At 60, Media Ministry's Fruitful Past Heralds Future
TWR Celebrates Milestone by Building on Foundation of Expanding Outreach
TWR is celebrating its 60th anniversary of Gospel broadcasting by expanding its reach to even more people needing hope in places like Cuba, China and Afghanistan.
Not content to rest on yesterday’s accomplishments, TWR officials offer thanks for six decades of God’s blessings but insist on keeping the spotlight on the media ministry’s newest initiatives.
“It’s a privilege to be living under the call of God for 60 years,” says Lauren Libby, president of TWR International. “Not only a privilege, but also a legacy that we go into the future with. Our founder, Dr. Paul Freed, believed God for big things. We’re still doing that. And the goal is still the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ and producing lasting fruit by mass media.”
Signing on the air from Tangier, Morocco, on Feb. 22, 1954, the ministry that would become TWR relied on one 2,500-watt Army-surplus transmitter for broadcasting to Spain in three languages. Today TWR uses 20 high-powered transmitting sites, 2,000 local stations worldwide and other media to speak hope in more than 230 languages to a potential audience of roughly 4 billion in 160 countries.
TWR Celebrates 60 Years of broadcast
"This is the radio voice of International Evangelism in Tangier. We are happy to greet you in the name of the Lord on this our first day of broadcasting the gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ."
With organ music swirling in the background, those heavily accented English words from a small station on the tip of North Africa introduced a fledgling broadcast ministry that was determined “to reach the people everywhere without exception”. It was 22 February 1954, and Ralph Freed, general director of the ministry and the father of Dr. Paul Freed, was the first person on the air for the broadcaster that would become Trans World Radio.
Sixty years later, TWR is still reaching out to listeners, communicating the gospel to 160 countries, in more than 230 languages, from multiple high-power radio transmitters and over digital media..
From another Faith
Listeners are at the heart of everything we do, and we simply can’t get enough of their feedback – who they are, what kind of impact TWR programming is having on them, how God is working in their lives. For 2014 we have assembled 60 compelling, representative responses into a special booklet and will feature one response online each week in celebration of our 60th anniversary. Language: Cantonese Country: China A few kindly visits when he felt the most isolated opened the door while Gospel broadcasts provided the explanation as this member of an ethic minority in China turned to Christ. "I used to be a fervent devotee of another faith. I even joined in on a demonstration for my religious beliefs, and I was sent to prison for two years for my actions. In prison, I was lonely and suffered a lot. But my religious leaders never visited me. They were the ones that had instigated me to go on demonstration. They even told me that the leaders and all the other followers were on my side. But the moment I got into trouble, they all forsook me and never visited me or cared for me, not even after I was released.
TWR Team Trip Blesses TWR Mozambique
A TWR team from the United States recently travelled to Mozambique to upgrade the Radio Trans Mundial (RTM) studios at the TWR Maputo National partner office. The team put their various skills to good use and gained valuable insights into the living and working conditions in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique.
The Lord used Daryl and Carol van Dyken of TWR’s office in America to bring together a dynamic team that stepped out with initiative and zeal to assist local churches and ministries in Mozambique. The van Dykens previously served as missionaries at TWR Africa for eight years and it was their idea to bring together a work team.
Reaching Africa's Oral Communicators
Three Bible Drama Series In Three Languages To Reach Africa's Oral Communicators
Recently TWR partnered with Christ to the World Ministries (CTTW) in creating 30 minute radio programmes in three African languages using Bible dramas.
TWR and CTTW both share a common vision of communicating the truths of the Bible to make disciples of all peoples by proclaiming the Gospel of salvation through mass media.
Christ to the World Ministries specialises in communicating Bible truths through Bible story dramas and they provided the content for the new programme series...