Celebrating 50 years of media ministry to the Arab World
Fifty years ago, media ministry was a humble affair. In those days, media ministries didn’t have to debate about whether or not to invest in HDTV equipment, because good old standard-definition TV was still a relatively new thing. They didn’t have to have slick-looking websites or Twitter accounts or Facebook pages, because the internet didn’t exist.
Back then, if you wanted to reach the your part of the world you did it through radio:
From his dining room in Marrakesh, Morocco in 1959, Don Harris recorded an Arabic radio programme of uneven quality that was beamed over ELWA in Liberia. 50 years later, that amateurish beginning – to present Christ to all of North Africa – involves 55 adults working in four centers
This year, Arab World Ministries celebrates 50 years of media ministry. While it’s an exciting milestone, the orgainzation as a whole has been working faithfully to reach Arab Muslims throughout the world since 1881! Their vision is to “see mature multiplying churches among all Muslim peoples of the Arab world.”
Over on their site they’ve listed out some of theirmedia highlights over the last fifty years:
1962: Bible Correspondence Course (BCC) work is started in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. By 2006, over 250,000 people have studied these BCCs in Arabic and French.
1964: The ministry relocates to France and is renamed Radio School of the Bible with radio broadcasts aired regularly on Trans World Radio from 1965.
1965: An old cheese factory is purchased in Marseille and soon develops a multi-faceted ministry involving 23 people from eight countries.
1970s: The ministry explodes with such things as Theological Education by Extension, and the printing and distribution of hundreds of thousands of pieces of evangelistic literature.
Head over to their site to read more!
