Saturday, June 13, 2009

Eur-Asia Conferene

HCJB GLOBAL EUROPEAN CONFERENCE

One of the privileges of serving with HCJB Global is the opportunity to see and hear first hand what God is doing in extraordinary ways in strategic circumstances. My recent time at the European Conference brought together dedicated servants from 13 countries who are using media, health care and leadership development to advance the cause of Jesus and His Kingdom.

I can't possibly remember or relate all that was presented. However, for your encouragement and perspective, I wanted to share some of the highlights which I noted in my journal.

North Africa
We are installing portable studios and training local believers to develop their own radio projects in areas that are less than 1% Evangelical. A young man is producing programs on his computer. His brother finds Christian ites on his brother's computer and reports it to the father who works for the government. The young Christian man is kicked out of his family. He is no longer the son. He says that if he had been the daughter, he would not be alive. He was asked if we should scramble his voice on the radio programs. "No, you don't have to scramble my voice. I've been there."

Who of you willing to follow Christ for the sake of family, land, home?

Our shortwave and direct satellite are providing access to the Gospel where there are big barriers to proclamation of the Gospel. In the Gulf region, amidst a population of 30 Million, there are 300-1000 believers. Yet our media ministries are reaching 45,000 households.

Central Asia
In Slovoka there are 5 Million people. In Czech Republic, 10 Million. These countries are some of the most atheistic countries in Eur-Asia. Only 1 out of 500 are Evangelical. Yet, today there is a brand new Christian FM station broadcasting the Good News. And the founders have a vision to add one station per year in that region.

A new Mission Center operating out of a church in Central Asia is producing radio programs on a community FM station and using the Center to reach disenchanted youth in the city on the verge of dysfunction.

Even in the parts of Europe that were formerly major sending countries, providing ministry and missions to the farthest reaches of the world, are now some of the largest mission fields. Places like Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, England, France, most with less than 2% evangelical now could be considered "unreached". Yet creative strategists are using Internet, podcasts, and short edgy spots on commercial radio stations to speak to their post-Christian culture.

In Sweden, a creative, youthful think tank is producing a virtual "Second Life" environment where Millenials from aroud the world can gather in this virtual community to connect with HCJB Global. We're looking at the future here.

The Asia-Paific region has 3.5 Billion people--60% of the world population. 80% of the unreached people of the world live in the Asia-Pacific. Shortwave continues to be an effective means of reaching the vast expanses of China, India, Bangladesh. Culturally relevant programs addressing social issues and current events prepared in those countries in 20 languages are helping people through the challenges of day-to-day living. The mobile phone industry is focused on developing these highly populated global regions with mobile devices that will in the future enable our media to reach some of the most unreached regions of the world with the Message.

There are great and unexpected opportunities in parts of the world with little access and big obstacles. Opportunities can't be planned and we must be strategic and flexible as God opens the doors. In the words of Henry Blackaby "God wants us to invest right where He sends us. Wherever God sends you, find what God wants you to do in that place."

Friday, June 12, 2009

Make New Friends--Keep the Old

I've observed two key mistakes when organizations are in transition. On one hand, the organization is so deeply ingrained in past history, it is ineffective in speaking to the current generation. On the other, new leadership is so neglectful or even disresepectfull of tradition, they miss the opportunity to build on the benefits of what's gone before.

A successful corporate leader, who's business gives millions of dollars in community charity said this to a small group of us recently: "We drink water from wells that we dug by others." More frequently we hear about the benefits of standing on the shoulders of those who preceeded us. (Very hard to get any work done in that position, however.)

Seriously, we need to have balance in looking back and looking forward. We need to build on the past but not live in the past. I like the old motto from Youth For Christ years ago: "Anchored to the Rock; Geared to the times."

In the weeks since I last wrote to you, I've been involved in 2 very different but very important group meetings. The first was the week-long "Forever Family". This event gathered almost 200 retired staff and missionaries with long, faithful service to HCJB Global. I was thrilled and impressed with their energy, passion and openness to continue to serve. We heard stories, some brought laughter, others brought tears, of how God has used our team in effectively serving Jesus over these 78 years.

A week later, I heard the report from our Emerging Media Task Force. This group of forward thinking men and women have been meeting and exploring opportunities to share the Good News on the new technologies God is bringing into view. It's the same Message, but distributed in new ways using Internet, Podcasting, SMS, blogging, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and smart phone mobile technology. The amazing thing is that the regions experiencing the fastest development of technology are the very unreached parts of the world that HCJB Global is called to reach!

So while we honor the past, and we "seize the day", we also need to focus forward, using the tools and creativity God has provided. Now that the techs have done their work in exploring and recommending the techno-tools available, we now need to engage our best creative minds to explore and recommend the compelling content we need to place on those new delivery systems. Stay tuned for that!

Hockey great Wayne Gretsky was asked what made him a great hockey player. His response: "I don't skate to where the puck is. I skate to where the puck is going to be." May God enable us with the foresight to move to where the new media and the new consumer is going to be.

By the way, as a demonstration of connecting old with new, photos and MP3 files of the "Forever Family" event have been uploaded on the HCJB Global hub. You can access them for your own enjoyment. And I even used my little "flip" camera and placed a very amatuerish video montage on YouTube. You can do a searh on YouTube using my name in the search. (Even this old radio guy is trying to learn new media.)