Pioneering Thousand Oaks Televangelist Dies at 84

George Vandeman, a pioneering television evangelist who made history with the first regularly scheduled American religious broadcast on Soviet TV, died early Friday at a Newbury Park retirement center. He was 84.

The county coroner’s office said Vandeman died in his sleep of cardiac arrest at about 5:30 a.m.

From 1956 until 1992, Vandeman hosted the popular Seventh-day Adventist show “It Is Written.” The semi-documentary program with footage of current events was broadcast from Thousand Oaks and covered everything from prophecy to positive thinking. The show, with its new host Mark Finley, airs in 5,000 cities in the U.S. and Canada and 150 countries. Vandeman also wrote more than 40 books on religious subjects.

“We lost one of the great giants of the Adventist Church,” said Kermit Netteburg, spokesman for the church in Washington, D.C. “He pioneered an area of TV ministry that made a huge difference in people’s lives.”

His show began as a 13-week experiment in Fresno and moved to Thousand Oaks.

Unlike many televangelists, Vandeman eschewed bluster for a more soft-spoken, personal approach to his audience. His program, the first religious show in color, was produced on a spartan sound stage and ranked in the top 15 of the nation’s religious broadcasts each year.

“He had a way of explaining religious truth that was easy to understand, he was magnificent,” Netteburg said.

Vandeman’s biggest coup occurred in 1991 when his show was given a weekly slot on Soviet television. The Seventh-day Adventist Church agreed to give the Soviets a professional television production studio in Moscow in return for a time slot for “It Is Written.”

Robert Schuller, the well-known Garden Grove television preacher, was the first foreign preacher to appear on Soviet television, airing a Christmas Eve message in 1989. Schuller then made a deal to produce monthly 30-minute messages to the Soviets, but they were later pulled by Soviet authorities.

Vandeman held revival services all over the world, one of the few Adventists to do so. In 1980, he received the Religious Heritage of America Faith and Freedom Award for Television Religious Personality of the Year. He was also an early user of satellite technology to broadcast religious seminars around the world.

Connie Vandeman Jeffery remembers her father as an active man who traveled the world, visited the White House and counted such luminaries as Billy Graham as friends. Like others, she recalls his gentle side.

“He had a very distinguished, beautiful voice. He was a very effective communicator,” said Jeffery, assistant manager of the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley. “He was a wonderful father. He was away a lot, but he was there for the important things.”

Finley, who took over the ministry when Vandeman retired, could not be reached for comment, but issued a printed statement.

“George was a close personal friend, a spiritual mentor and a fatherly figure full of wisdom,” he said. “He inspired me to take ‘It Is Written’ to new levels of excellence.”

Vandeman, a strict vegetarian, was married with four children. In 1985, his son Ronald Vandeman, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, stabbed him repeatedly in the face and back at his Thousand Oaks home. A fellow Adventist minister driving past saved Vandeman by pulling off his son. Vandeman was treated for minor wounds and his son was sentenced to 180 days in jail. He now lives in Oxnard.

After retiring, Vandeman and his wife of 62 years, Nellie, lived in a Camarillo mobile home park. His wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and now resides in a Camarillo nursing facility. Vandeman suffered congestive heart failure and moved into the Adventist-owned Ventura Estates in June.

“He was a wonderful guy. He had a great outlook on life and everyone here loved him,” said Jim Ponder, front desk coordinator for Ventura Estates. “He would come up and crack jokes, he was very active.”

According to his daughter, Vandeman kept his mind sharp by watching “Jeopardy,” “60 Minutes” and “Touched by an Angel.” He enjoyed politics and watched all the presidential debates, with George W. Bush being his favorite candidate.

“He took three walks a day,” Jeffery said. “He walked to Home Depot, Wendy’s and Target. He was a total vegetarian and never ate fish nor fowl. He was just a great guy.”

Along with his three sons and one daughter, Vandeman leaves behind seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Memorial services are pending.