Growing the Outreach By Broadcasting on Local Stations
The Grace so Amazing radio program has been effective in ministering to people in the Rukungiri region of Uganda. Grace So Amazing has become one of the most listened-to programs on the radio because it has been a source of hope and good news during tough times. It is intriguing how the Lord has used the COVID-19 lockdown to cause many people to reflect on their lives and seek a relationship with God. People were anxious and troubled, but the Word of God has securely anchored them with the Lord. Many people gave their lives to Christ this past year.
Others changed their ways of life through the influence of the radio program. Some of the topics covered in the past few months included hard work, salvation, and decision-making power. Many people testified how these Bible teachings changed their lives for the better. One example is Brian from Nyamizi, Rukungiri Municipality that learned that you could start small with whatever you have, even if it is little. But through hard work, God will bless the work of your hands. After this message, Brian chose to begin building his house with a bit of money he had. He started the process and is doing well. Soon his home will be finished and ready for him to move in. Because Brian has put into practice the biblical truth he heard proclaimed, he is helping transform his community.
When the government lifted the lockdown, we held several baptisms among the churches. The new believers who were baptized had decided to follow Jesus Christ because the radio program shared the gospel. The listeners contacted our local churches, and the churches followed up with home visits during the lockdown. In total, we had ninety baptisms from five churches. Sixty-one females and twenty-nine males publicly expressed their faith.
A Testimony From a Listener
Ketty from Mugamba, the eastern division of Rukungiri Municipality, is a widow. She frequently fought with her mother-in-law because after Ketty lost her husband, her mother-in-law mistreated Ketty and wanted her out of the house even though the children were still very young. Ketty had hatred in her heart against her mother-in-law, but then Ketty heard the messages on the radio program. She felt convicted that it was wrong to hate and harbor bitterness, so Ketty gave her life to Christ. Eventually, through the grace of God, she was able to control herself and start to build a positive relationship with her mother-in-law despite the treatment she is receiving.
- Pray for Ketty to forgive her mother-in-law and for them to have a relationship.
- Pray that God will provide resources to improve the recording studio so we can have better quality recorded messages for the radio program.
The ministry team in Rukungiri began offering face-to-face meetings for local listeners. The White Fields pastors were prepared on a Friday to receive people that wanted more counseling and prayer. On the first Friday, fifty individuals came to meet. People have called to inquire if they can access the program afterward on cd or in digital form. We do not have the means at the moment to make the messages available.
An Update Received on May 8th
The outreach of the radio ministry is growing quickly. Many people are calling the phone number after each airing. Our Friday counseling sessions attract so many people that we have called all our pastors to come and help in counseling and praying. We have divided the day into three sessions. The first is from 9-11 am – this is for teaching the Word – then from 11:30-1:30 pm, we have one-on-one counseling and praying for people – the last session is from 2:00-4:00 pm, in this, we share a word of encouragement. This last Friday, we received eighty-three people. Some of them came as far away as Kanungu on our border with Congo. This is where we are hoping to plant our next new church.
Read More About Spreading the Gospel
Read About the Kanungu Area and Crossing the Bridge with the Gospel
- Pray that God will provide funding to improve our phone line into a staffed call center to talk with people who reach out for counseling and want to receive Jesus Christ.
- Pray that we can start radio listener clubs in sub-counties where we do not yet have church plants.
We plan to do monthly visits to encourage and share the Word with these believers. These communities do not yet have a Biblical church close enough for fellowship. Our goal is to have a church planted in these communities as the number of believers increases.
James and Steve joined Pastor Onesimus on his weekly radio broadcast when they were in Rukungiri.