Adventist World Radio
Benjamin Schoun
President

e sat down to write the letter, not knowing if his government would ever let it leave the country. He addressed it to the Voice of Hope, the name of the broadcast Adventist World Radio transmits into his country. His words were simple and direct:

"I'm a faithful listener to the Voice of Hope. Every night, about 50 people in my village get together to listen to your radio program. Because we live in the remote mountainous area and are isolated from the outside, we have very few resources to advance our Bible knowledge. Your radio programs provide an in-depth explanation of the Word. The question marks in our minds are erased one by one. We see the mighty power of God through you."

Despite the variety of communication methods available throughout the world today, there are still places that are almost impossible for the Adventist Church to reach--places where missionaries may not enter and pastors are unable to establish churches.

Radio, however, can carry the gospel message. That is the mission of Adventist World Radio: to broadcast the Adventist hope in Christ to the hardest-to-reach people groups of the world in their own languages.

AWR has served as the mission radio arm of the church since its first broadcast in 1971. Since then, the ministry has grown to more than 60 languages, which reach 70 percent of the world through shortwave radio, AM and FM stations, and satellite. In addition, programs available on the Internet are able to be heard anywhere in the world.

A Unique Ministry
Several aspects of AWR's ministry make it unique.

1. Programs created by local people--The majority of programs that AWR broadcasts are produced in studios operated by union conferences. The producers are native speakers of the local languages, who understand their target audiences and cultural idioms.

2. Partnership with other church organizations--AWR exists to serve the various organizations of the church in their soul-winning outreach. AWR makes it possible for church entities to enter new areas and reach wider audiences. Listeners respond to the local studios, which are linked to Bible schools. Where possible, local churches follow up with visitation.

3. Use of shortwave radio--Shortwave is the most widely heard broadcast vehicle in the world. Unlike AM or FM radio waves, the signals can travel for thousands of miles, enabling AWR to reach into countries that are closed to religious broadcasts in local media. More than 2.5 billion people tune in to shortwave radio on a regular basis.

4. Priority on the 10/40 window--Of the 6.2 billion people in the world, 4.2 billion live in the 10/40 window. This area is also the place where there are the fewest Christians, and it is our greatest mission challenge today. AWR places a priority on broadcasting to people groups that are difficult to reach in other ways.

5. Programming for a non-Christian audience--For many listeners, an AWR program is the first time they have heard about God's love. Producers use many approaches to create programs that meet listeners' needs, from health discussions and family life features to Bible studies and locally recorded music. This listener in the Middle East wrote:

"I am a 15-year-old girl. I bought a Bible, and I started to browse through it to understand Christianity. When I discovered your station, I felt very happy because it answered most of my questions and has become a guide for me. I hope that you will continue guiding us."

Growth and Change
In the five years since the 2000 General Conference session, AWR has met challenges and celebrated progress.

AWR operations in the Americas region were reorganized in 2004 and merged with the Adventist Media Center in Brazil. AWR's highly popular live call-in program Open Clinic was moved from Costa Rica to an AWR studio in Puerto Rico.