From Broadcast to Breakfast

YouTube.com Evangelism

Hope Found in a Medellin Taxi

New Programs Go Live

The Latest Statistics from World Mission Broadcast

Involvement - Prayer and Giving

March/April/May 2007

From Broadcast to Breakfast

Thailand 's Lampang Church of the Nazarene had more to celebrate on Feb. 14 than just its fourth year as a church family. It celebrated a radio ministry rescued from possible closure, and a new restaurant that promises to connect the congregation with their community.

The church faced shutting down its radio program, Hope in This Life, when its budget was slashed. But the station's manager, Tang, had recently accepted Christ and begun attending the church. He caught the congregation's vision for radio ministry and now airs their program for free.

Another church member, Mr. Telasak, had spent a year asking God for a restaurant. Pastor Suphot suggested Telasak spend a night at the church praying for his dream's fulfillment. Suphot joined him in the vigil.

Two days later, Telasak followed his usual walking route through town when he noticed a small, open-air restaurant at one of the town's main intersections. He had passed it many times but never gave it a second glance. The owner was shutting it down. When Telasak told him he'd dreamed of having a restaurant, the owner gave it to him. No charge.

Other church members joined Telasak in removing spirit worship paraphernalia and altars set up near the structure's largest supporting tree. They acquired almost all the restaurant supplies he needed at greatly discounted costs, or even free. Telasak named the restaurant ?At's Place,? and began broadcasting the church's radio program in the dining area. Tang provided free radio spots to advertise the restaurant's grand opening on March 5.

The congregation's 12 members will spend time at the restaurant getting to know people who might never enter a church, and sharing with them about Jesus' love.

Having seen God's miraculous answers to their prayers, the church has more big dreams. Tang, who is a gifted auto mechanic, is praying for a place to repair cars. The church is also praying to own the whole radio station someday.

?I am so pleased with my church members,? Pastor Suphot said. ?They are growing strong and are now fully supporting me [with tithes and offerings]. God is blessing them!?

By the way, across from the restaurant is an abandoned Shell gas station?

---Southeast Asia Field Communications


YouTube.com Evangelism

Teenage MKs (missionary kids) David McKeithen and Steven Sarmiento came up with an idea of putting our videos on YouTube.com. ?I had thought about it in the past, but wanted it to have a purpose,? said Brian Utter, South America 's regional communications coordinator. ?So, I let them upload 10 of our Changed Life videos (in Spanish) as a way of evangelism. Within six hours the video Aiming for the Heart had been seen by 16 people. WMB's esperanza.net Web site and an e-mail address of video@esperanza.net are the points of contact,? shared Utter. As of the end of April, 10 videos were posted with one segment, Testimonio de Charlie Cardona receiving 526 views. To watch these segments on YouTube.com search for Esperanzawmc.


Hope Found in a Medellin Taxi

(The following is a quote from Pastor Angela Caicedo, host of La Hora Nazarena?a WMB call-in program airing in Medellin, Colombia, March 2007.)

?It is a joy to serve God and to see His Word arrive to change lives. Cristina is a 35-year-old woman from Medellín. Her fiancée, Alexis, is an attorney specializing in legal medicine.

A few months ago Cristina was diagnosed with breast cancer and Alexis felt very distressed, so much so that the man who was driving the taxi noticed his preoccupation. He opened his heart and the young taxi driver told him that on the radio he had listened to a testimony of a woman that God healed from cancer.

The testimony was mine.

So the taxi driver told him about the radio program, La Hora Nazarena, and put them in contact with us. It was a true joy to meet them and to be able to understand this woman and to pray with them.

Alexis told me before it cost him to believe in God but through Cristina's situation her fiancée realizes that God is real. What joy to know that in a taxi people can hear of God's love.?


New Programs Go Live

The Ballester Church of the Nazarene in conjunction with the Argentina Central District and World Mission Broadcast (WMB) South America recently launched a new, cutting edge radio program for a post-modern world. Poné Primera (First Gear) airs weekday mornings at 7 a.m. and covers the greater Buenos Aires area.

?In Buenos Aires, AM radio has a huge audience. It is extremely rare for an evangelical ministry to have an opportunity like this to reach the entire capital city of more than 13 million people. This time slot is amazing, literally millions of people are beginning their morning rush hour commute,? says Rev. Brian Utter, Regional Communications Coordinator.

Poné Primera is hosted by Juan Manuel Fernandez and includes dozens of professional guests such as doctors, lawyers and psychologists. ?This program is creating a personal relationship of trust with the listener, who is tuning in during their ride to work,? says Fernandez. Listeners tune in to hear the latest sports results, national and international news and traffic and weather reports. Short evangelical and social messages produced at the regional communications center are also a part of a pre-evangelism strategy to reach a post-modern urban audience.

In Jaén, Peru, the Alto Marañón district re-focuses and expands an already successful radio ministry. With a recent format change and new frequency, the radio ministry Conquistando (Overcoming) aims beyond traditional programming to reach an unchurched audience.

?We have incorporated many attractive aspects to reach with a larger impact. A large number of motorcycle taxi drivers are tuning in as they take passengers around the city,? says program host Romaín Sosa.

Sosa heard from the WMB national education coordinator in Ecuador, Marcos Bereche, that the new frequency has reached into the southern part of Ecuador. Listeners from the city of Chota are tuning in.

Nazarene churches around the city of Neuquén, in Southern Argentina, have joined to launch a new radio ministry, Construyendo Destinos (Building Destinies) on the Northern Patagonia district. Led by the husband and wife pastoral team of Daniel Basualdo and Andrea Malca, the program airs on Sunday afternoons at 2:30.

?This has been our first opportunity to have a local presence in the city of Neuquén (the largest city in Southern Argentina with a growing population of over a half million),? says Utter. ?We are expecting great things and the churches are already seeing the results.?

The strategy of WMB South America is to produce not only professional programs at the regional level, but to use local media ministries to impact their communities for Christ.


The Latest Statistics from World Mission Broadcast

As of April 19, 2007 World Mission Broadcast is reaching the unreached in:

•  30 languages
•  77 countries
•  83 programs
•  1397 broadcasts*

*This figure counts any WMB program that is broadcast on multiple stations throughout a region or regions, and is a figure that changes frequently.

An interesting new statistic we would like to share is that of podcasts. Between May 5, 2006 and Feb. 1, 2007, a total of 7,788 people visited the Perfect Rhythm and Take Five programs on-line. Produced by our Asia-Pacific team, these podcasts are posted on http://www.wmc-ap.org/ and listeners from all over the world download them to their computers or MP3 players.


WMB Prayer

If you would like to pray for our regional broadcast leaders, they are:

Africa?Peet Voges
Asia-Pacific?Doug Flemming
Caribbean?Brad Firestone
Eurasia?Joel Mullen
Mexico/Central America?Carlos Saenz
South America?Brian Utter

Ask the Lord to cover these leaders and their teams with His grace, wisdom, guidance, and love today.

If you would like to be involved in reaching the unreached by giving a financial gift, you can contribute on-line. Log on to
http://www.worldmissionbroadcast.org/contribute.aspx.

Gifts can also be given through your local Nazarene church or sent directly to us at:

World Mission Broadcast
International Church of the Nazarene
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64131