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Arabic Television Program Debuts The Value of Radio to an Oral Society in West Africa |
Inside this issue: Arabic Television Program Debuts - More Than Words brings the Bible to life for Middle East viewers. [Read more] The Value of Radio to an Oral Society in West Africa - The listener?s reactions convince a West Africa broadcast team that their radio program is having a significant impact on lives. [Read more] WMB Spotlight: Jordan Escusa - Because Only Dead Fish Swim With The Current - How can you not want to read what this is about with a title like that? [Read more] Power in Puerto Rico - A WMB radio program receives 30-50 calls each week from listeners who want to accept Christ, reconcile their lives, or receive prayer...now that?s powerful! [Read more] Getting in Touch With God Through Liberian Community Radio - One man from a small, remote village in central Libreria heard the holiness message on a WMB radio program and embarked on a four-hour journey: his quest to find the Nazarene church responsible for the program. After he did, the man began the long walk back home...as a new believer in Christ. [Read more] Hark! The Herald Angels Sing- Announcing the birth of Christ through WMB...how you can partner. [Read more] Arabic Television Program Debuts
The team just finished production on 26 episodes––a complete first season––of Aktar Min Kalam “More Than Words”, a 30-minute program featuring interviews, discussions, music and Biblical teaching on a different topic each week. The show's title refers to the fact that the Bible is more than just words on paper, Kafrouny said in a recent audiocast interview. "It's life." The show is the creation of World Mission Broadcast Arabic Coordinator and host Ayman Kafrouny, who also hosts a Nazarene Arabic radio program, Foshat Amal "Journey of Hope", a 15-minute weekly radio devotional that airs on Middle East radio as well as through the Internet. Every episode focuses on a topic or problem, such as fear of death, addressing it through a fast-paced succession of short segments that alternate between Kafrouny's devotional thoughts from the studio and interviews with people on the street, expert commentators and testimonies from real people. The testimonies are dramatized through re-enactments in two parts, beginning with the person's experience of the show's topical problem, and concluding with how Christ changed the person's life. "The rhythm of the program is very fast," Kafrouny said. Because SAT-7 has viewers across the Middle East, the show highlights people from throughout the region. The show is partially funded by church offerings to World Mission Broadcast, and Kafrouny works creatively to raise the rest of the financial support needed to produce the show. "There is a hired production crew and a rented studio," said Brian Utter, global coordinator for World Mission Broadcast. "Some young people from the church there are volunteering to help produce the program. We eventually would like to put in video editing equipment there and train local members to edit the program. That will dramatically drop production costs." SAT-7, which claims 8.7 million viewers, gears its programming for both Christian and non-Christian viewers, children through adults. "They are very excited to have quality Arabic produced material," Utter said, "and Ayman's popularity as the prominent Arabic Christian worship leader always opens doors. (People) are watching Arabic Christian television and it is making incredible in-roads and young people are beginning to ask questions." Kafrouny was a popular secular singer throughout the Middle East before he accepted Christ; afterward he continued singing in televised worship services and revivals, as well as began developing Nazarene Arabic radio and TV ministry in 2004. “Pray that the Lord will use this program to allow many to experience His love through Jesus Christ,” said Kafrouny, “and may this step help the ministry of our church to grow in this part of the world.” ---Gina Pottenger, EngageMagazine.com The Value of Radio to an Oral Society in West Africa
“Radio ministry is very important in the West Africa Field because we in Africa generally come from people groups with oral traditions. For this reason, whatever comes from the radio has value. Whatever comes from the radio has a great importance. And this is why we have for a long time considered it necessary to use radio to proclaim the message of holiness. We have seen testimonies come from the radio broadcasts we produce. I am very happy to be doing radio ministry. I am a pastor, of course, and for me, radio is another means of evangelization, a means of edification. That is to say, at church I speak to a very limited number of people, but with radio I speak to hundreds of people. Depending on the power of the transmitters, I can speak to a million people. Sometimes, because we work with Trans World Radio International, our programming is broadcast as far as South Africa, and these broadcasts cover all of West Africa, thus there are millions of listeners who are all receiving our radio broadcasts at once. That’s why, to me, this ministry is very important.
I ask our listeners, I ask our partners, I ask everyone in the Church of the Nazarene, the international Nazarene world everywhere, to pray for us. We need to be supported in prayer. Pray that the West Africa radio ministry can really continue to touch lives, can continue to touch homes, can continue to touch people in distress. Thank you. May God bless you. WMB Spotlight: Jordan Escusa ? Because Only Dead Fish Swim With The Current
How did you begin your relationship with Jesus? I was an average Filipino teen living with an average Filipino family in California. I grew up in a Christian home where everyone was Christian. Time came where I got really bored and tired with all this so one day I decided I wanted to just wander away from it. I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, even joined a gang and became badly influenced. I wanted to be as bad as I could be because I thought that's what was cool. So I started smoking, drinking, and doing drugs. I did a lot of marijuana and even became a pusher of it one time. Things just kept on getting worse. I cut classes so much; I eventually dropped out of school. My life was a complete mess and I knew it. I even felt sorry for what I had become. The situation seemed hopeless for I had completely lost control. Then I went back to the Philippines. I attended a youth camp, and that's where it hit me. On Thursday, May 22, 1997 around 11 pm, I finally turned my whole life over to the Lord Jesus and he transformed me. Now I realize that he was there all along for me. I could have been seriously hurt, jailed or even killed when my life was wayward. But He took care of me. I owe Him big. That's why I will continue to give thanks to Him and live for Him. I received a calling to serve him in the ministry and so I got into Bible school, finished and today I am a youth pastor at my home church: Taytay First Church of the Nazarene. God has also opened up many opportunities to go around a lot to different schools, youth groups, and events to share God's word and what He's done in my life. I have an extreme passion to change this nation through winning every single youth I can to Christ today. What training has led you to this point in your ministry? I graduated with a degree in theology. I’ve attended seminars and workshops and have been trained by some veteran radio DJs. Everything else is pretty much self-taught, with God’s grace of course. I believe I continue to learn and improve on what I do.
Soon, a friend of mine discovered that I had hosting abilities. She was a radio disc jockey on a secular rock station that had a special one-hour segment of Christian rock called “Against the Flow”, a show that she turned over to me and I continue to host and produce today. I host two radio programs. “Perfect Rhythm” (PR) airs anytime, on w ww.perfectrhythm.fm and Sundays at 8 am on DZAS 702 AM, the Philippines nationwide premiere Christian station. PR is a 30-minute youth program which I write, produce and record myself, most of which is taken from sermons I had shared with my youth group, but doesn’t sound like a sermon with all the music and spots added in. “Against The Flow” (ATF) is a live, one-hour Christian rock show that airs on Sundays at 1 pm on the Philippines’ nationwide premiere rock station, NU 107.5 fm. I also host and produce this. This is similar to PR, except that it is longer, live and louder! I also take a different approach since it’s a different audience. What objective are you trying to accomplish? To bless whoever is listening and help bring the message of the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through music I play or the stuff I share. How do you personally connect with your audience? Throughout the week, I go through all the mail and try to reply to every one. I have volunteers who help me and keep me informed of the real important ones. I have almost all the social networking sites. I try to make myself as easily accessible as possible to anyone through the Internet. I also get to meet and talk with them at certain events. I do my best to be easily reached by the audience. What are the issues facing youth today in the Philippines? I would say a lot of brokenness and emptiness. There are a lot of broken homes and relationships. This leads to keeping bad company as friends and soon drugs and alcohol enter the picture. Young people are looking for joy and happiness or fun, just like any other youth in the world. I’m here to tell them that true joy is only found in Christ. Tell us about a listener who found that joy through your ministry. How can we pray for your ministry? Please pray that more listeners would tune into our programs so that we can be the bridge for them to Christ and His church. Jordan’s sites: PERFECT RHYTHM: AGAINST THE FLOW: YOUTH MINSTRY: Power in Puerto Rico Hector grew up in a Christian home, but during a turbulent adolescence fled the influence of a Christian family. “It was at a point of depression and much sadness that I returned to Jesus. It was truly an amazing experience in my life,” says Corraliza. Hector was called into ministry. “Just as I began pastoring, God opened the door for me to begin a radio ministry on Radio Redentor. I would travel an hour and a half, to and from, between my home and the studio.” Despite having no training in radio production, Hector possessed a burning passion to preach the message of Jesus Christ. “I was preoccupied with the fact that the people did not know His message and our doctrine of holiness,” say Corraliza.
“One evening, a woman called who wanted to end her life. Just at the moment she was going to commit suicide, she heard a voice telling her to turn on the radio. She listened to the voice and turned on the radio. I was speaking about when God is silent. She later told me that message was aimed directly to her. She called us and we talked together and prayed. It came as a surprise to all of us that her sister attends our church and sings in the choir.” En Jesucristo Esta El Poder can be heard every Monday afternoon at 1:30 CST online at www.wppc1570am.org. Pastor Hector asks for prayer that God will give him everyday the words to preach the holiness message. --- Brian Utter, World Mission Broadcast Getting in Touch With God Through Liberian Community Radio
“Come and listen in to a radio station, where the mighty hosts of heaven sing. Turn your radio on, turn your radio on. If you want to feel those good vibrations coming from the joy that His love can bring, Turn you radio on, turn your radio on…and listen to the Master's radio. Get in touch with God, and turn your radio on.” Randy Travis is not the only person who has turned his radio on, listened to the Master’s radio, and gotten in touch with God! Around the world, God is using the airwaves to transport His love and clarity into homes and hearts, and His Holy Spirit is enlightening listeners to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they listen! Duoplay is a small, remote village in central Liberia; a village deeply immersed in witchcraft, which has a strong grip on the people of the village. Unfortunately, the practices of witchcraft and of traditional African religions have made their way into some of the churches in that area. One day, Mr. Barleah, a native of Duoplay, was listening to the radio and heard the speaker talk about something different; holiness. He was so impressed by what he heard that he wrote down where he could get in touch with the producers of the program. You see, God had initiated the radio message that day for the ears of Mr. Barleah. After walking for four hours in the heat of the West African sun, Mr. Barleah found what he was looking for, the Church of the Nazarene in Karnplay. Liberia, a town located on the border between Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire. Barleah had many questions for Pastor Tee T Latahn of the Karnplay church. “I have joined many churches in the past. I can read the Krahn, Gio and Mano language Bibles. About 30 years now I have been in churches and in leadership. I heard you say that being a member of a church for many years does not mean salvation. What is salvation? What does the Nazarene church teach about salvation? How can one be saved?” Pastor Tee told him what the bible teaches; that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal through Christ Jesus, only Jesus Christ can save, not our denominations. He talked about how holiness can change our lives as we consecrate our lives 100% to God and trust Him to purify our hearts so that we can live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. He said every Christian is called to be holy, and that no one can make himself or anyone else holy, only God can through the presence of His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicted Mr. Barleah. He recognized that he was lost in sin and separated from God; he realized his need for a savior. Mr. Barleah repented and accepted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior for the first time that day! Mr. Barleah returned to his village and shared his new faith in Jesus Christ with his family and friends. The following week, he walked four hours to church, but this time he walked with two others from Duoplay. Pastor Tee’s program is recorded at the Karnplay Community Radio Station. The ultimate goal of the radio ministry is to take and/or plant Christ in the hearts of the community dwellers, just as Christ was planted in the heart and life of Mr. Barleah. “Everybody has a radio receiver. All you got to do is listen for the call. Turn your radio on, turn your radio on. If you listen in you will be a believer. Leaning on the truths that'll never fall, Get in touch with God, turn the radio on. “Turn your radio on, And listen to the music in the air Turn your radio on and glory share, Turn your lights down low, and listen to the Master's radio. Get in touch with God, turn your radio on.” ---Linda Braaten, World Mission Broadcast Africa Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Don’t get me wrong. I love this time of the year...and not for the typical reasons. I love this time of the year because it presents us with amazing opportunities to share the story of Christ via radio and television. Secular media is more open at Christmas time to sharing the story of Jesus than at any other time of the year. For example, Christmas music has been produced in the Bengali language of East India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan in preparation for a special live broadcast of Swarger Shidi “Ladder to Heaven” on Christmas Eve. The South America team just finished production on the third season of Mujer Valiosa “The Valued Woman” television, which includes a Christmas special. World Mission Broadcast uses these opportunities to make Christ known around the world. Consider us the ‘herald angels’, which have the job of ‘harking’ the arrival of the Christ-child. Christmas themed media has been produced months in advance in places like Timor L’Este, Cote d’Ivoire and Lebanon with the sole purpose of announcing that Christ is born! So, let me say thank you for your continued prayers and support for the ministry of World Mission Broadcast. Without your continued partnership these ‘angels’ wouldn’t be able to ‘hark’ at such an important time as this. Please continue to keep this ministry in your prayers. Like all families, we are feeling the impact of this current economic crisis. Consider making an end-of-year Christmas gift to World Mission Broadcast as we trumpet the arrival of our newborn King! ---Brian Utter, World Mission Broadcast If you would like to play a part in financially supporting World Mission Broadcast, 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:
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After a year of planning, praying and producing, 
Pastor Prao Kouakou is from Cote d’Ivoire, Africa and has served as the WMB Coordinator for the West Africa Field since 1997. Pastor Kouakou coordinates the radio programming activities in Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Ghana. The following is an update taken from the French interview conducted during General Assembly in Orlando, Florida, July 2009.
We receive a lot of reactions from our listeners convincing us that our broadcasts are having a great impact on the population of West Africa, because our listeners react, they write to us, they tell us what they are feeling about our radio programs, and because of that we have many testimonies. One of those testimonies that I would like to share here today is that of a listener who today is the wife of the District Superintendent of Benin. And this young woman who regularly listened to our radio programs in Benin, not knowing that the Church of the Nazarene was in Benin, she took a month to listen to our programs to understand the teaching, the message of holiness, through our programs. This woman, at first, wanted to join the Church of the Nazarene, even before she knew the church was in Benin. It was later that she understood that the church was in Benin, and she joined a Nazarene church, and in the end, today she has become the wife of the District Superintendent of Benin.
Jordan Escusa is a youth pastor and WMB radio host and producer in Taytay, Philippines. Recently he spoke with WMB about his ministry.
At first, it never really crossed my mind to do a radio ministry. I wasn’t really serious about it, but I do thank the Church of the Nazarene for leaving the microphone open enough for me to play around with it, pretending to be a DJ. That got me started.
Nestled between the central mountain range of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea to the south is the city of Ponce, where every Monday afternoon Pastor Hector Corraliza reminds his listeners that En Jesucristo Esta El Poder “In Jesus Christ Is Power”.
Country music fans may have heard the tune, “Turn your radio on!” sung by popular country music singer, Randy Travis. It goes like this: 
As I write this, Christmas is just a few days away. I wonder when the first Christmas was celebrated, if they could have envisioned the Christmases of today. Did they see “Black Friday” becoming an unofficial holiday? Did they see thousands of light bulbs and plastic figures covering houses and lawns? Every year we talk about how commercial this celebration of Christ’s birth has become, yet we all participate in the commercialization.