In this digital internet age with every conceivable piece of information carried around in our pockets, it seems like every far-flung segment of our global community must now have the knowledge of Christ and the Gospel of His Kingdom in some form. In our travels throughout the Western edge of the United States last year, we shared our vision to train missionary church planters to break open unreached people with the Good News. And while most of our hearers were excited about the prospect of reaching the unreached, occasionally we would be met with skepticism: “There aren’t unreached places anymore,” they would say. “Everyone has access to TV and internet and everyone has at least heard something of Jesus,” was the reasoning.
But the truth is that across our planet some three billion people have yet to know the name of Jesus, and surely don’t know His famous glory or have a perception of the gift of His salvation. There are still nearly 7,000 tribes classified as “unreached,” meaning that they don’t have an adequate indigenous church that can evangelize their own people. Out of these people groups, there are a staggering 3,200+ that are considered “unengaged,” indicating that no one is even attempting to reach them. Yes, technology is widespread, but since the majority of the unreached live in difficult, often sanctioned places in rural settings, the message of the cross in a language they can understand has never reached their ears.
Even in the nation of Uganda, with its 30+ years of steady development and relative wealth among the East African region, our experience in isolated villages shows a lack of access to basics of healthcare and education, let alone expensive luxuries like television and internet access. It’s true that most Ugandan adults own a cell phone, and network coverage is widespread, but only in recent days have smartphones begun to penetrate rural areas, and the few internet cafes in major towns only serve those who can afford extra “pocket money” for such expenses.
But everywhere we have gone, in every house on every island we hear the radio blaring. Inexpensive battery operated FM radios from China keep us informed and entertained all day and awake all night. Pastors and leaders, both good and bad, have seen the great opportunity in radio ministry and are pumping the airwaves full of words 24/7 to an attentive audience of millions in every corner of this nation. We’ve participated. I’ve preached the Gospel to radio audiences in Karamoja where many still roam in nothing but a thin blanket thrown over their naked bodies, an AK-47 slung over their shoulders to use in endless cattle raids. I’ve been on the air many times through interpreters at Radio Ssese, a station that broadcasts to every part of Lake Victoria, reaching even to the vast numbers of fishermen sleeping on the lake at night.
At one point when Radio Ssese was struggling, I attempted to purchase it. We took trips to Kalangala to see what equipment was being utilized, researched hardware and software and learned a great deal about radio production. I followed the owners all the way to the Ugandan Parliament and got an (extremely high) price tag from a willing seller. The claim was that the UCC doesn’t issue radio licenses anymore and we couldn’t get a frequency for a new station, so the existing one with its established listening audience proved too expensive an endeavor.
One of my island leaders, Pastor Godfrey Muyanja, has a new radio program for one hour each Saturday encouraging healthy marriages. In a land where even pastors are cohabiting and the best marriages are falling apart, it is a timely undertaking that will have far-reaching effect on the islands. Two weeks ago I traveled with Pastor Godfrey and a small team to visit 15 different pastors in their churches and scout out unreached islands in need of church planting. As we introduced ourselves in every place I was amazed by the people’s reaction to Pastor Muyanja’s name: “Eh! You’re the one we hear on the radio!” Again and again they expressed surprise that such a great leader whose voice had preceded him would then take time and transport money to stand in their midst.
Now our Island Leadership Network has a great opportunity to spread the Gospel throughout the islands. Starting in March we will have a weekday lunch hour program on Radio Ssese, sharing “The Glory of God in the Islands” with a listening audience of hundreds of thousands every day. For about .15/minute we will be able to proclaim the message of salvation, encourage believers, and mobilize the entire Body of Christ in the region every week as God gives us His grace.
Will you pray with us for this new ministry? It’s a large commitment that will take extra time, effort, and finances to keep up with the demands of a daily program, but we are believing that the Word of God will accomplish what it is sent forth to do and that the farthest reaches of Lake Victoria will respond to the powerful message of the cross. Together with our missionary training and church planting efforts, these attempts at reaching the isolated island communities are first steps of faith towards the salvation of unreached peoples stretched accross the great continent of Africa.