A radio ministry across Africa, Asia and the Middle East does not happen overnight, nor is it sustained without perseverance and commitment from staff, supporters, ministry partners and listeners alike.

Over the next few weeks we will be considering the different areas that contribute to Feba ‘going the distance’ in Christian radio ministry.

The majority of Feba’s ministry is still with short wave radio which, despite its name, really goes the distance. “Short wave beams go round the curvature of the earth” says Frequency Schedule Engineer Richard Whittington. “These ‘giant strides’ of short wave are known as ‘hops’ and given the right frequency a one-hop broadcast can reach up to 2000 miles and two-hops, 4000 miles.”

But it’s not only the miles covered from transmitter to receiver where radio goes the distance.

Radio is the main form of communication in many of the countries we broadcast to, especially for people isolated by war, natural disasters or lack of resources. Radio reaches people in countries where political, social or religious barriers make it difficult for individuals to learn about alternative views or ideas – including the Christian faith. In places where illiteracy is high, radio speaks to people who cannot read or write.

Radio has to go the distance because it’s a long term process not a one-off event. It requires long-range planning, long term prayer and financial support, long term ministry workers and long running programmes. Peter Philips, Co-ordinator for Central Asia Ministry, comments: “The beauty of radio ministry, in Central Asia or anywhere else, is consistency. A listener can return any day of the week to find his or her programme, and it may take months or years for there to be evidence of change in that person’s life.”

We are grateful to the many supporters who have joined with us from the beginning to pray and give regularly to Feba’s ministry. Many are going the distance with us, ensuring that the process of broadcasting the Gospel across the airwaves continues.