Imagine living in a former Soviet Union country where many religious activities are banned. It’s certainly not easy being a Christian there. Heart Companion, now over six months on air, has the primary goal to encourage Christians — by radio and web.
Radio is a vital companion for these believers who must limit their contact with other believers for security reasons. Programme producers know that the programme is touching lives, as they read listeners’ comments on the programme’s website: “Thank you for your radio. It is useful. It is much better to listen to you and get some spiritual food rather than other stations, which translates only music and news.” 
Starting in January, the Central Asia Partnership (Feba and HCJB Global Voice) launched this new 30-minute programme (replacing former programmes Path to Paradise and New Vision). Heart Companion airs on medium wave five days a week to encourage Christians to grow in their Bible knowledge, equipping them to spread the news to others in this region where being a Christian is tough.
Feba’s Peter Philips says: “In this Central Asia country, Christians cannot openly share the Good News, and even registered churches can get raided. The Heart Companion programme’s goal is not just to help Christians to keep going, but to help the church to be growing – stimulating believers to share their faith in a relevant, non-confrontational way in the natural social networks where they live.”
Christians there need encouragement that they are not alone, as they often face persecution. The programme helps disciple the church, which lacks teaching and literature. It can be difficult to register a new church or meet openly, so house churches are very common. Listener interaction on the web
Praise God for the response to their website where radio producers chat online with programme listeners. Website users can also download the Heart Companion programmes and other materials.
- “Hello editors! We have heard a lot about your website but today our Lord let us visit you for the first time. Your web resource is useful among believers. Let all your plans and ideas be fulfilled with the help of our Lord.”
- “I am really amazed to see this kind of Christian resource in our language. Good.”
- “Hello. You know, I invited Jesus Christ to my life and I have a salvation now. It is fact! … I read the Bible. I can see God’s power and greatness from the beginning to the end of the Bible. His power makes me scared. I kneel before Him when I have felt that huge changes of my spiritual life. I praise the Lord that there is a website like this one. I read online Bible of this site and study many useful things.”
- “Hello brothers. I came to Christ recently. Could you please pray for my spiritual growth? Thank you in advance.”
- “Jesus Christ taught his disciples to pray — we can see that in the Gospel. Tell me please, should I pray the exactly way He taught us to pray? Or should I pray like a namaz with its rules?”
- From a listener: “Hello dear friends. I read the Bible and I have a question. Why there are four different Gospels in the Bible? Would it be enough to have just one Gospel to get the salvation?” Reply from producer: “No, there are not four different Gospels; the Gospel is one. All of them are telling us about the one who died for us. Four Gospels were written by four followers of Jesus powered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit showed them what they should write.”