Cyprus (MNN) — 15 years ago, AMG International wanted to find a partner to broadcast the hope of
Christ in Cyprus through radio.
AMG President and CEO Paul Jenks says there was a lot of opposition to this effort. Although the station met the criteria to obtain the license to broadcast to the whole island, Jenks says
their partner's application was denied. "On
three different occasions, we have taken the authority in charge of broadcasts
to court and won three times at the Supreme Court of Cyprus.
Following the latest court victory, the director was called to the offices of the
head of the government authority responsible for this licensing and came away with a license to broadcast to all of Cyprus.
In obtaining this license, the station will be able to cover the
entire 1.1 million population of the island, reaching to the coastlines of
Turkey and Israel. It couldn't come at
a better time, says Jenks. "We see this timing as strategic in that offshore natural gas
reserves have been found partway between Cyprus and Israel. So there are many
Israelis that are coming and visiting."
Cyprus is a hub for the area. "We have many from Russia as well. Of course, there's about a third
of the island occupied by Turkish
speakers, so we're hoping that in the days ahead, we'll be able to have an
international flavor to the broadcasts that some of these other language groups
can be featured so that they can also hear the message of hope."
The team continues to hear a lot of wonderful testimonies from
lives that are being touched through the broadcasts. Potential drives the enthusiasm. Jenks says, "One of the key messages that
is used is Christian music. There's such a message of hope in Christian music. People just have the radio on, especially when they're
in the car, and we get responses all the time that they enjoy the
broadcast."
Jenks thinks the listening audience likely will grow
exponentially. "We're very excited about
that as we've changed our antennae and transmitters and already are starting to
have new responses from listeners every day. The plan is to take those transmitters
and the antennae to even higher
elevation in the central part and eventually to reach 95% of the island."
Cyprus has traditionally
been a difficult field for the Gospel. However, Jenks notes, "The message that goes out is the message
of hope and redemption and renewal. These are things that we're finding
is resonating very well with people in a secular country in a part of the world
that has had a lot of turmoil."
The station needs the support of faithful Christians both in
prayer and financially, particularly as it looks to expand the broadcasts to
the entire island. Please pray for AMG's coworkers in Cyprus and for the financial
needs of the station.
Cyprus is a difficult field for the Gospel. The station needs the
support of faithful Christians both in prayer and in financial support, particularly as
it looks to expand the broadcasts to the entire island. Please pray for AMG
coworkers in Cyprus and for the financial needs of the station.
