Christian Radio Fosters Unity

HCJB GLOBAL RADIO BROADCASTS FOSTERED UNITY ON EVE OF ECUADOR'S CONSTITUTION VOTE

Ecuador now has its 20th constitution in the nation’s history. Leading up to a referendum on the matter, HCJB Global Voice emphasized the need to seek God’s will in matters of governance.

Doug Weber of Radio Station HCJB said instead taking a side, his staff provided airtime to pastors to pray for the Sept. 28 referendum that determined whether or not Ecuador would adopt the charter.

About 64 percent of Ecuadorians voted in favor of the new constitution.

Weber believes the programming on Radio Station HCJB built church unity. He said the station’s apolitical approach to the election spoke volumes to the government.

“There was a lot of media outlets in the country that were taking a very distinct position one way or another, and we have always tried to maintain a neutral position, even in our news broadcasts and our daily programming,” Weber said.

He believes this puts HCJB Global on a more solid footing for ministry in the future, and he’s hoping this will allow HCJB Global to accomplish its future goals.

“One of the big things we want to begin doing is mobilizing and helping mobilize Latin Americans to move into missions in other parts of the world. We’re trying to figure out our strategy. We don’t want to duplicate what other people are doing, but we want to complement what other mission and church groups are doing.”

Christian radio engineer goes to be with his Lord

Source: HCJB Global

Duncan Bell, an HCJB Global missionary engineer for 18 years before retiring in 2006, died of an apparent heart attack at Hospital Vozandes-Quito in Ecuador on the morning of Friday September. 26th at the ago of 77.

Born in Hamilton, Scotland, on Aug. 4th 1931, Duncan married Wilma Chapman in Washington state in 1974 and have two children, Duncan and Shona, 28.

In his application to join HCJB Global, Duncan wrote:-

“For most of my life I believed that Christianity was old-fashioned and that in this modern era that we had outgrown the need for superstition and religion,” Duncan wrote in his application to HCJB Global. “I believed in a god because I assumed that it all had to have come from somewhere, but the god that I believed in was one of my own imagination and certainly not the God of the Bible. I had no need for the person of Jesus Christ.

“Twelve years later [at the age of 43], I started attending church to please my wife, and after two years I was converted, having seen for the first time my fallen life, my despair and my need for a Savior, Jesus Christ.

“My almost immediate action was to serve directly then in the work of the church. Wisely, the pastor recommended that I wait on God and get involved in Bible studies. I rejoice to see the path the Lord has led us in the past 10 years.”

The Bells’ first exposure to missions and Hispanics took place when they got involved in an outreach with a missionary in Tijuana, Mexico. “The local missionary challenged us by asking what we were doing among the Hispanics in Los Angeles. We enrolled in conversational Spanish and completed the available three semesters.” Then they began attending Spanish-language church called Iglesia Bautista Bethany.

When the Bells joined HCJB Global in 1988, Duncan already had 28 years of experience as an engineer in Scotland and in the U.S. His last job before joining the mission was at Hughes Aircraft where he had worked for eight years.

Upon arriving in Quito, Duncan served on the development team in the engineering department, working alongside engineers such as Charlie Jacobson, now manager of engineering and development at the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Ind. “I appreciate people like Duncan who, after serving in a career in industry, came to Ecuador to use their electronic skills in missions to make an impact for Christ,” Jacobson said.

After the Bells retired from HCJB Global in 2006, Duncan went on to serve with ASOMA, a Christian television ministry in Quito started by HCJB Global two decades earlier. He also taught at the Berean-affiliated Buen Pastor school in Pifo. He enjoyed bird watching, and he constructed at least two homes—one in California and one in Ecuador. He held passports from the U.K. and U.S. as well as residency status in Ecuador, and he never entirely lost his Scottish accent. His wit was quick and he enjoyed a laugh with friends.

A service to remember Duncan was held the morning of Sunday, Sept. 28, in Yaruquí, a small town near Radio Station HCJB’s international transmitter site in Pifo. Yaruquí is also where Duncan and Wilma made their home and had many friends and church family.

Radio stations continue sending Hope

HCJB

While many are struggling to get on the ground in Myanmar and China to respond to the recent catastrophes, HCJB Global Voice has been faithfully reaching these two countries via shortwave.

The mission’s ongoing media efforts are focused on reaching those beyond the reach of traditional ministry opportunities.

Broadcasts in the Rawang language, spoken by more than 140,000 people in Myanmar, began airing from HCJB Global-Australia’s shortwave station in Kununurra in 2007. Two half-hour programs in this language air daily -- one slot in the morning and one in the afternoon.

A voice of hope is also going into China as the Australian station broadcasts 18 hours of Mandarin programming each week. An additional five hours of weekly programming airs in Fujian, and 10.5 hours of English programming reaches China. The latter broadcasts are designed to help Chinese listeners learn English as a second language while presenting a clear gospel message.

TWR

As the beleaguered nation of Myanmar continues to suffer from the mass devastation caused recently by Tropical Cyclone Nargis, international Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) plans to produce special radio programs offering critically needed health and social care information, emotional support and spiritual care for the hurting and hopeless.

TWR's announcement to begin airing these programs to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is especially timely given news reports indicating that the estimated death toll is upwards of 100,000 people, with another 1 million having been displaced from their homes.

A media release states that TWR's over-the-airwave assistance strategy involves offering a full year of dedicated 30-minute broadcasts that will provide biblical counseling and care five days a week.

The release says the programming will be specifically designed to help restore the lives and spirits of Myanmar's people. The need for these broadcasts is underscored by the reality that the country has no electricity or telephone connections. Consequently, solar- and battery-powered radio becomes a vital link to the outside world for storm survivors.

"We continue to pray for the Lord's intervention to comfort, heal and provide ways for scores of people in Myanmar who have lost loved ones or have lost their homes and belongings," says TWR's Andrew Sundar, ministry director for Southeast Asia.

"Currently, we are broadcasting existing shortwave programs to Myanmar in both the Burmese and Sgaw Karen languages, but the new relief-focused broadcasts will be vital when it comes to addressing the victims' ongoing needs."

"The people are desperate and broken-hearted and are going to need significant long-term help," says Sundar. "My hope and prayer is that Trans World Radio can provide a voice of lasting hope and comfort in the days ahead."