(Jan. 23, 2014 - by Harold Goerzen) Reflecting a vision to proclaim Christ in hard-to-reach places, HCJB Global changed its name to Reach Beyond on Wednesday, Jan. 22. This marks the first time in the mission’s 82-year history that it’s no longer named after its inaugural radio station in Quito, Ecuador.

President Wayne Pederson announced that the mission’s new name, Reach Beyond, captures the pioneer spirit of Clarence Jones who was one of the mission’s co-founders along with Reuben Larson and others. He stepped out in faith, spurning the naysayers in their generation to launch Radio Station HCJB, the world’s first missionary radio station, on Christmas Day, 1931.

“The new name is much more than a brand change,” Pederson said. “Reach Beyond is a reflection of our ministry DNA. It’s about doing whatever is necessary to reach those who have never heard the name of Jesus. In essence, it’s a call to Christians to reach beyond their comfort zones and challenges them to actively participate in making Christ known among the nations.”

The new name reflects the ministry’s growing international focus on both media and healthcare with an emphasis on parts of the world that are still less than 2-percent evangelical—beyond the reach of conventional missionary work. The new name also dovetails well with the longtime one-minute program, “Beyond the Call,” that airs on about 1,000 radio outlets across the U.S. The micro-program has also been renamed “Reach Beyond.”

The new tagline is “The Voice and Hands of Jesus. Together.” This confirms the pre-eminence of Christ in the mission’s purpose and the importance of unity and partnership in reaching the unreached with the gospel message.

“Effective ministry in this age is about partnership with those who can multiply and expand the reach of what we’re working to do,” explained Curt Cole, Reach Beyond’s senior vice president of international ministry. “To us, reaching beyond is all about empowering believers around the world to serve as the ‘voice and hands’ of Jesus.”

“We looked at more than 200 possible names for our ministry,” added Pederson. “But in the end, it was clear that Reach Beyond was the perfect representation of what our mission is all about.”

“Combining ‘reach’ and ‘beyond’ isn’t only a part of our DNA, it’s part of our purpose and vision to reach beyond areas where it’s safe to proclaim the gospel,” he concluded. “Our people are willing to reach beyond what they feel is secure and comfortable to spread the gospel in the hard-to-reach places. I’m excited about this name and the call to action.”

Source: Reach Beyond