Well-known Christian musician and best-selling author John Michael Talbot is going prime time.

His new television show, All Things Are Possible, will debut at 8 p.m. April 2 on The Church Channel, a Trinity Broadcasting Network station that reaches more than 50 million homes.

The weekly 30-minute program will include music by Talbot as well as an inspirational message.

In addition to his music and writing, Talbot also serves as spiritual leader of a Catholic lay community in Berryville. The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion includes celibate nuns and monks, families and singles who live in community at the hermitage. The community also includes others who live out the mission of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity in their own homes around the world.

Talbot, who will be 60 in May, said the time is right for expanding his ministry to reach a wider audience beyond his Catholic base. He said the program is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of Christians, not just Catholics.

“It’s from a Catholic perspective but in a way that’s ecumenical,” he said. “I come from a long line of Methodist ministers so it’s built into my DNA to talk about this stuff to Catholics and non-Catholics.”

Talbot said he’s not trying to convert the audience to Catholicism. His goal is to bring people to Christ.

“This is such a great opportunity to do that,” he said.

While his home base is in rural Carroll County, Talbot’s reach is much wider. He spends about nine months of the year traveling to parishes big and small around the country to teach and try to get Catholics excited about their faith.

“I’ve been everywhere and probably in the last six years I’ve gotten to know what the Catholic Church in the United States is like,” he said. “I really feel like I’m ready for this, ready for prime time because we’ve been out in the trenches. What we are seeing is that Catholics are ready to get excited again, to get excited about their faith.”

Talbot said Pope Francis has called for a more engaged church whose members care for one another and reach out to the world. He said he hopes the new program will be one way Catholics can reconnect with the church.

As for non-Catholics, Talbot said, “the Francis effect is real. Non-Catholics are absolutely enthralled by Pope Francis … and the TV show is a way to reach out as a Catholic to share the fire, to share the faith and to call people to Christ.”

The program will begin with a 12-part episode arc that will focus on a variety of topics, including living simply in a complicated world and learning how to listen to God.

“People will hear me sing and then there will be two 10-minute teaching segments,” Talbot said.

About 20 episodes have already been filmed and the excitement Talbot has for the project is evident in his voice.

“I’m having a blast,” he said.

Talbot said a DVD, All Things Are Possible With God, will feature the premiere episodes of the program and will be geared toward church study groups.

The broadcast schedule is available at churchchannel.tv/ watch. The program will also be available for viewing on the site. Information is also available at johnmichaeltalbot.com.

Religion, Pages 12 on 03/22/2014