(Sept. 29, 2014 - by Ty Mays)  The board of trustees of Reach Beyond announced Thursday, Sept. 25, that the HCJB Global Technology Center, the ministry’s technology division based in Elkhart, Ind., will become an independent, nonprofit entity called SonSet Solutions. The move allows the center to pursue new ministry opportunities while continuing to serve the technology needs of Reach Beyond.

For nearly 30 years, the center has been a ministry of Reach Beyond, providing radio technology, broadcast equipment and other engineering services to help spread the gospel to unreached people groups worldwide. The two organizations believe the move will be mutually beneficial, multiplying the impact of both.

“As technological developments continue to emerge at a mind-boggling rate and shape the world around us, it’s more imperative than ever that Christ’s followers seize the capabilities available to us for communicating the message of new life in Jesus Christ,” explained David Russell, president and CEO of SonSet Solutions. “The move by the board of trustees of Reach Beyond will help strengthen the church and engage more believers in God’s work.”

Established in 1986, the center has provided critical assistance to ministry partners who are communicating the gospel, often in difficult-to-reach locations. This includes supplying expert advice and training for various communications technologies, the design and manufacture of high-tech equipment (such as transmitters, antennas and the fixed-tuned, solar-powered SonSet® radio) and clean water systems. Staff members also provide troubleshooting help, repairs and installation services.

SonSet Solutions has a variety of programs for technology students at Christian universities in North America, providing them with opportunities to apply their experience and specialties in a missions context. Senior design projects, spring-break events, summer internships and a yearlong apprenticeship program are part of the mix. The purpose is to help prepare the next generation of workers for God’s harvest fields.

The center embodies a spirit of innovation that leverages technological advances to help fulfill the Great Commission. Through its new-media initiative, Nikkel Media Works, SonSet Solutions is seeking to harness digital communications to promote the cause of Christ. Techniques are being researched and content is being produced that will engage people in a conversation about their need for a Savior.

“The world we live in today is not the same as it was 20 or 30 years ago,” said Wayne Pederson, president of Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global). “Being flexible and innovative are key components to helping us reach those who have never heard the name of Christ. This move will help Reach Beyond and SonSet Solutions focus specifically on our unique missions. It will make us both stronger and more nimble as we tell the world about Christ.”

SonSet Solutions’ original mandate was to develop high-power broadcast tools for the cooperative missions initiative, World By 2000 (later renamed World by Radio). In partnership with international ministries such as TWR, FEBC, FEBA Radio and SIM, the goal was to make Christian broadcasts available to all the world’s major language groups.

Other technical developments spawned a growing outreach known as “radio planting,” leading to the establishment of more than 450 Christian radio stations that are owned and operated by national partners worldwide.

The newly independent organization works with more than 100 different ministries each year, enabling technology-dependent efforts and initiatives to grow and thrive.

“Our passion to see the name of Christ boldly proclaimed throughout the earth is what brings us together with many individuals and organizations,” Russell concluded. “Our love for technology and an ability to harness the tools it provides for the cause of Christ is what sets us apart.”

Sources: InChrist Communications, Reach Beyond