(March 13, 2015 - by Harold Goerzen)  An eye-catching display at the recent National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention left some of the attendees saying they felt like they’d traveled to a foreign country to visit a Christian radio station.

“In our suite, our advancement team created a model of a community FM station in Thailand with mixing board, computer, microphone, headphones and transmitter along with a display of SonSet® radios,” explained Reach Beyond President Wayne Pederson. More than 50,000 of the solar-powered, fixed-tuned radios, designed to pick up community radio stations operated by local partners, have been distributed worldwide.

“Then guests were able to walk around the room to touch and feel what it’s like to operate a radio station in Thailand—or Peru or Ghana,” he said, adding that staff members Sarah Roche and Emily Ibarra designed and built the display. “We presented guests with an opportunity to provide the special radios to listeners around the world.”

A special touch came when broadcasting partner Jack Pelon of KPOF in Denver, which helped fund the distribution of SonSet radios, told about the benefits of cooperating with Reach Beyond on the project. “We told the story and the Holy Spirit touched their hearts,” Pederson recounted. “About a dozen stations expressed an interest in doing a SonSet project.”

The display reflected the growing global focus of the 72nd annual NRB 2015 International Christian Media Convention, held in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 23-26, with more than 4,300 media and ministry professionals taking part—up 15 percent from last year.

“Even though NRB is a U.S. organization, it attracts people from around the world,” Pederson said. “Reach Beyond was well represented with team members from each of our five regions (Asia Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa/Middle East, Europe/Eurasia and Latin America). This was especially obvious at the international luncheon on Feb. 25 where we received the International Impact Award.”

Pederson expressed appreciation upon receiving the award, given to a “U.S.-based NRB member having a global impact for the cause of Christ through electronic media.”

“After 40 years of working in domestic U.S radio, I have the privilege of using radio, modern media and healthcare to reach places of the world that are less than 2 percent Christian—that’s the point of our arrow for us,” he said upon receiving the trophy.

The growing interest in international broadcasting was also evident as the“G-20” coalition met at NRB, joining likeminded broadcasting ministries from around the world.

“We met for two hours on two days, giving media updates on many countries,” Pederson explained. “We were looking for ways to collaborate. This is a broader coalition, embracing some of the smaller ministries in countries such as Indonesia, South Korea and India.” He added that the coalition “sort of replaces the World by Radio initiative,” dating back to 1985, that aims to make Christian broadcasts available to all peoples in languages they can understand.

Three of the 10 NRB Milestone Awards went to Reach Beyond missionaries during the convention. Portuguese radio program producers Victor and Helena Arndt of Curitiba, Brazil, and Japanese programmer Kazuo Ozaki of Tucson, Ariz., garnered 50-year awards while a posthumous award went to engineer Herb Jacobson who died in October 2014 after 65 years of service with Reach Beyond.

Pederson applauded the Arndts, who were both on hand to receive the award, for keeping abreast of the world’s fast-changing communications technology. “The technology and the delivery system has changed, but the message remains the same,” he said. “As senior members of our team, they have been very adaptable.”

Michio Ozaki and his wife, Anne-Marie, accepted the trophy on behalf of his father, Kazuo, who spent most of his 50 years of service at Radio Station HCJB in Quito, Ecuador, together with his late wife, Hisako.

“What speaks more loudly than the award is the fact that he continues to produce radio programs from his home every week for his shortwave radio listeners in Japan,” Michio said of his father.

Charles Jacobson collected the Milestone Award on behalf of his father who served at Radio Station HCJB in Quito and SonSet Solutions (formerly the HCJB Global Technology Center) before going to be with the Lord in October 2014.

“I was very honored to be standing in my dad’s place for this award,” Charles said. “Obviously I wish he could have been the one receiving the award. At the same time, I know he would have found it uncomfortable to be in the limelight in this way. He was a humble servant of the Lord who faithfully carried out what God called him to do for as long as he was able.”

Pederson added that Herb went into the office almost every day, designing digital technology nearly until his death. “When we presented him with a longevity award in Elkhart last summer, he couldn’t sleep the next night. He thought he got too much credit rather than God getting the glory.”

Reach Beyond’s Lee Sonius, executive director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Region, also spoke at the international industry lunch on Feb. 24, telling about how the mission has been working with partner Ransford Wright of BBN in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to help battle the Ebola virus. This includes the distribution of buckets containing food and cleaning supplies that can help quarantined families survive for up to five weeks.

Pederson described the convention as “exhausting” but well worth the effort and expense. “What I like about NRB is the camaraderie among broadcasters. We go from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. most days. But during that time we make more contacts than we could in six or eight months of traveling.”

Photo credits: National Religious Broadcasters, Dave Pasechnik

Sources: Reach Beyond, Assist New Service, National Religious Broadcasters