As Americans around the country set aside time this week to count their blessings, The Tide® is doing the same.
Over the past year, The Tide ministry has made continued progress on three continents in eight countries through Gospel programming in 25 languages. And in 2020, more exciting projects are on the horizon.
“This year, as we pause to consider our many God-given blessings, The Tide ministry is thankful for so many things,” said Director Don Shenk, “the millions of listeners who are responding to the Gospel worldwide, our dedicated partners on the ground who are carrying out this important work and meeting new believers right where they are, and our faithful donors who believe in what The Tide ministry is doing and continue to support us.”
So far in 2019, we’re reflecting on several areas of impact:
- The “Year Beard” challenge has raised more than $18,000 for the ministry, as a group of brave men has committed to growing their beards for an entire year to raise funds and awareness about the ministry’s work worldwide.
- The Tide continues to work with several countries ranked on Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch List for Christian persecution: India (No. 10), Nigeria (No. 12), Nepal (No. 32) and Bhutan (No. 33).
- For many months, The Tide ministry worked with partners and pastors in Zimbabwe on a new radio studio, and those efforts came to fruition this past summer. In August, a team of 12 leaders and volunteers from The Tide ministry traveled to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, for the official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, which was preceded by a local ribbon-cutting this spring at The Tide ministry’s U.S. headquarters in Chambersburg, Pa. The studio will not only bring together listeners throughout the region but will also serve as a potential source of income.
- Also, this summer, The Tide ministry partner in Albania debuted a new television program called “Koha Për Të Folur,” or “Time to Talk,” geared toward Albania’s young people. For the project, The Tide ministry works with longtime partner Radio 7 in Albania and Kosovo. The TV set resembles a coffee shop atmosphere and features local live music. A local, well-known pastor who has built relationships with Albanian Christians leads discussions. Episodes, which air on 12 cable networks and stream online, conclude with an opportunity to respond to the Gospel.
- Plans are in the works for The Tide ministry to offer Gospel programming in Pakistan to the Pashtun people group in the Pashto language as early as January 2020.
Listener and viewer feedback is evidence lives are being changed thanks to the efforts of The Tide ministry and its partners. For example, Elira from Kosovo, a listener to the “Sipas Fjales,” or “According to the Word,” radio program, calls Radio 7 his “good friend.”
“I love the music and all programs,” Elira said. “I listen to good preachers of the Bible but Pastor J is my favorite one. He makes the Bible very real and easy to understand. I have learned from him the importance to live my faith out in public though that is difficult sometimes in our country. I thank God for good teachers of the Bible.”