influence Lab, we believe it’s possible to transform culture through media! Our team of media experts just got back from a whirlwind trip to Ghana.
It was a non-stop schedule, packed with TV and radio interviews, training sessions with church and ministry media teams from TheoVision International and Perez Dome (one of the largest churches in Ghana), and visiting a remote village to view Bible translation work in action, with a focus on the main event: an intensive three-day Church Media Summit held in Ghana’s capital, Accra.
Each attendee was awarded a certificate of participation, which will propel them forward in their media ministries and careers.
The first of its kind in Ghana, almost 300 pastors, media teams, communications directors, and TV/Film producers attended the Summit from multiple nations across Africa. At the end of the Summit, each attendee was awarded a certificate of participation, which will propel them forward in their media ministries and careers.
Here’s a sampling of thegood reports pouring in from the Summit: “I’m writing to express my heartfelt gratitude and that of my team from Daystar Christian Center, Lagos, Nigeria, for the incredible impact you made at the Ghana Church Media Summit….
The experience was truly transformative, and we’re confident that the takeaways will be instrumental in transforming cultures. Thank you for being vessels of change!” —Benjamin Abejide Adeniran
“I’m very much privileged to be part of this historic event. May God bless our God-fearing and dedicated facilitators led by Phil Cooke.” —Kwabena Gyan
“It was indeed amazing. We are grateful for pouring out so much knowledge into us.” —Godfred Twamasi-Ankrah
Team member John Ondo captures a “selfie” as attendees gather.
“Thank you for the great impact of wisdom. Church summit in Ghana was amazing.” —@klufio
Also, one media director confided he felt so alone and depressed in his work that he had written his resignation letter. After attending the summit, he was so inspired that he has decided he is not quitting! Instead, he plans to build his media team with the tools he gained in the summit workshops.
TheoVision International, the organizer and host of the summit, adds, “The knowledge gained here is set to empower and revolutionize church media work across Africa.”
Content Creators Seek Learning Opportunities Part of the Influence Lab team, John Ondo (President/Founder, Ondo Media) taught on video production with interactive sessions on camera, as well as editing demonstrations. He shares, “We have a world of content creators hungry to learn the techniques to share the Gospel, and they want us back.”
Dan Wathen, John Ondo, and Phil Cooke meet with the media team at Perez Church.
More and more African nations are requiring ministry leaders to show proof of education. “It puts a smile on my face to see several hundred attendees walk out with certificates,” shares Dan Wathen (Executive Producer, Cooke Media Group), another Influence Lab team member who led the training on church live streaming and documentary filmmaking.
Phil Cooke (Co-Founder, Influence Lab/Cooke Media Group) led the Influence Lab team, chosen for their areas of expertise. In addition to John Ondo and Dan Wathen mentioned above:
Kathleen Cooke (Co-Founder, Influence Lab/Cooke Media Group) taught on acting for the camera and directing;
Laura Woodworth (Development Executive, Cooke Media Group) taught on writing, strategic content development in the digital age and screenwriting;
Falonee Naidoo (Content Manager, CV Africa & Middle East) from South Africa taught on the strategic use of social media.
Kathleen shares:
Kathleen inspired attendees to gain as much as they could from the Summit.
“I was overwhelmed with the need for training and encouragement from the sold-out event audience that attended. Our team went above and beyond to meet the needs that were asked of them. The Ghana team is already asking if we can come back again.”
For our Influence Lab partners she adds, “The Bible reminds us that ‘the harvest is ripe and the workers are few.’ We are so grateful for the support that many of you gave and for your prayers for protection and provision.”
A Highlight for Our Team One of the highlights of the trip for the Influence Lab team members, outside of the Summit, was a visit to a remote village to experience a Bible Listening Group. In an area where there is no written language, TheoVision International is reaching out with Bible translations in oral languages.
The experience of a Bible Learning Group in a remote village was a highlight for the team.
After a 2 ½ drive through rugged terrain, it was impactful to see a village of 30+ men, women and children gathered to listen to a chapter of the Bible and then discuss it in their mother tongue. (If you’d like to find out more, visit TheoVision International here.)
The International Need for Media Training The need truly is great in countries like Ghana and other nations around the world for media training. What we take for granted in the United States in the way of teaching and training on current media and digital strategies, the pastors and Christian communicators in other countries hunger and thirst for.
That’s where the Influence Lab steps in. We bring the training and inspiration that these leaders need to reach their nations for Christ in current and effective ways.
And that’s where YOU, our Influence Lab partners, step in. You make trips like this possible. Thank you.
A bird’s eye view of attendees at the first Church Media Summit in Ghana.
PLEASE PRAY: Also, we ask you to pray for those who attended the Church Media Summit in Ghana that God continues to grow them as a community of media professionals who can influence Africa and the culture.
PLEASE GIVE: It’s only with your financial support that we can continue this work. If you’d like to add your support, give your gift here.
Excitement is growing for the Church Media Summit, August 15-17, 2024 in Ghana! Pastors, media teams, communications teams and independent filmmakers from across Africa are excited about the upcoming media training opportunity offered by TheoVision International and The Influence Lab.
Registrants from Ghana as well as surrounding nations including Rwanda, Nigeria, Malawi, Liberia, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia will gather in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, for three days of intensive training in media and digital strategies to share the gospel. Influence Lab co-founder Phil Cooke shares more in this video.
With anti-Christian tension rising in countries across the continent, pastors are desperate to strengthen their churches and reach their nations for Christ. They’re eager to gain the knowledge and expertise they need to tell stories thatinspire faith, confront social issues and stir people’s hearts for the gospel.
Imagine the impact – not just within Ghana, but across Africa! Let’s help these pastors and their media teams get the training they need to strategically reach their nations with the gospel.
Partner with The Influence Lab now to send a team to Ghana this August 2024. Give your generous gift here.
“In countries where so few people are professing Christians, media may be the key to mission growth in that part of the world.” —Phil Cooke, Co-Founder, The Influence Lab
Find out more details about this Africa impact opportunity here.
Live in Africa? Register for the Church Media Summit 2024 here.
“If we are going to change the culture, we’ll do it through the effective use of media and entertainment.”—Kathleen Cooke, speaking at the She Leads America/UK Leadership Forum
Thank you, Influence Lab partners! As one of She Leads America’s Christian Women of Distinction, Kathleen Cooke recently participated in the inaugural launch of She Leads America/UK Leadership Forum held in London, June 1-4, 2024. The invitation-only event held on the grounds of Windsor Castle gathered women delegates from the UK and America to discuss and explore faith solutions in the face of counter-Christian agendas within their respective countries.
Representing The Influence Lab/Influence Women, Kathleen spoke on The Control of Media and Entertainment on the Culture. She challenged the delegates to not back down from using media tools to engage audiences. Speaking from the book of Nehemiah, she explained how Nehemiah rebuilt the wall surrounding Jerusalem at a time when it was vulnerable to an anti-Biblical culture similar to ours.
“We must rebuild the wall of the fruit of the Spirit… We must rebuild the wall where God has us doing His work and within the communities we live. And the tools we must use are media and artistic Biblical tools.”
A historic gathering, delegates included Dr. Alveda King, Salvation Army Commissioner Jolene Hodder, award winning autbor Bodie Thoene, and many more distinguished U.S. women, along with their UK counterparts holding top roles in government and ministry. Liz Doyle, founder and executive director of She Leads America comments, “It was an event ‘for such a time as this’ and we believe is the first of many to come globally.”
Overall the event laid forth the mission for women of distinction to become “solutionaries” bringing light into the darkness to save their ministries, families, nation and the world.
Kathleen adds, “Thank you to our many Influence Lab partners who supported me both in prayer and financial assistance to be there and take part. It was truly a ‘battle cry moment’ of linking shields to face the prevailing evils of our world and in our culture today.”
Watch for Kathleen’s full report of the London event coming soon!
Are you a partner of The Influence Lab? If not, would you consider a gift? Your one-time or monthly financial partnership makes it possible for us to impact nations through media and digital training strategies.
We’ve earned our 2024 Silver Seal of Transparency with Guidestar’s Candid.org! Considered the most widely adopted symbol of transparency for nonprofit organizations in the U.S., this recognition translates into heightened value to Influence Lab partners who can support the work of The Influence Lab and Influence Women with trust and confidence.
GuideStar’s Candid has promoted nonprofit transparency since 1994 with a searchable online database of nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, allowing potential donors to verify an organization before they give their donation. The public can find up-to-date information on thousands of nonprofits on the site, and in 2018, over 10 million people used GuideStar data to make decisions about nonprofits and the work they do.
Phil Cooke teaches pastors and Christian communicators during a media intensive in Cyprus. Media may be the best way to reach into Muslim countries with the gospel.
The digital age has placed an increased demand on ministries to elevate their media and digital strategies. The Influence Lab has stepped up to meet that need, thanks to the generous support of our partners.
Phil Cooke, co-founder of The Influence Lab with Kathleen Cooke, shares, “One reason we launched The Influence Lab a number of years ago is to help the global Church understand that in today’s digital age, we need to re-think the definition of ‘missions.’”
So far in 2024, Phil and Kathleen Cooke have traveled to multiple countries to conduct media and digital training intensives in countries where strategic training is not readily available, including Eastern Europe, Spain and Cyprus with Ghana on the books for August 2024. The impetus behind the mission is clear. “If we don’t develop an effective strategy for including media in fulfilling the Great Commission, we’ll fall short,” states Phil.
Kathleen Cooke with IW leaders at the launch of the new Influence Women Houston branch!
Thank you, Influence Lab Partners! Together with the financial support of our partners, The Influence Lab is empowering the church to influence culture through media, while Influence Women is raising a confident new generation of female leaders in media, entertainment, arts and leadership.
Find out the impact your financial support is having around the world on our news page here. Find The Influence Lab on Guidestar/Candid’s website here.
Support The Influence Lab! Give your generous gift here (and check out the brand new special offers as a “thank you” to our partners!)
After 2 years of volunteer service, Jean Christen stepped down this past month as Chief Operating Officer of Influence Women Global but will stay on as an Advisory Board member. She accepted the COO position, not knowing much about the great need, but was compelled by the mission of influencing women to change the culture through the effective use of media and knew women were key. She sacrificially gave her time, talent, and treasure to implement our explosive growth these past two years, and we’re forever grateful.
Jean got it!
She knew that if we were going to change cultural thought and the ongoing rejection of Biblical foundations, we had to support women who could create the change on our screens. Our children, grandchildren, and we ourselves are influenced by artistic endeavors, creative media, entertainment, and musical content—what we see and hear on our screens. Statistics tell us that we are overwhelmed with thousands of media messages daily. We check our cell phones an average of 150 times daily, and the average person globally now views TikTok 3.5 hours a day and Instagram and Facebook 4.5 hours daily. By population, Facebook is now the largest country in the world. Who’s speaking, teaching, planting churches and Biblical truths into their lives?
Where are the media-savvy Christian professionals creating programs and content to reach our media-driven world?
Sadly, most Christians would rather criticize the media, entertainment and arts community than invest in the professionals who work in and around it and who can make a difference from the inside.
It’s why you matter – you get it, too!
Here’s what one recent Influence Women member said after attending a Hollywood professional gathering, “As a singer/songwriter artist in the entertainment industry, Influence Women events have always been something I have looked forward to. They never fail to provide inspiration and encouragement from the stories of powerful women in the industry. It’s like iron sharpening iron where you meet others of your tribe: women of all generations in the entertainment industry and connect with new friends, possible future collaborators, and mentors. It’s great to know that we are not alone on this journey. Guaranteed that we leave every event with our bodies and spirits filled from the delicious food and the invaluable words of wisdom imparted and shared!” Flo, a Hollywood professional musical artist.
Christian media/entertainment professionals often feel isolated and alone. (more…)
Representing The Influence Lab/Influence Women, Kathleen spoke on The Control of Media and Entertainment on the Culture. She challenged the delegates to not back down from using media tools to engage audiences. Speaking from the book of Nehemiah, she explained how Nehemiah rebuilt the wall surrounding Jerusalem at a time when it was vulnerable to an anti-Biblical culture similar to ours.
