December 2015 - March 2016 twr.org vol. 36, no. 3 twr.org srael expedition
BECAUSE you gave EXTENDING THE REACH OF THE GOOD NEWS TWR is working to get the gospel to countless refugees, like these Afghans in Greece, in their languages. HOPE FOR THE MIDDLE EAST TWR broadcasts in seven dialects of Arabic across more than 20 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Because many of these programs are also available on the Internet, those in refugee camps or on the move can listen with just a cellphone. Your gifts to TWR s Middle East Outreach this year have helped to sustain what might be the only source of hope for those in tremendous turmoil. Syrians responding to the program Hope for Syria have said things like, We fled from Syria to Lebanon, and we are very depressed about the life we re living, but your program is giving us hope. Thank you for making a difference for eternity in the lives of TWR s Arabic-speaking listeners. TWR ASSISTS EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS When two powerful earthquakes struck Nepal in early 2015, the staff of TWR Nepal was on the front lines to bring aid to the victims. With traumatized family members reeling from the loss of their homes and loved ones, or dealing with serious injuries, TWR was able to distribute water, rice, tents, and other goods to thousands in desperate need of help. And we quickly mobilized our trauma-healing programs in the Nepali language to comfort adults and children dealing with devastating loss. Thank you for your help in airing these programs on 15 FM stations throughout Nepal. HEBREW PROGRAM BUILDS BRIDGES TWR partners with Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry in Jerusalem to produce and air the only gospel radio program we know of in a culture of Judaism. The purpose of Kol Ha Yeshua, or Voice of Salvation, is to build bridges of understanding between Jews and Christians. The rich meanings of Scripture that tie the Old Testament to the coming of the Messiah challenge Jewish listeners to consider the claims of Christ. Because Kol Ha Yeshua is also available by Internet, several hundred listeners have downloaded these messages of peace. Thank you for your support! CUBANS HUNGRY FOR THE WORD OF GOD TWR s Power Up project on the Caribbean island of Bonaire is underway to upgrade our transmitter there from 100,000 watts to 450,000 watts. It will double our potential listening audience in Latin America from 50 million to 100 million people. Cubans are excited about this project because many of them came to Christ through TWR s Spanish broadcasts and love to study the Word of God by radio. The upgrade will blanket the entire nation of Cuba with the gospel, and your gifts are making it possible. One Cuban who gave a sacrificial gift of $60 to Power Up said, This is a very special ministry. God will take care of everything. He put the desire [to give] in my heart. anniversary milestones Join us in thanking the Lord for these TWR colleagues who, during the second half of 2015, are celebrating 10 or more years of service. 10 Mike Edmondson, Cary, N.C. Heather Johnson, Atlanta 15 Rick & Cathy Weston, Cary, N.C. 20 David McCreary, Cary, N.C. 25 David & Janet Bisset, Cary, N.C. Doug & Denise Gregson, Guam Bonnie Keith, Cary, N.C. George & Kathy Ross, Guam 30 Bill Damick, Colorado Springs, Colo. 45 Jim & Carol Munger, Cary, N.C. 2 twr MAGAZINE
president s column by Lauren Libby, President/CEO As I am writing this article, worldshaking events dominate the news. Terrorist groups are fighting in Syria and Iraq, often persecuting Christians; Russia is intervening in the Syrian conflict; refugees are flooding into Europe from the Middle East and elsewhere; a magnitude-7.5 earthquake has struck Afghanistan and Pakistan; six other earthquakes have occurred in South America and Southeast Asia; global interest rates are in flux; North Korea is rattling a nuclear saber; the U.S. is in political turmoil and gridlock and the list goes on! If ever there was a time for global good news and hope, it is today. Tonight, from transmitters in 23 spots around the world, on smartphone apps, in computer chat rooms and via satellite programming, TWR is speaking hope to the world. The Jewish prophet Isaiah summed it up: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation (Isaiah 52:7). Isn t it interesting that those who bring good news are doing these things publishing, sharing tidings of good and bringing salvation to a hurting, vengeful world? That s TWR s calling to use media to expose a global audience to the good news of Jesus, who brings healing and the wholeness of salvation. I stood in a little 12-by-12-foot concreteblock house, with a galvanized tin roof, in Bulgaria. This was the home of a Roma (Gypsy) couple. A dozen people, mostly children, crowded into this tiny home, telling how they had met Jesus. The young boys and girls had almost photographic memories and quoted Bible verses they had heard over the radio programs broadcast by TWR. In fact, one young boy quoted an entire Psalm. Jesus was very real to those new believers. They had embraced good news! The gospel is penetrating the Roma culture in Central Europe. Last week in the Wall Street Journal, I read an article with the headline Muslim Migrants, Meet Christian Gypsies. A subheading read, A community of Roma in Croatia finds that sometimes missionary work comes to you. It related how these Roma, who have become believers in Jesus, are ministering to refugees coming from Syria and other countries. Not only are the Roma meeting Jesus, they are becoming missionaries to others who have also suffered persecution and rejection. That s why we broadcast to people groups like the Roma in Central Europe. We re asking God to make himself real to individuals and then use those individuals to multiply the love of God to others. Together, we can see the words of Isaiah become reality. We can see the light of Jesus salvation become reality in over 160 countries. CONNECT WITH TWR twr.org/social President/CEO Lauren Libby International Director for the Americas Tim Klingbeil Director of Marketing & Communications David McCreary Editor Jon Hill Designer Nicole Hughes TWR is a member of Missio Nexus, National Religious Broadcasters, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Evangelical Press Association, and Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations. TWR magazine (ISSN 1093-0124) is published triannually by TWR, P.O. Box 8700, Cary, NC, 27512. Postage: Periodicals postage paid at Cary, NC, and additional mailing offices. Subscription: This publication is sent without charge and is sustained by contributions from those who have chosen voluntarily to support this worldwide ministry. Names on TWR s mailing list are used exclusively by TWR and are not sold to or rented by any other organization. Canadian address: Send Canadian address changes to TWR Canada, P.O. Box 25324, London, Ontario N6C 6B1 Postmaster: Send U.S. address changes to TWR, P.O. Box 8700, Cary, NC 27512 919.460.3700 Published November 2015 Vol. 36, No. 3 2015 Trans World Radio Printed in the USA PR31300313 www.twr.org 3
israel experiencing then & now I magine digging into Scripture on your own or with friends at church and being able to recapture the look, the sound, the feel of those momentous events you are studying. Around you is the biblically described terrain of Shiloh, where God dwelled in the tabernacle among his people for 350 years and Hannah pleaded for a son. At Tel Dan, one of the notorious high places to pagan gods stands before you, and in the midst of a dusty desert, you can dip your hand in the Jordan River where John the Baptist preached and Christ was baptized. A serious study trip to the places where they happened has been called one of the best tools for truly understanding the Bible s narratives. And now, for the first time in its 61-year history, TWR is inviting its friends and family to share in Expedition Israel, an inspiring and immersive experience set for May 28 to June 9, 2016. The faith of the Scriptures is grounded in real history, said seminary professor Dr. Doug Bookman, who will lead the tour. This is true of no pretender faith, simply because false gods cannot interact with human history in any real or objective fashion. But the God of Scripture has done just that he has broken through in the course of man s pilgrimage on this earth. Alongside the history, travelers will have the opportunity to learn how TWR communicates God s Word in the Middle East today. One of many highlights on the schedule is a visit to Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry, a Messianic Jewish ministry that works closely with TWR on Hebrew programming. Don t expect the typical superficial package tour. There will a good bit of walking, often on steep or rocky ground, and lots of learning all day, Dr. Bookman said. You will likely return home more exhausted than you were when you set out, he said. The goal is to understand the intimate and instructive interplay between the land itself its location on the face of the earth, its shape and dimensions, its climate and agricultural seasons, its regions and seasons and the historical narrative of the Bible, both as individual accounts and as a deliberate sustained drama of God s revelation of himself to men. The cost for Expedition Israel is $2,600, which doesn t include airfare to and from the country but does cover most costs on the ground teaching and abundant study materials, lodging, food, entrance fees and so on. To learn more and reserve your place, visit twr.org/expeditionisrael. All Israel photos goisrael.com/cc 2.0 4 twr MAGAZINE
FREEDOM OFFERED THROUGH Hidden Treasures Jesus didn t cast aside women trapped in sexual sin, so TWR s Project Hannah ministry and its partners are following his example by extending a liberating hand to prostitutes across Europe. Actresses, left, record the dramas in Berlin as the production team coaches from the control room. In September 2015, nine professional actresses from six countries, a director and supporting technicians converged on a Berlin studio to record audio dramas for the Hidden Treasures Initiative. Based on real-life stories of women who escaped prostitution and turned to Christ, the dramas will be loaded on easily concealable digital devices and distributed to these sexually exploited women. I have to admit when I read those episodes I cried a lot because the stories are very touching, said Simona Theoharova, a Bulgarian-German actress who plays the role of a prostitute named Rayna. But the end of the story, especially of Rayna s story, gives me a lot of hope. Also, for Rayna I m very happy. I m just happy that she found herself and found her life. Project Hannah founder Marli Spieker has felt a calling to this kind of outreach since she served as a youthful Salvation Army officer in the red-light districts of Brazil. Her vision was shared by Margareta Johansson, Project Hannah coordinator for Sweden. The confirmation for me, that we were to move ahead with the project, was when a woman who had been forced into prostitution came to live in our house a month after my meeting with Marli, Johansson said. She stayed 1½ years and met Jesus in our home! The Hidden Treasures Initiative is a partnership between Project Hannah drawing in other components of the TWR family, including national partners ERF and Norea Sweden and the European Freedom Network. EFN brings together evangelical groups that combat sex exploitation while striving to restore the victims. The first round of recordings is in English, widely used in human trafficking happening throughout Eastern Europe, where EFN s on-the-ground teams will first distribute the digital devices in 2016, said Flora Rittenhouse, Project Hannah coordinator of the initiative. She added, however, that Project Hannah already has plans to move rapidly into other languages and is eagerly raising support so that will happen. Videos about the initiative, including a behind-the-scenes look at the drama recording, can be viewed at projecthannah.org/hiddentreasures. www.twr.org 5
12,796 Bibles & New Testaments 374,702 Phone calls & texting 2,595,148 Program downloads 53,783 Radios & digital devices Engaging media users by speaking hope 196,168 Letters & emails 646,492 Mobile phone ministry 924,579 Printed literature 74,620 Social media TWR engages millions of people for Christ around the world using diverse media resources. Based on data from 2014. DISTRIBUTION 3,586,306 RESPONSES 1,291,982 PERSONAL MINISTRY 115,282 TOTAL CONTACTS 4,993,570 71,286 In-person visits 29,318 Rally attendance 5,604 Discipling & counseling listeners 9,074 Correspondence courses 6 twr MAGAZINE
TWR s global effect Every organization needs a way to determine whether it is progressing toward its goals, and listener engagement provides a meaningful, though only partial, sense of TWR s impact as a media ministry. Audience feedback not only offers poignant glimpses into the lives of audience members everywhere but also conveys the degree to which our messages are fulfilling TWR s calling reaching the world for Christ and producing lasting fruit. The statistics presented here are neither typical broadcast ratings nor simply the number of letters and phone calls received as program responses. The term we use, engagement, is broader and more dynamic. It takes into account: incoming calls, letters, text messages and similar contacts from audience members to TWR and its national partners; as well as outgoing activities such as rallies, media-player distribution and in-person visits through which we interact with listeners. These data were gathered via a questionnaire sent to TWR regional offices and further fine-tuned in follow-up contacts. Data-reporting methods vary significantly among the diverse TWR units and national partners; the results, therefore, are more suggestive of the ministry s widespread impact than they are a definitive enumeration of listener totals. Southeast Asia Northeast Asia South Asia Americas Africa CAMENA (Central Asia, Middle East, North Africa) + Europe Since these data were collected, TWR has redrawn its Africa and Europe regions. 357,288 29,957 133,941 1,904,144 98,695 101,345 2,625,370 GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TOTAL (not including Internet downloads) www.twr.org 7
MAKE YOUR NEST EGG COUNT A TWR GIFT ANNUITY OFFERS RATES APPROACHING 9% Consider the benefits you will enjoy: A fixed income for life A way of bypassing the capital-gains tax A charitable deduction A legacy gift to TWR, taking the gospel to millions day after day To talk with a trained TWR adviser and receive a free proposal, contact Tim Klingbeil at 800-456-7897 or email planned.giving@twr.org. P.O. Box 8700 Cary, NC 27512-8700 Non profit US Postage Paid Permit 238 Memphis TN 1.800.456.7897 twr.org Return service requested If you or someone you know is 55 or older, let us introduce you to the TWR Gift Annuity. It provides an exciting opportunity to grow your retirement income while creating a legacy that advances the Kingdom. And don t feel left out if you are 50-55, because a Deferred Gift Annuity can help enhance projected retirement income. Even better, a TWR Gift Annuity will generally lower taxes on your income. Underperforming assets (think of today s CDs!) or highly appreciated assets such as securities can be used to fund a TWR Gift Annuity. As the annuitant, you will receive fixed income for life and have an ongoing impact through TWR s Great Commission ministry. Rates are based on your age, and range from 4% to 9%.