Faith and Values TV Show on Fox Network in the USA

Most of the Fox Television Network's stations have picked up an inspiring faith and values sports show, The Real Winning Edge, which is now running on Saturdays in more than 75% of the USA, including in New York City.

Dr. Diane Preston-Reilly, president of Challenger Films, a non-profit corporation, and the creator of the show, urged Christians in America to check their local Fox listings for the time of the show.

The episodes of the show are geared toward teenagers. Each half-hour program includes three segments, with each segment featuring the personal story of an outstanding young person.

Introducing the stories is an all-star team of high-profile, professional athletes and celebrities, including Jeff Gordon, singer Martina McBride, Albert Pujols, Matt Hasselbeck, Gail Devers, and top names from the world of Extreme Sports such as Tucker Hibbert, Kevin Windham and Shaun Murray.

According to the show's production notes, the show is "more than a showcase for kids with exceptional talent and athleticism."It's also about teenagers who have built character through their struggles with cancer or death of a loved one. It's about kids who came face to face with drug abuse and peer pressure without losing their focus on their goal."

Dr. Preston-Reilly said the show gives teenagers real solutions about dealing with adversity in their lives.

Iran, Apostacy and Media

Sammy Tippet Ministries reports that in Iran "there is some debate taking place within the government about those who are preaching through the television and various forms of media, that they would be targets of the government if they continue to see people come to Christ."

The media within Iran is currently accountable to Islamic Law and heavily censored by the ruling religious clerics. Conservative Iranians feel the press cannot criticize government leaders who are also religious leaders, and other religious tenants must be upheld in social, cultural, and political arenas.

Iran's religious leader recently blocked a parliamentary debate and vote on a bill which aimed to ease current stringent restrictions on the press.

Sammy Tippit says the report they received indicated the new concern is a separate discussion from the apostasy law. "What you have, basically, is ministries like ours, broadcasting into the country, trying to feed the sheep, trying to help those who are believers to grow in their faith in Christ, and this has become a point of contention."

This is seen as one more step toward the repression of Christians, alongside such issues as introducing the dealth penalty for apostacy - including for moving from Islam to Christianity.

But more groups are speaking out about Iran's proposed apostasy bill, under. It has drawn the condemnation of many human and religious rights organizations. While the law has yet to be ratified, many religious minority communities are concerned because they could be subjected to death sentences.

According to Lee DeYoung of Words of Hope, there has been increased attention by the government against those involved in Christian activities. He says there may be two reasons for the crackdown. He says it could be run-away Christian church growth, or new political movement.

Many reports indicate the current government isn't very popular and it is common, when officials feel things are getting worse for them, that their response is to try to tighten and to resist even more strongly any kind of thing they perceive to be a threat.

While there hasn't been civil disobedience yet, there is disillusionment. That's why Iranians are listening to Christian radio, such as the Persian programming from Words of Hope.

TWR Radio Opportunity in Kenya

TWR-Kenya produces over 32 different program titles with over 60 hours of programming weekly. Every week 133 programmes are dispatched on CD from their office to ten FM radio stations in Kenya and to the TWR-Africa Regional Office in South Africa for broadcast on short wave to East Africa from the Swaziland transmitter site.

It has always been a dream of TWR-Kenya’s staff to own a network of FM radio stations tailored to meet specific needs of people groups across the country while reducing the overall cost of broadcasting in Kenya. Recently this has become possible through the awarding of seven frequencies to broadcast on FM in the outlying areas of Kenya and several remote towns in the northern and eastern parts of the country where no Christian broadcasting currently takes place. Some of these towns are home to refugees who have fled from war-torn parts of East Africa. Many have experienced extreme hardship and are open to the Gospel.

In order to preserve the frequencies awarded to TWR, temporary transmitters and antennae have been set up at Garissa, Lodwar and Marsabit. However TWR needs to establish seven radio stations in Kenya which will broadcast programmes recorded locally and in Nairobi. A studio to transmitter link needs to be set up to relay programmes to the radio stations.

Bordering the Indian Ocean with abundant wildlife and home to the Masai Mara where wildebeest and other wild animals take part in large scale annual migration, Kenya is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Despite its natural beauty, many of the people of Kenya are living in utter desperation and despair, in critical need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Radios help people get clean water

47 % of people in Cambodia can't afford filters for clean water.

In Cambodia, 47 percent of the population doesn't drink clean water simply because they can't afford filters. Others simply don't know the importance of clean water, and a large number suffer from diarrhea and waterborne illnesses.

In many countries, the ease of buying clean water or having it available in your home is taken for granted.

Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) is helping people learn more about hygiene, irrigation, the science of wells, and providing clean water for livestock in two new radio programs.

- One is called The Well of Life - a drama that runs five days a week for 5 minutes.

- The other is a 30-minute spot that is simply informative.

Listeners also hear how water and wells are a symbol of rebirth and life for Christians.

FEBC Cambodia staff travel around giving out radios so more people can hear the message. They get feedback on their programs, and most importantly, they give families water filters.

It is a small thing that can change lives.

Radio Helped Survive Kidnap

Radio Broadcasts Helped Gracia Burnham Survive Kidnapping Ordeal
Source: Trans World Radio

Imagine being held hostage for more than a year, never knowing if you would make it home again.

For Gracia Burnham and her late husband, Martin, this nightmare became a reality.

The Burnhams were missionaries with New Tribes Mission in the Philippines for 17 years. In 2001 they were kidnapped by separatist terrorists in the southern Philippines and held captive.

During a rescue operation by the Philippine army on June 7, 2002, Martin was killed and Gracia was wounded. Gracia has since returned to the U.S. where she was reunited with her three children.

She has written two books about her experiences, In the Presence of My Enemies and To Fly Again: Surviving the Tailspins of Life.

Despite enduring pain and unbearable suffering at the hands of their captors, Gracia recalls how Christian radio broadcasts brought a beam of hope in the darkness of their jungle prison.

To view a video about her experience, visit Trans World Radio’s website

Buy Gracia Burnham's Books Below

Share FM - helping you reach out

The Share FM website provides a useful guide through the maze of paperwork and form filling required to apply for the UK's Restricted Service License - or RSL- broadcasting licence.

If you are planning to broadcast in Northern Ireland, Share FM can also offer you a complete radio studio setup complete with mixing desk, twin cd player, mini disc, microphones and 25watt stereo FM transmitter with RDS identifier & aerial. This can easily be set up at your location, eg church hall or similar.

ShareFM Ministries also provide a CD / DVD duplication service to evangelists for any Christian outreach activity. Providing there is no copyright on your source material, they can provide you with presentable copies at a competitive cost. Discs can be printed on the face with your contact details and any design of your choosing.

Contact information for ShareFM can be found on the homepage of their website.

Christian radio helps earthquake victims

More than three months since the devastating earthquake hit Sichuan Province, China, the needs for the victims remain.

According to reports, it will cost more than $150 billion to rebuild schools, hospitals, businesses and homes for the nearly four million people displaced by the earthquake.

Rebuilding is just a part of the problems. People are suffering from the incredible loss of life and more.

Far East Broadcasting Company is helping in a simple way - by providing radios.

FEBC's President Gregg Harris says, "When all of the infrastructure of a particular city or area gets knocked out, radio becomes an incredibly effective and important way to give people information about what's going on in their world because most of the infrastructure has been decimated."

FEBC is also producing special programming to help people deal with their loss. "Although this programming is not explicitly evangelistic, after people have listened to the special programming about how to deal with the grief and the anxiety, they'll then be able to keep listening and tune in to the more explicitly evangelistic programming we have on the air."

Harris says giving a radio does more than provide a link to the outside world. "It's extremely important psychologically. And of course, when you add to that, specially produced programming that is really targeted to meeting their emotional and psychological need, with a view toward ultimately meeting their spiritual need, it's a great recipe for ministering to people."

FEBC is trying to place 20,000 radios into the earthquake-damaged area. "We're able to buy, distribute, and cover all the costs for getting it into a qualified listener for $30."

The radios are placed strategically through working with the local church. "They know the people who are going to really use the radios to listen to FEBC's program. And often in situations like this, people will form listener groups, and one person will take one radio and gather a group of 20, or 30 or more people."