(February 11, 2011 - by Harold Goerzen) With most of its 95 churches having fewer than 50 members, the Christian Union is a denomination you've probably never heard of. But with a generous heart for missions, the small but vibrant organization is having a big impact on building God's kingdom around the world.

"The uniqueness of the Christian Union is that it has a lot of laymen and not many full-time pastors," said Steve Hodgson of HCJB Global's development department in Colorado Springs, Colo.

He recently spent 10 days in the West African country of Ghana as he and Sub-Saharan Africa Director Lee Sonius led a "vision-casting" trip with seven members of the denomination, including Executive Pastor Jim Eschenbrenner. The team visited Ghana Jan. 18-28.

"Our team included an insurance agent, a farmer, a tool-and-die shop owner, an OB/GYN nurse, an educator, a pastor and a manufacturing plant manager. They came from various churches in Indiana, Oklahoma, Ohio and Missouri," Hodgson added.

Team members observed the Voice and Hands of Jesus in action, seeing how HCJB Global is working with Ghanaian partner Theovision International to plant community radio stations and launch healthcare ministries in needy villages.

They were encouraged by what they saw and heard, excited to be partnering with HCJB Global for the next three years. "Two of the people had never been outside of America," Hodgson said. "They caught a vision of how much God loves humanity. They were like kids in a candy shop. I've never seen people so expressive in seeing God at work!"

HCJB Global is partnering with the Christian Union in its newest Triennium Project. "Every three years the denomination selects a world missions project to support," he related. Last year they selected Sub-Saharan Africa as a result of the group's longstanding relationship with Sonius and his missionary parents. Each year of the project involves funding the installation of one radio station and one clean water well as well as the purchase of hundreds of solar-powered, fixed-tuned SonSet® radios.

During the trip team members took along 200 of the sets which will go to Theovision's radio station listeners. "These radios can capture only the transmissions from our radio stations," explained Theovision founder Theo Asare. "They will be distributed to people in the coverage areas of our stations. The radios are very suitable for the African setting since the users don't have to bother with batteries or electricity, which is nonexistent in most of the areas that the signal reaches. We've found the power of radio is an effective means of spreading the gospel."

By visiting Ghana the team "saw firsthand what we're doing for the kingdom in this part of the world," he added. "They stopped by our offices in Accra as well as two of our FM radio stations at Asamankese and Assin Fosu." A third station recently went on the air in Saboba.

The visit included a stop in the village of Hateka where HCJB Global engineers installed a water well and helped with other community development projects in 2009, facilitating a transformation in villagers' lives by helping eliminate waterborne disease while improving hygiene and opening their hearts to the gospel message.

A highlight for the team was participating in Theovision's Bible-listening clubs in Hateka and at a medium-security prison. The clubs are part of a key evangelistic and discipleship strategy for Theovision which began recording the Bible in various African languages in 1989. Audio Bibles and New Testaments are now available in more than 220 languages.

"The Bible passages would be played on a big, powerful boom box called an asempadaka-designed by Theovision's engineer," Hodgson shared. "In Hateka we sat under the thatched-roof church, dimly lit with a kerosene lantern. These weekly meetings are evangelistic but also help believers grow in their faith."

The listening clubs employ a style of teaching that includes plenty of interaction among the participants. "In Hateka, for example, we listened to John 14 in the Twi language," he related. "The people would listen to three or four verses at a time, then stop and discuss what they'd heard. The first question asked was, 'What did you hear?' They answered that Jesus is the way to heaven. So the next question was, 'What does that mean to you?'"

"The end result of the discussion that night was assurance of salvation. How do you really know He is the way, the truth and the life, and how do you know you will be with Him in heaven?"

Hodgson added that in the African church, topics often revolve around people's daily activities. "For example, what does the Bible say about honoring our employer? What does God say about the use of money? One-day leadership retreats are also common, covering topics like, 'How do we keep from abusing power or authority that God has given us to lead our people?' and 'What does God expect us to do when He gives us more than we need?'"

The team also saw Theovision's Tree of Life health clinic in Accra which is still under construction. A short-term team from Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colo., joined with HCJB Global to assist on the first phase of construction in early 2010. The church plans to send a similar team next year. Christian Union also hopes to send a work team next fall. The second phase of construction, including a pharmacy, is under way, and will be used as a staging point for mobile medical clinics. Construction is expected to conclude in late 2012.

While the churches in Ghana are grateful for the outside help, especially in high-tech areas, they're also eager to do the work in their own way and time.

"The unique thing I have observed about the African church leaders is that they are very cautious when applying 'Western' practices and principles within their culture," Hodgson related. "While recognizing that people have physical needs, they emphasize education as one of the primary solutions…. The church members are eager to learn from others coming alongside them and are very grateful for any little thing they can glean through this experience."

Sources: HCJB Global, Theovision International