U P DATE
Good News. No Boundaries. | 700 BallAvenueNE • GrandRapids,MI49503 • 800-459-6181 • www.woh.org | November - December 2011
Titus Baraka demonstrates a wind-up radio
to 50 pastors of South Rwenzori Diocese.
Lee DeYoung and leaders of the Church of Uganda’s Mbale
Diocese dedicating our new recording studio.
Pastor Kato Aeneas produces
Lhukonzo programs in Kasese.
So Many Languages, So Much Opportunity
U
ganda is a country about the size of
the state of Oregon, but within the
borders of the country there are over 40
languages spoken. Additionally, many
of these languages have various dialects
depending on the region. Although
English is the national language,
hearing the gospel proclaimed in your
heart language has a special impact.
This diversity of languages might
have been an insurmountable problem
for Words of Hope Uganda Ministries.
How can you share the good news
with people who all speak different
languages? Despite this obstacle,
the ministry has grown at a steady,
sustainable pace by partnering with
local dioceses. While each diocese
varies in population and size, these
partnerships have proven a key to
expanding the gospel broadcasts in an
effort to cover the entire country.
In 2006, Words of Hope Uganda
Ministries began in the Mukono
Diocese. As the impact of the program
became evident, more dioceses
sought to launch broadcasts in their
respective areas. Words of Hope
Uganda Ministries currently broadcasts
in partnership with five additional
dioceses across the country. These
broadcasts feature programming in
six languages with several more to be
added in the near future.
Even though this strategy has
proven successful, there is still room to
grow. Ministry director Titus Baraka
continues to build relationships
with regional leaders around the
country. If current plans bear fruit,
these relationships will soon be
formalized and it will become easier
for dioceses across the country to begin
broadcasting Words of Hope.
Words of Hope supports these
branches of ministry through helping to
set up office space, equipping recording
studios, and offering training and
follow-up assistance as needed. If you
would like to be involved in supporting
the work of Words of Hope Uganda
Ministries, consider supporting the
2012 Growth Initiative (see article on
back).
We rejoice that our broadcasts are
increasing throughout East Africa.
There is a desire, both on the part of
local leaders and by listeners, that the
gospel be proclaimed over the radio.
After a recent trip to Uganda, Words of
Hope Vice President for International
Ministry, Lee DeYoung said,
Sudan
Gulu
Uganda
Lira
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
Mbale
Kasese
Mityana
Mukono
Kampala
Kenya
Lake
Victoria
Tanzania
“We’re increasingly grateful for follow-up
opportunities with a growing numbers
of listeners. These contacts help to plant
and grow churches. Our efforts are being
enhanced by partnerships with regional
groupings of churches. This deepens
local ownership and involvement
which increases the relevance of the
programs as well as their impact on local
communities.”
SEE OTHER SIDE FOR:
•Information about some changes to
the look of various publications you
receive.
A New Look to the Update
A Logo for the Digital Age
This will be the last Update
you’ll receive from us. In
2012 we are debuting a new
publication called Wavelength.
This quarterly publication will
have more in-depth features on
our ministry and it will allow
for even more stories about the
people, the events, and the work
of Words of Hope all around the
world.
Readers of our daily
devotional will already
recognize the logo to the
right. It has been on the cover
for almost two years. In 2012
we will be adopting this logo
for all our publications. This
change came about for two
reasons.
We know that one of the greatest services we can
provide is to tell the story of Christians in places like
Uganda, Iran, the Middle East, or India. These are places
that few of us can visit. They are places that popular media
can easily portray in stereotype or through the lens of
sensationalism. However, we know that there are many
wonderful stories to tell, stories of godly men and women
working hard to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. We
hope that Wavelength will help us share these stories.
WORDS
HOPE
OF
Good News.
No Boundaries.
First, it was a style update. We wanted a more
contemporary design. But secondly, and more
importantly, we are finding an increase in the amount
of our communication and ministry that is happening
online. The shape of this logo is much more useful in a
digital world. You can see examples of this if you search
“Words of Hope” on Facebook. If you’re not on Facebook,
you can see this logo in use by signing up for email
updates at woh.org/subscriptions. You can also wait and
watch your mailbox in 2012.
Time to Grow the Ministry
Our partners around the world
regularly request additional funding
for projects, buildings, or hiring
additional staff. These are wonderful
problems because it means the
ministry is expanding. It can be hard
to keep up. Yet, over the last few years
we have felt God challenging us to do
more.
In recent history, we have had to
deny or delay many of these requests.
However, we believe the time has come
to accept God’s challenge. While it
would be easy to ride out the current
economic times in survival mode,
rarely are Christians called only to
do the easy thing. We know there are
risks, fears, and unknown problems,
but we also know that God is already
at work, and that gives us confidence.
The Growth
Initiative
The Growth Initiative gathers
several requests and projects into a
single fundraising effort. This is truly
“growing” money because it is money
above-and-beyond our normal budget.
It also expands our involvement into
four new ministry fields. We feel we
are answering God’s call to do more
through the Growth Initiative, but we
can’t do it alone. If you want to learn
more about how you can support one
of the projects listed, please contact us.
New Ministries in:
Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Somalia
Building Projects in:
Sudan, Niger, India
Growing Ministries in:
The Middle East, India, Iran, Uganda
I
f you would like to receive the
new Words of Hope newsletter
Wavelength regularly and are not
already on our mailing list, please
contact us at [email protected], or call
1(800)459-6181. Contributions to
support Words of Hope’s outreach
are welcomed at:
700 Ball Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Words of HOPE
UPDATE