For the last three months of 2024, from October to December, we’ve been broadcasting a 13-part radio series on TWR-UK called Voice and Hands with Reach Beyond.
In the most recent episodes, we’ve heard about Christian radio around the world – crossing the continents. We’ve travelled to Africa, to Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and to Latin America.
That’s all been part of episodes eight to ten of the series. You can listen again to each one here: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
In episode eight we were in Africa, where radio is such a vital – and popular – source of information and entertainment. We heard how Reach Beyond missionaries from Kenya to Cape Town are helping to train local partners to expand existing stations and plant new ones – so that radio presenters and producers can be the voice of Jesus.
Listen to the full interview here: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
In episode nine we found out how Reach Beyond is involved in supporting multiple radio stations around the Mediterranean: broadcasting in Spanish to parts of southern Europe, and in Arabic to North Africa. We heard how the 24-hour Christian output of all these stations is building up to a massive online archive – both on the internet and on social media.
Listen to the full interview here: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
And in episode ten we visited Latin America – the Pacific coast of Ecuador – where we heard from one of the major Christian radio stations in that region, in a city struggling with gang warfare. That station is being the voice of Jesus – refocussing its output to reach those outside the church.
Listen to the full interview here: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
I’m Martin Cooper and together with Colin Lowther we’ve been tracing the history and heritage of Reach Beyond. https://reachbeyond.org.uk/.
The health and community action – also featured in every episode of this series – has developed more recently; but the radio ministry began almost 100 years ago in a wooden shed in Ecuador.
It blossomed into a worldwide service via shortwave that provided programmes in 26 major languages – including Russian, Japanese, and Portuguese as well as 22 indigenous dialects of Latin America.
Today they serve through FM radio, online, and in social media apps. The history of the early mission was the key topic in episode one of our radio series. You can listen again here: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
Voice and Hands from Reach Beyond continues through to the end of December. It’s live every Saturday evening at 8 o’clock, repeated on Sunday at 8 in the morning. You can hear it on TWR-UK on this link: https://www.twr.org.uk/show/Voice-and-Hands/
And there’s full details of the Christian missionary charity, Reach Beyond, here: https://reachbeyond.org.uk/
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Fascinating to read about the different ministries. I always pray for the UK.
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