In the beginning of this year, I wish to share with you with gratitude about the presence and the blessings of our Lord towards our radio-ministry in French. Truly he is the Lord of all the millenia and of all the ages: you have been instrumental by your prayers and your support in making it possible for a group of confessing Reformed Christians (RRAC) to start a Reformed radio-ministry in French maintaining the same line as the one followed by Rev. A.R. Kayayan for many years. After a little more than one year, we have 2 weekly programmes running in Africa on Short Waves, weekly broadcasts on a number of local stations (the last being Radio-Outreach in Bujumbura, capital of the small state Burundi), but also one programme per week put on satellite (every Sunday evening)… This last broadcast started early in December, and will allow more local stations in Francophone countries of Africa to receive our programmes, so that the Gospel of our Lord may be clearly proclaimed and heard.

In the meantime, letters of listeners start coming in. Let me share with you the following excerpts written by a listener of Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria): “I am infinitely thankful to my Heavenly Father who directed me towards listening the programme “Foi et Vie Réformées”. Every Monday evening I follow with much enthusiasm what you teach me. It is very rich in divine science and educative wisdom, accessible to any believer, and meets our spiritual desires and needs. It greatly contributes to strengthening my faith and roots in my mind the reasons to believe, as well as the joy to believe in my heart.”. All the glory be to God, Who, through our radio-broadcasts, allows us to reach isolated Christians surrounded by an hostile Muslim environment -like this Algerian listener-.

We are greatly encouraged by these positive reactions, and we envisage to enlarge the spectrum of our broadcasts in Africa. Many doors are open to “Foi et Vie Réformées”, provided that the necessary funds allow us to make use of these possibilities. We are considering putting one weekly programme on the air via FEBA-Radio, in order to reach the islands of the Indian Ocean (Madagascar in particular, but also Mauritius, the Comores and Seychelles islands) as well as parts of Eastern Africa. The Muslim influence in this region of the world is strong and growing.

North Africa, and predominantly Muslim countries like Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco can also be more efficiently reached via powerful European stations (like Deutsche Telekom), which can sell us time on the air. Would you believe that even Radio-Moscow opens its doors to Christian programmes like those of “Foi et Vie Réformées”? Will you pray with us that these exciting new doors may be used for spreading the Biblical faith, which alone can bring salvation and transform lives?

But our ministry also consists in sending written material to our listeners, and planning visits to young Christian communities in need of solid training. Available literature, as well as the text of the broadcasts, are freely sent to whoever asks for it. At the moment, the text of our programmes is used in several places during Sunday worship services in Central Congo, where qualified ministers of the Word are scarce. Alongside the buying of time on broadcasting stations (whether they are Christian or not), mailing costs are also part of our expenses: most of our listeners can not afford to buy books or help us with the mailing of Christian literature to them.

The challenges are great, but the reasons to be thankful far greater, for our great God is working powerfully by His mighty Spirit. He is the One Who gives, and no one can repay Him for His gracious gifts. Therefore, together with the apostle Paul (Rom. 11:33-36), we can rejoice:

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
That God should repay him?
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen”

Rev. Eric Kayayan