Chapter 41
“Hour of Discovery” in Retrospect :A Letter to Rev. Olof Lindstrom
In April 8, 2000. I wrote a letter to Rev. Olof Lindstrom, Baptist Union of Sweden, reporting our Radio Ministry “Hour of Discovery”. By this time, HOD was on radio broadcast ministry for 7 years from, 1992 to 1999 with Farsta Centrum Kyrkan.
We were on the air over the following stations and time. In Iloilo City, we were at DYFM-Bombo radio at 5:45 PM every Sunday. We’re over GMA-Radio,Iloilo every Wednesday from at 4:30-5:00 AM. In Roxas City, we’re On the Air, at Station DYVR, at 2:30 PM every Snday.
In Mindanao, were On the Air, on Wednesdays at DZMM in Bukidnon. Rev. Librado Repolidon spoke 2 Wednesdays On the Air, every month. I spoke also two Wedensday every month I sent a recorded tape message. In General Santos City, we were heard over DYFM Bombo Radio every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM. Rev. Eddie Sancho spoke two Sundays a month. I spoke to Sundays. In Mindanao, they spoke using Ilongo, Cebuano and Tagalog to listeners who udrd these three Filipino dialects. My letter to Rev. Olof Lindstrom in retrospect.
In Iloilo City and Capiz, every week we were on the air in 3 radio stations in Western Visayas. We tried a new approach in our Bible reflections. Often, we start with current issues on the national interests during the week. The situationers were used as illustrations to drive some points in the Scriptures that speaks on similar situatios prevailing at the time. The Bible reflections contextualized Scriptural events in the life of our people and society today.
Some pastors and laymen/laywomen were involved in our Radio program as Resource Speakers. We have Resource Speakers once a month. In the two Radio programs in Mindanao, we have two pastors who helped coordinate and monitor our broadcasts and served as Speakers for the program. They spoke on the air. These was a way for “Hour of Discovery’ to expose and train some our Pastors and lay leaders in broadcast ministry and encourage them to explore radio ministry as part of their ministry in the future.
In Iloilo City and Roxas City we have three Pastors who served as Resource Speakers every 2nd Week of our scheduled broadcast time. In April 2000, during the Resurrection Sunday & Ascension Sunday, Dr. Domingo Diel, Jr., President of Filamer Christian College and President of the Convention was the Resource Speaker.
We taped his message, Saturday April 9 at our Recording Room. Then the message was reproduced, mixed with music and announcements and reproduced in six Cassette Tapes and sent to 7 radio stations where “Hour of Discovery” was aird.
The Contents of our Broadcasts
The messages, Bible reflections and commentaries we air were designed to make people reflect on th meaning of their faith in relations to daily life. It works on the Scriptures and its contemporary messages for us to think today. We have discovered that the Scriptures have very rich stories that speak on different subject and courses affecting life, We are trying to ”mine” and discover from its pages truth that most often were hidden from us, since many of our mentors of the past has “spiritualized” many of Jesus teachings.
“Hour of Discovery” tries to contribute to change in society by helping change the frame of mind, the thinking of or people. It works on messages with direct bearing on the need and problems directly affecting people. It was sensitive to denominational bias and addressed the wider ecumenical community. The programs also put itself on the side of the people against the existing elitist powers. It stood on the side of life against death. On the side of the poor sttuggling peasants against the powerful and rich landlords, the workers against the powerful industries.
It seek to give power to the weak by providing the tools of educations, skills and instruments that would enable them to think on the “whys” of happenings together make actions to help slowly make some little change.
The analysis of the current situations, problems and issues affecting the people and the society and what the Bible say on similar situations has made “Hour of Discovery” broadcast acceptable to wider communities. Hour of Discovery radio broacasts crosses denominational lines and was working to become a religious radio broadcast for the people.
What were our subjects? It’s varied. We reflect on the love of God that continue to seek to continue waiting for the son whose life was wrecked and destroyed by wines, drugs, vices and crimes and how the church could be the arms of the church in the task of human redemption.
In the hit in our country’s debate on capital punishment and executions of those considered criminals, we reflected on Jesus efforts to save a woman condemned to death for a crime of adultery by the angry crowed while the man who was her partner in the crime, was not touched. We took Jesus position that to fight against death penalty and stopped executions of considered criminals.
In the midst of students demonstrations and people’ marches and strikes against abuses of the government leaders and powers and abuses of the oil cartel, big businesses, devastations of the natural resources by irresponsible mining firms, we reflected on Jesus march to Jerusalem and the temple and how he exposed and lashed at the powerful who corrupted the temple of Jerusalem and took advantages of the simple faith of the people.
Jesus has encouraged people’s marches in his time, to demonstrate anger against abuses by those in power.
He also often touched on the power of faith and prayer, the ability of these and ordinary plants to heal sick bodies, weakened minds and ailing hearts, witnessed healed by their will power, positive thoughts and the power of God, working miraculously anong many surrendered lives.
Production of Cassette Tapes
To maximize the effectiveness of our radio programs aired in six radio stations in Western Visayas and Mindanao, we reproduced the weekly messagesin
Cassette Tapes and VCD’s , provide this Cassette Tapes and VCD’s to some of our pastors in churches, community leaders and leaders of some communit organizations. These Cassette Tapes and VCD’s were given them, in limited numbes, here in Panay, Negros Occidental and Mindanao to replay in their churches, homes and organizations. Through these, we reached out to wider coverage with our simple and practical message on life, faith and God’s presence on our lives.
There were numbers of request of these Cassette Tapes and VCD’s. amd we try our best to reproduced these, though we have difficulties in reproductions, as we use a simple duplicator which toke more time to duplicate. We continue this efforts for it ‘s one way , we could replicate and reach more people in our provinces.
Pastors, church and community leaders, replays these in their churches, homes and communitiies. From these tapes, the also get materials for their Bible Studies, sermons and lectures.
Our tapes are in our own dialect – Ilonggo or Hiligaynon. These English Titles. It carry two messages per Cassette Tapes. These were for 30 minutes broadcasts for DYRI-Iloilo GMA Radio-Iloilo, DYVR Roxas City, DZMM-Bukidnon and Bombo Radio-GeneralSantos City.
Cassette Tape 1. The Promise of a New Day/ Mining Act of 1995: Dangers to Ecolog & the Future
Cassette Tape 2. A Call to Live for the Future / The Power to Reach Beyond
Cassette Tape 3. Conflicts: Causes/ Reconciliations
Cassette Tape 4. The People’s March to Jerusalem / Ninoy Aquino & the People’s Search for Justice.
Cassette Tape 5. Search for Real Riches/ Death Sentence and Jesus Call for Life
Cassette Tape 6. The Call of the Heights / Celebacy & the Married Catholic Priests
Cassette Tape 7. Wonan You are Wonderful / Men & Women: Partners in Life
Cassette Tape 8. The NDF & the Peace Process / Gen. Fabian Ver & the Loneliness of Death
Cassette Tape 9. A Call for New Priority / Lazarus & Feudalism in Jesus Time
Cassette Tape 10. Hope for Peace / May 1 & the Filipino Workers Struggle for Life
Cassette Tape 11. The Prodigal Son / The Searching Father
Pamphlets, Leaflets & other reading materials
Some fo the radio messages, lectures and commentaries we also produced in written forms –pamphlets and leaflets. These were distributed free in limited numbers to some church leaders, pastors and community leadedrs in different areas. The reading materials were useful for some pastors and lay leaders in their Bible Studies. Some alsoused these in their preparations of their messages on Sundays. Books were expensive and some pastors and church leaders do not have resources to buy much needed books.
These reading materials, which were products of hard studies were useful tools for someof them. We produce these materials to fill the need and reached wider group of people. These pamphlets and leaflets, were first produce in photo copies. Later with our Rizograph Printing machine, we can duplicate fast the needed reading materials.
Some Feedbacks’
We also develop a way to get feedbacks of our works. We need to know how our efforts affect our listeners and readers. We need to get some reactions from them Often we do these by interviews. Some were came spontaneously during some meetings and sharing.
We have here some feedbacks to gauge reactions and responses to from our listenrs and readers. Thru this simple means, we can gauge a little of responses to our works.
:
Ms. Rosalina Diaz, Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur: c”The radtio program is good and very interesting than other religious programs in the radio.It encouraged us to listen and our faith strengthened thru hearing God’s messages from the Bible. The broadcast is very relevant.”
Dr. Andresito Millamena, President, Church Council, University Church, CPU: “I often listen to your radio program ‘Hour of Discovery” in my car on Sundays. You preached a very relevant messages.”. He shared these to me verbally when we have a meeting with in the Steering Committee of CPUlast February 2000.
Mrs. Francisca Sanches, Purok Caimoto, Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur, a member of Christian Alliance Church; ”I can say that religious programs are most important. This isone way to evanvelized and bring the Word of God, specially to those who were living in secluded places. “Hour of Discovery” messages were remineders to everyone, with wrong desirs in life and those who have wrong goals….In our sitio (small part of the village), perhaps there are 30 families listening.”
Mrs. Jovy Aguilar, Batayan, Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte. “The radio program is very helpful to our spiritual, moral and social needs. It’s messages are relevant to the present situations. Most of the church members in our church and some catholics are listening.”
Dr. Juanito Acanto, President, Central Philippiine University, Jaro, Iloilo City. We were both members of the Board of Iloilo Mission Hospital. When we met April 7, 2000 before the hospital Board meeting he said: . “I often hear you in your radio program You are so good in Ilonggo preaching, Very relevant messages,”
Melchor Lariza, Olaga, Sibalom, Antique. “The radio programs were avenue for information of oru CPBC activities. They were source of relevant and up-to-date issues affecting our nation in general and the basic sector in particular.It is a way to reaching on church members eveninthe far-flung villages.”
Messages of “Hour of Discvoery” discusses current issues and provide Biblical basis for Christians’ response in a particular issues and concerns.
Majority of the church members in Antique as well as nonchurch members were listening to DYFM, bombo Radio broadcasts. Feedbacks and reactions were favourale. It has a captured group of listeners.
Olof I will come up again with some other information, Please gave a copy of this report to Ms. Haggan, Information Secretary, International Ministries, Baptist Union of Sweden, She may be able to get some information she needs. It may be helpful, if you could share with her a Map of the Philippines and show her the coverage of our radio ministries.
We would like to thank our sisters na brothers in the Baptist Union of Sweden who have helped and shared to make the radio ministry possible. Thanks. – Rudy Bernal
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