August/September 2017

WorldListening

Inside this issue

Breaking Ground in Central Asia

HIV/AIDS Programming

Latest Refugee Project News

Prayer Matters

www.twr.org.uk

I’ve recently noticed an increasing interest in Central Asia – particularly The Silk Road, about which there have been a couple of recent books and TV programmes. The region, which includesKazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, has been going through major political andeconomic upheavals since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

For the Church in Central Asia it has been largely a period of stagnation due to social, political andreligious barriers. However, the most significant change for Christians is new religious freedom toserve people both spiritually and through social outreach.

That’s not to say that things are easy for Christians in Central Asia – they are barely tolerated andoften persecuted. But the Lord is strengthening and reigniting the growth of the Church among theCentral Asian nations.

TWR is honoured to be a part of God’s purposes with ministry developing across the region. Youcan read about TWR’s new Central Asia Studios on pages 3 and 4 – a thrilling development that willenhance TWR’s outreach and teaching ministry, and made possible by committed supporters herein the UK!

Please join us in praying that these studios will be used by God to speak hope to Central Asia and that, despite the unstable political and religious climate in the region, the Church will bestrengthened, committed and hopeful in its growing presence throughout all of Central Asia.

Thank you for your commitment to TWR.

Yours in Christ,

From the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Russell Farnworth.

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Thank you for your ongoing support whichmakes it possible for us to continue reaching out and touching hearts with the Gospel.

Our commitment to you: read TWR-UK’sSupporter Charter at www.twr.org.uk/charter.

Trans World Radio Ltd. is a non-profit-making Limited Company No 782348 and aRegistered Charity in England No 233363.

Address: TWR, PO Box 606, Altrincham, WA14 2YS

Tel: 0161 923 0270Email: info@twr.org.ukWeb: www.twr.org.uk

160 countries

230 languages

One Hope

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Thanks to you, a new studio for Central AsiaFrom oil-rich Kazakhstan to impoverishedTajikistan, the part of the world known asCentral Asia is an extremely varied region.Christians are in the minority throughout thearea, but range from the maturing Christiancommunity of Kyrgyzstan to Turkmenistanwhere the tiny Christian minority of perhaps1000 people is persecuted. TWR works acrossthe region to speak hope in the heart languagesof these diverse people.

In a previous edition of Listening World wereported that an increase in hostility towardsChristians in the region had led to the localTWR team taking the decision to leave a set ofstudios and offices in December 2015. A new setof studios was needed, so a fundraising effortbegan across the world including from here inthe UK, and by June 2016 a suitable piece of landwas found. Work commenced on the site in

August of that year, and in April of this year weheard that work was in its final phase. We aredelighted to bring you news that the staff arenow preparing to move in and are lookingforward to dedicating the facility later in the year.

Thanks to your generosity, the dedication of theteam in Central Asia and the goodness of Godthis transition has been achieved without anybreak in transmission: TWR has continuedspeaking hope to Central Asia throughout thisprocess, and now can continue to do so on intothe future.

The work of these offices and studios is ofeternal consequence, as you can tell from theseaccounts from staff members and listeners:“A woman came to the fellowship for the first time.I introduced myself and asked her whether she had

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heard about God and knows Jesus. She replied shehad heard about God on the radio... in her ownlanguage. But then she lost the frequency. We talkedabout the programmes and I gave her a CD and aninformation sheet. She gladly accepted it. We havesince learned that her husband forbade her to cometo the fellowship again. Please pray for this searchingwoman. We hope she has found the broadcasts onthe FM transmitter and is listening.”

“Greetings to you! I am constantly listening to yourbroadcasts. May God bless you! I daily cry out toJesus. This is my everyday life. Thank you. God blessyou!”

“Last month, we met with one of the listeners. Shewas studying the Bible for some years, but shehadn’t decided to commit her life to Christ yet. Shewas searching for truth and had many questions.After our conversation she gave her life to Jesus. Sheis a young woman, only 24 years old, and her

parents are not believers. I was overjoyed and toldher she was an answer to our prayers. She told methat she cannot attend a church, but she can listento the radio programmes. Now we meet once aweek to study the Bible and pray together.”

“Peace be with you. I also believe in Isa Masich[Jesus Christ]. Brothers, I was full of joy to hear youon the radio.”

Prayer points• Please join us in praising God for his provisionof land, offices and studios, and pray that thisnew studio and offices would be effective forthe Gospel.

• Please also pray for opportunities which havearisen for spreading the Good News via FMtransmitters into several areas, and pleasepray for more such opportunities to arise.

TWR’s Global Strategy is made up of five key ministry areas whichare the focus for ongoing development.

Each of the strategic areas focusses on a particular group ofpeople and the particular approaches needed to bring the hopeand healing of the Gospel into their lives.

The Global Strategy is at the centre of TWR’s mission to reach theworld for Christ by mass media so that lasting fruit is produced.

Embracing development has always been at the heart of TWR’sapproach; as founder Dr Paul Freed said in 1967, “Even with achangeless message, we do need to catch a new vision, every day,every week, every month, every year. Christian radio broadcastingis not the only answer... We need a continually renewed vision ofhow to reach others.”

In these special editions of Listening World we will bring you eachkey ministry area in turn, showing why it is so important to thespread of the Gospel, and explaining how TWR approaches theministry and the effect it has on listeners.

Global Strategic Plan

Global Strategic Plan1. Women

2. Children and Youth

3. HIV/AIDS

4. Church Leadership

5. Oral Leaners

5 www.twr.org.uk

3. HIV/AIDSIn many parts of the world, information about HIV and AIDS is surrounded by a confusing cloud of myth and misinformation, which can have devastating consequences.

• HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, worldwide. (UNwomen.org)

• 36.9 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, 2.6 million of whom are children. (WHO)

• 22 million people infected with HIV do not have access to treatment. (UNAIDS)

• The stigma associated with HIV/AIDS makes people afraid to seek treatment, increasing the risksto individuals and communities. (UNAIDS)

• In many parts of the world, unmarried girls are vulnerable to the dangerous myth that sex with avirgin will cure AIDS. (UNICEF)

Image courtesy of the United Nations

HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in China,fuelled by drug use, a growing sex trade andpoverty which causes people to sell their bloodfor a few dollars a pint, exposing themselves tothe virus through infected needles. Estimatesput the number of infections at 1 million.

TWR’s Lighthouse Project brings togetherradio programmes with on-the-ground ministryin AIDS-hit villages to present the Gospel innon-threatening ways to those infected andaffected by HIV/AIDS. Working alongside localchurches and organisations, TWR provides alight in the darkness, communicating God’s loveto local communities in word, prayer and deed,offering practical care. The project was born

Lighthouse – ChinaPROJ

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out of on-the-ground research, interviews withlocal pastors and prayer to determine the bestapproach to take.

One of the aims of the Lighthouse Project is toprovide support for the many children whoselives have been impacted by HIV/AIDS,providing for their spiritual needs and helpingthem to recover from emotional andpsychological wounds. When the Sunday SchoolTeachers Training Programme was started in2007, it resulted in 84 Sunday Schools being setup, which are being attended by more than3000 children in various counties across China.

The Lighthouse Project seeks to effectively

Global Strategic TWR’s Global Strategy againstHIV/AIDS works on three fronts:reaching sufferers, supporting healthworkers and providing critical basichealth and sanitation messages thatimpact the daily lives of listeners. In thisway, TWR seeks to deliver Christ’sunconditional love to those whose timeon earth dwindles due to ravagingdiseases. The broadcasts combine apresentation of the Good News withquality information from a Biblicalperspective about HIV prevention and its associated emotional andcultural issues.

Ke Strategies

ECT SPOTLIGHT

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communicate the love and hope found in JesusChrist, as well as educate people aboutHIV/AIDS, and so to bring transformation tocommunities ravaged by the disease.

www.twr.org.uk

Responses to the LighthouseProject in China

From a listener:“I want to thank you for coming to us,and for braving the strong summer sunto bring us your warmth and care. Iam blessed to have Christian brothersand sisters like you from othercountries remembering me in my timeof need. This has touched the hearts of my family members, and bringshope to us.”

From a team member:“I distinctly remember one lady wevisited. As we called in on her, we sawthere were tears in her eyes. Sheexplained that after she was found tobe HIV-positive, her son left home andrefused to visit her for fear ofcontracting the disease. She couldn’tfathom why we – strangers not relatedto her in any fashion – would bewilling to call on her, to visit her andembrace her.”

From OurListeners c Plan

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Global Strategic Plan

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Côte d’Ivoire

The life of a believer in Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa, was turned upside down when he was diagnosedwith HIV. TWR broadcasts programmes in the region which address the facts about HIV/AIDS,delivering high quality health information alongside the hope of the Gospel.

“It was hard to accept the verdict, but the reality is that, after mourning the news, I had to make adecision: accept my new situation and continue to live or deny it and die,” he wrote to TWR.

God has taught him that living with HIV is not the end of life. He’s begun to see how he can be usefulby getting involved in the fight against the epidemic.

“I want to thank you because of your programme and your kind assistance,” he said of TWR’sministry. “You and your staff helped me to face and defend a new vision of my life, a vision full ofhope in Jesus and eternal life.”

The man is now working in the counselling department of Lumière Action, an NGO for people livingwith HIV/AIDS.

He is particularly grateful for TWR’s campaign to educate the public about the facts associated withHIV and AIDS.

“I want you to know how much I am proud of Trans World Radio and your campaign againstdiscrimination, stigmatisation and the rejection of people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS,” he wrote. “Your work is courageous and very encouraging. May God bless you for your partnershipin our fight.”

Image courtesy of J Rawlinson

www.twr.org.uk9

UK News

A Change at the Top for TWR-UK5 May 2017 marked the last day of an era forTWR-UK as Harvey Thomas stepped down asChair of the Board of Trustees after 16 years inthe role.

Harvey, who will remain on the Board, issucceeded in the post of Chair by Trish Wells.Trish, a Manchester-based lawyer, has been amember of the Board for a number of years.

Harvey will undoubtedly continue to enrich the Board from his wealth of experience with theBilly Graham Evangelistic Association as well as his experience in broadcasting and working incommunications with Margaret Thatcher during her time in office as Prime Minister.

The TWR-UK office came together with the Board on Harvey’s last day as Chair to thank himfor his years of service, friendship and guidance, and to welcome Trish to her new post.

Please join us in thanking God for Harvey’s dedication to Christian radio and to TWR inparticular, and in praying for Trish as she starts in the role.

Listen on Saturday 6.40am or 8.55pmand Sunday 8.25am or 9.55pm

New in Your Listening GuideTWR Wavelength is a new programme on TWR-UK which brings you the very latest news about TWR’s ministry in the UK andaround the world. With ministry in 230 languages and dialects reaching over 160countries, keeping up to date with what the Lord is doing through TWR can be a challenge.This five minute programme features news andinterviews with projects from across the globealong with stories from TWR listeners to inspire you and pointers to direct your prayers.

You can hear the programme at four different times over the course of a weekend, or find itonline where it is available to listen to at any time.

Outgoing Chair Harvey Thomas (Left), incomingChair Trish Wells and CEO Russell Farnworth

International News in Brief

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TWR Kenya Receives Special AccreditationThe African Council for Accreditation and Accountability(AfCAA) uses seven biblical standards to build public trust in organisations. TWR Kenya believe that Christianshave a higher calling to excellence and should be the pace-setters for workplace ethics, so undertook the“vigorous” ten month AfCAA accreditation process which ended with a ceremony on 18th Mayat the TWR Kenya offices.

“As TWR Kenya [we] seek to honour God, so we want to do it in a way that we areaccountable with what God has entrusted us with as His stewards,” explained TWR KenyaExecutive Director Bernice Gatere.

TWR Women of Hope - a new identity for Project HannahTWR’s women’s ministry has a new identity! The ministryof prayer and radio programmes is now known as TWRWomen of Hope, picking up on their signature programme title which is now broadcast in over 70 languages worldwide.

TWR Women of Hope exists to encourage, equip and engage women to pray, listen, learn, grow and give through media, small group interaction and leadership development.www.twrwomenofhope.org

The Latest from the Refugee ProjectTWR Europe, having created Refugee Bridge, has moved on to the challenges of promoting and distributing the app. A pilot distribution project has been conducted inAthens, giving out 450 power banks: devices which can charge phone batteries, and then berecharged from the mains supply when it becomes available. For refugees who depend on theirphones, such devices are enormously important.

On the side of the power banks are a QR code (a type of barcode) and web address that leadto the page where they can download the app.

Thanks to a new partnership, refugees and newcomers to Europe can also get TWRprogrammes through the Love Europe smartphone app, which helps refugees to navigate,communicate and integrate. TWR are managing the media section of the app as well asproviding content such as New Home and Hope for Syria.

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Over forty years ago a young man living inNorthern Ireland had a vision of producingChristian radio programmes which would bedifferent in format from the ones morecommonly made at the time. The person wasNoel Speers and his idea: Bible based RadioDrama. Noel had been a fan of radio drama onthe BBC and believed that this unique formatcould be used for the work of the Lord, tellingthe stories of the Bible in a dramatised way thatwould make them come alive to the listener.And so Commission (Communication Mission)was born in 1975. In the early days all we couldafford was a terraced house with blacked outwindows and sound insulation – but it worked!A small team began recording in 1976.

Forty years on Commission is still carryingforward this vision and our Bible Dramas havebeen broadcast weekly on radio stationsworldwide and in the UK. We have partneredwith TWR outlets since 1977, first from Guam,then Swaziland and latterly on TWR-UK. Wehave stories from the New and the OldTestaments, stories of war, love, arguments,successes and defeats: all part of the great storyof God’s wonderful plan for his people.

Last year we were asked to help with producingStolen Lives for TWR-UK; this was a newdeparture for our small voluntary team, but itwas a truly uplifting experience making theseries despite the sometimes difficult subjectsand some of the experiences of the womeninterviewed. The message, as in all ourprogrammes, was one of Hope because of whatChrist has done for us.

Commission remains a voluntary group (stillsmall in numbers after all these years!)depending entirely on the generosity of theLord’s people for its survival, but God has beenfaithful to us. We have excellent studios nearBelfast, specifically designed for the requirementsof radio drama, but we always need moreproducers, technical team and voices. You canhear over 40 hours of the Bible dramas as wellas other Commission material on our websiteand we are also on Facebook.

Colm Flanagan Head of Programmes Commission Christian Radio, Belfast.www.radiobibledrama.comfacebook.com/commissionradio

Stolen Lives is available to listen toonline at www.twr.org.uk/ondemand

www.twr.org.uk

Partner Profile: Commission Christian Radio

During August and September we invite you to join us in praying for TWR’s ministry among peopleinfected and affected by HIV/AIDS and (at the weekends) in the UK.

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TWR, PO Box 606, Altrincham, WA14 2YS. Tel: 0161 923 0270, E-mail: info@twr.org.uk, Web: www.twr.org.uk

Prayer is the backbone of TWR – and we are so grateful that you stand alongside us in intercession! God delights to change people’s lives and we are amazed and humbled that He allows TWR to be a part of it all.

Prayer Matters HIV/AIDS

MONDAYS

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS

WEEKENDS

Please pray for listeners who are infected with HIV/AIDSand are tuning in around the world.

Pray that they would grasp the hope of the Gospel and be encouraged.

Please pray for children whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS, through infection, poverty or the loss of their parents.

Pray that they would find hope and comfort in the Lord Jesus.

Praise the Lord for the impact that initiatives like the Lighthouse Project have had on AIDS-hit communities.

Praise him for the lives and communities that have been changed.

Please pray for the production and broadcast around the world of AIDS-prevention programming.

Pray that the content would be Biblically sound, culturally relevant and powerful in its effects.

Please pray for health workers who are supported by TWR broadcasts. Pray that they will be effective in their work and encouraged

in their task by the programmes they listen to.

Praise the Lord for the work of Harvey Thomas during his time as Chair of theBoard. Please pray for Trish as she undertakes the transition into the role of Chair.

Please pray for the production team as they develop new programmes for broadcast. Pray that they will act as God’s servants to bring His Word

to the nation with relevance and power.

PRAYER DIARY