Missionaries going from church planting to radio planting

Mozambique (MNN) — They’ve spent their first five years trying to plant a vibrant church, and do discipleship and evangelism within an unreached people group. Community leaders wanted them to leave. The work has been difficult.

Now Paul and Karen Zimmerman with Africa Inland Mission are praying God will use a new endeavor to help spread the Gospel in Northern Mozambique.

Mission Network News talked with Karen in the United States, where the family is currently on furlough. “The new endeavor is, with the help of our branch missionaries there in Mozambique, we are planning to start a radio project for a the people group and other people groups in northern Mozambique.”

This hasn’t been an easy area to work, says Zimmerman. “There’s no openness. That’s why this group was targeted with the unreached people group movement and our mission picked them to do it. So, they’re very resistant to the Gospel and to Christianity.”

Since that resistance is real, Zimmerman believes radio could be a novelty that could attract listeners from this majority religion. She says ridicule is a major reason Christianity is growing slowly. “If you decide to pick up some literature that’s Christian, or you’re found reading a segment of the Bible or going to our outreaches, you’re ridiculed. So, if you just have a radio, you can pick up the station and listen to it privately, or while you’re walking on the beach, or while you’re fishing and nobody knows about it.”

While the plan is to start broadcasting next summer, there still much work that needs to be done, says Zimmerman. “Right now we’re in the fund raising process and we’re half way there. We’re doing this as a partnership between HCJB (World) Radio and Africa Inland Mission, they set up a number of about $15,000.”

Your support could help thousands hear the Good News perhaps for the first time.