(Dec. 9, 2011 - by Dan Anderson and Marla Bender) The HCJB Global Technology Center will be highlighting a ministry milestone when it celebrates its 25th anniversary on Thursday, Dec. 15, in Elkhart, Ind. The center is the technical arm of HCJB Global, a mission dedicated to partnering with Christians in media and healthcare to bring the voice and hands of Jesus to the unreached peoples of the world.

In the past 25 years, the center has provided media equipment, technical training and support to Christian media ministries in more than 100 countries.

With a handful of skilled engineers and Dave Pasechnik directing its operations, the center was established in 1986 as part of HCJB Global's "World by 2000" initiative. The goal of this campaign (later renamed "World by Radio") was to provide every man, woman, and child on earth the opportunity to turn on their radios and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ in languages they can understand so they can become responsible members of His church. Partner ministries such as TWR, Far East Broadcasting Co., SIM and Words of Hope have partnered with HCJB Global in this endeavor.

The foundations for this cooperative ministry model were laid in early 1975 when Clarence Moore, founder of Crown International in Elkhart, invited HCJB Global to use his manufacturing facilities to design and build a 500,000-watt shortwave transmitter. This mammoth mouthpiece for the gospel would be capable of reaching distant targets, overcoming efforts by some to block radio signals that carried Christian programming. "Project 500" was completed in 1980, and the HC500 transmitter began broadcasting from Quito, Ecuador, in 1981.

When the center was officially established in 1986, it was again through the invitation of the Moore family that HCJB Global was provided with necessary floor space and access to manufacturing resources.

Part of HC100 (100,000-watt shortwave transmitter) construction team (l-r): Larry McGuire, Herb Jacobson and George Zensen.

faith for decades, many by listening to programs aired via shortwave from Radio Station HCJB in Ecuador.

Now, with newfound religious freedom, followers of Christ recognized the potential opportunity to establish local broadcast outlets that would assist them in spreading the gospel to their countrymen. Up to that time, broadcasting equipment was large, expensive and cumbersome.

"What was needed were portable, easy-to-install FM transmitters suitable for local radio stations and easily transported internationally," said David Russell, director of the Technology Center. To meet this need, engineers developed an FM transmitter large enough to reach a city and its surrounding communities, yet small enough to fit inside a suitcase.

With the development of this transmitter, a ministry thrust known as "radio planting" got its start. Ministries from around the world began contacting the center for help in launching and maintaining their radio stations. More than 50 engineers, technicians and volunteers led by Russell have devoted themselves to providing these services.

Engineer Mike Axman with the TB1000 (1,000-watt FM transmitter).

One of the Technology Center's newest advancements was the creation of the Jack and June Nikkel Media Center, completed in 2010. This represents the center's commitment to help HCJB Global harness emerging media technologies for the gospel. The facility is named after the husband-and-wife team that volunteered for many years and gave toward the ministry.

The ministry is also involved in recruiting students for internships and on-campus projects that allow them to apply their skills and knowledge to Christian outreach. In addition, staff members organize local and international work teams, giving more people the opportunity to get involved in the outreach.

Jack and June Nikkel Media Center.

"We're not just passionate about providing tools to ministry partners," added Russell. "We're mobilizing more workers, discovering their potential through work teams and internships. It's here that we will train and equip others to harness the power of emergent technologies. We won't stop until everyone hears the gospel, and we'll use whatever it takes to make that happen."

Source: HCJB Global