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W O R L D M I S S I O N B R O A D C A S T
WHATEVER IT TAKES
W elcome to the World Mission Broadcast “Whatever It Takes” Booklet that’s full of redemption testimonies and stories from Nazarene radio,
television, and Internet ministries. You have made it possible for Nazarene programs to be on the air for more than 70 years by praying and giving. Today, God’s word continues to spread further through WMB programs, reaching people in need of His grace because of you!
Use this booklet to inform and inspire your congregation about WMB as you prepare to receive the annual offering. When you do, they will be deeply touched to see that the Lord works powerfully every single day through WMB.
W E L C O M E
• NMI leaders and Pastors, read and envision how you can tell these stories to your congregation – some are short, some a bit longer. Consider using the stories as sermon illustrations.
• In a Sunday School class or small group, show the 2016 WMB video that came in this promotion packet. Ask several people to read the stories aloud, discuss the work of God evidenced in the story, and then pray for WMB.
• Include the stories in newsletters, Sunday bulletins, on your church’s website, social media, bulletin boards, and any place you want your people to be reminded that they play a significant part in the life transformations stories by their support.
• Tell a story from the platform during a Sunday morning service. Or, tell one story each week, for three–four weeks, before receiving the WMB offering. Encourage people to ask God what He wants them to give.
HOW TO USE T H E STOR I E S• WMB is able to function as effectively as it does because
of the ministry framework provided by the World Evangelism Fund (WEF). Less than ten percent of funds given to WMB go towards administrative costs, the remainder directly fund WMB production and airtime. Tell your people this fact and when you do, be sure they know that when they give to WEF and WMB they complete the structure so Nazarene programs can be on the air, broadcasting the Good News.
These are just a few suggestions of ways to use the stories. Be creative and come up with additional ways that work with your people. Thank you for all you do to inform, inspire, and involve your congregation in supporting WMB.
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M A N I L A , P H I L I P P I N E S
H O W F A R ?
Few ministries can reach as many people with the Gospel as WMB does! That is the beauty and uniqueness of broadcasts; they go where humans can’t, reaching extraordinary numbers of people with one program.
Take Manila, Philippines, for example. Metro Manila is a growing conglomeration of municipalities that includes historic sites, sophisticated business centers, urban neighborhoods, and squatter towns. Jeepneys, tricycles, taxicabs, busses, horse-drawn carriages, and cars crowd the highways and narrow streets taking more than 12 million people to and fro.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle, a WMB program, Against the Flow (ATF), is on the air. Program host, Jordan Escusa, says,
To follow Jesus is to go against the flow. Holiness living is against the flow of society. That is why we call our radio program Against the Flow. The title gives a clear message and challenge to listeners…and they respond.
Focusing program content towards youth and young professionals, ATF also uses social media to communicate the Gospel and connect with listeners, many of who write for counsel. In that process, Jordan tells about the God who loves and forgives, who will never leave, and who is waiting with outstretched arms.
Beyond Metro Manila, ATF can also be heard in the Philippines’ northern provinces expanding its reach to more than 15 million people every week. 15 million people!
With ATF being on the air every Saturday from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., that breaks down to 4,680 minutes of airtime each year. It costs $10,246 annually for ATF to be on the air, and this breaks down into a pretty exciting reality, that says:
To produce and air one-minute of Against the Flow costs $2.19. Yes, you read that right…$2.19 for one-minute of airtime in which 15-million people will potentially hear the Gospel.
The reach of just one WMB program is extraordinary!
W H A T E V E R I T T A K E S
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Sometimes it takes a plummet into the darkest times in life to lead a person back to God. That’s how it was for Esther.
God’s word had become a dull routine. “There was no change in my life, “ she said. After her son was charged with rape, Esther’s emotions took a turn for the worst. That’s when she started listening to Radio Vaovoa Mahosoa, a World Mission Broadcast (WMB) program in Madagascar.
E S T H E R ’ S S T O R Y
Esther contacted the people at the station and soon rededicated her life to Christ. Within a short time, she led her entire family to the Lord, including her son who was eventually acquitted of the rape charges. She now leads a small group in her local Nazarene church.
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Joe is a Papua New Guinean with a drinking problem. He beat his wife and blamed it on being under the influence. His four young children witnessed the drunken violence their mother endured. One Wednesday morning, around 9:45 a.m., Krai Bilong Ol Meri (Cry of the Woman) came on the radio. Joe says,
I was challenged by the drama you did on a husband biting his wife. The message of that radio drama got a hold of me and turned me around even though I am not a Christian. Keep up the good work.
Give praise that a WMB program was on the air the day Joe tuned in and that it’s message penetrated his heart. Pray that Joe continues to listen and that one day he will accept Christ as his savior.
J O E ’ S S T O R Y
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W O R L D M I S S I O N B R O A D C A S T
W H A T E V E R I T T A K E S
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University students in Liberia are like college students everywhere—pursuing an education with dreams that a degree will lead to a better life. The students, like all of us, also have spiritual needs but those aren’t being met in their classes. Even though the students are privileged to receive a university level education, they want more, they want assurance there is something greater than what they can see.
As students make their way to class at the university in Karnplay, a Nazarene radio program is on the air telling them about the only hope that will give them more. Students recognize their need, are intrigued by what they
S T U D E N T S L I K E U S
hear, and find their way to nearby Nazarene churches to learn more.
Pastor Tee Latahn says that listeners of WMB programs in Liberia are even forming their own “informal” churches and have asked the radio ministry to recognize them as the Church of the Nazarene. They’ve heard the holiness doctrine and believe it is the only path they should follow while on this earth.
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At times, it feels like a cloak of darkness is overtaking the world. From terror attacks, to earthquakes, famine, and senseless acts of violence, it makes you wonder what horrible thing will happen next. The good news is, holes are being poked in the darkness and one of the ways light is shining through is WMB’s Middle East television programs.
Director Ayman Kafrouny and his team use television as an agent of truth and hope in the Arab world. Ayman says, “In the last few years, and with the open door the Lord granted, we focused on programs for Arabic MTV in Lebanon. Our ministry experienced a great move toward real evangelism. The Church of the Nazarene has entered a new era of acceptance and effectiveness in the community.”
Ayman says a viewer by the name of Mrs. Phoebe saw one of WMB’s programs on the local Catholic channel. She encouraged her priest to invite him to talk with their churches about drug addition. Addiction is a growing problem in the area and it is something Ayman struggled with before coming to Christ. Mrs. Phoebe told him,
S H I N I N G L I G H T
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W O R L D M I S S I O N B R O A D C A S T
I’ve lost hope with my son who is addicted to drugs. When I heard you on TV, I said to myself, ‘ if God can bring Ayman Kafrouny out of the pit of drugs, he can do it with my son.’
After visiting for two hours with Mrs. Phoebe’s son, Georgy, at a rehab clinic, Ayman says, “The Lord opened Georgy’s heart, he wept and asked Jesus to come to his life. A few days later, he left the rehab facility and is attending the Nazarene church with his parents, who are considering joining. Georgy wants to be a part of the youth group.”
Another parent contacted Ayman about her son’s drug addiction and he continues counseling this young man as well as Georgy. “Who knows, maybe the Lord is preparing the church in Lebanon to start a new ministry to drug addicts. I also have other boys who have just joined the church coming from the same dirty pit of drugs,” says Kafrouny.
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S A N F R A N C I S C O B A Y A R E A
C O M I N G H O M E
Our denomination’s broadcast ministry “came home” a few years ago to the USA/Canada Region when WMB partnered with the International Christian Center Church of the Nazarene in San Jose, California. The church’s pastor, Chris Nallan says,
God is doing great things through our radio programs. Our listener base continues to grow. Most of the listeners are non-Christians in the San Francisco Bay area and we have started several Bible studies for listeners. There is a Hindi Bible study group that meets in San Bruno; Hindi churches in Modesto and Manteca; and we have Hindi cell groups in the Bay Area including a small Pakistani cell-group. Mr. Den was having many issues in his life—immigration, family, financial, and employment. His business partner took everything he had and ruined his credit. They ran a limousine business together. With $25.00 in his account and very bad credit, he did not know where to turn.
Mr. Den heard of our church on the radio program and decided to call. We invited him to our Sunday service where members prayed for him. Eventually, God answered the prayers and he was able to get a new car and re-start his business. Mr. Den now attends our church regularly and has brought two other families to our church. He keeps our Sunday bulletins in his car and shares about the church, and Jesus, with his passengers.
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