(Oct. 22, 2013 - by Penny Hughes)

In the season just before the snow flies and just after the bugs begin to disappear as temperatures plummet, there's a culture deep within Siberia, Russia, that values science, news, sports and religion--not unlike the values in North America.

In the heart of a remote city is a radio studio producing programs that join those topics of current interest with a Christian perspective and worldview. David, executive director of HCJB Global's Europe/Eurasian Region, was reporting back after a brief visit to the partner ministry in early September.

This studio strives to provide quality programming to help reveal solutions to life's issues, all the while influencing the local community for Christ. This tiny outpost "integrates life and faith in a sea of secularism and atheism left from years of Soviet rule," said David.

The partner radio station has had to overcome many challenges in order to air these broadcasts 24 hours a day in three communities around the city (left unnamed for security reasons). Plans are to be on the air in the city itself before year's end, pending permission from communications authorities.

Radio costs are high, however, and it often takes a certain amount of influence with the government in order to broadcast at all. "Through multiple alliances, this little radio station is back on the air but faces challenges when competing visions arise from these strategic partnerships," David added.

Balancing various relations "can be stressful as they work with Russian Orthodox priests, local businessmen, government officials and local evangelical churches," he noted. "There are even more challenges as more training is needed and live on-air programming produced to improve sound and audience."

"It's easy to be impressed by their faith, tenacity, simplicity and ability to do with little to accomplish much," David continued. "In the middle of vast Siberia, supported by their church and friends, they want to be a beacon of life and faith as deep as the Russian ballads they play and the conversations they have about Christ."

One afternoon during David's visit, four people gathered around a small table to record radio programs. The studio had just two microphones and served not only as a production center, but also as a fellowship space and sometimes even as a bedroom. One of the four people, a participant in a recording session and life discussion, is a mother, holding her 4-month old baby to keep her happy and quiet as the other three gather around the two microphones to record.

"What follows is a lively discussion from a Christian perspective on topics of interest to everyday life in Siberia," said David. "These hour-long discussions will be edited into a program placed on the air by our media partner in Russia."

These programs are produced by local believers, two with social/physiology training, a pastor and a moderator. All programming is locally produced by staff trained by HCJB Global.

Before David concluded his visit, HCJB Global's Russian director from Moscow presented the ministry with three new microphones and a mixing board, greatly improving the quality of the sound.

What are the next steps? These workers have a heart for their people, and are hard at work training to produce programs that can be broadcast, hopefully soon, into the area capital, and are working with HCJB Global to produce live programs that encourage the lives of local people.

Source: HCJB Global