Broadcast network marks decade of amplifying Gospel

Key points:

• The United Methodist Broadcast Network celebrated its expansion from initial four members to 17 episcopal areas at a 10-year anniversary gathering.
• One of the newest members is the Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana Episcopal Area’s UMC TV Ebenezer, an online media channel that launched in 2024.
• Episcopal areas in Africa are now able to broadcast their stories on social media using livestreaming supported by United Methodist Communications.

The United Methodist Broadcast Network is celebrating 10 years of sharing the denomination’s messages and reaching thousands of people in Africa and the Philippines.

Edward L. Massaquoi, station manager for the United Methodist radio station in Liberia and inaugural coordinator for the broadcast network, said it is time to reflect and rejoice at the milestones attained by broadcasters and unite in the work ahead.

“Ten years ago, we started this network, and we have been doing extremely well. We look forward to doing our best in making sure the Gospel of Jesus is preached to all parts of the world because we believe that as we preach the Gospel in our local languages, the people who receive the messages are blessed and give God the glory for The United Methodist Church,” he said.

More than 40 communicators from across Africa and the Philippines met Nov. 18-20 for the United Methodist Broadcast Network annual gathering in Harare, Zimbabwe. The 10th anniversary celebration, held under the theme “Global digital challenge for broadcast media — AI and the world,” included area updates, presentations on broadcast ministry guidelines and the network’s general assembly.

United Methodist Communications is the broadcast network’s main partner, and this year the agency equipped all episcopal areas in Africa with livestreaming kits as a 10th anniversary gift.

Liberia’s ELUM radio was one of the founding members of the network together with La Voix de L’Espérance (Voice of Hope) in Cote d’Ivoire (the Cote d’Ivoire Conference voted to leave the denomination in 2024), Rádio Kairós of Angola and Radio Lokole of Kinshasa, Congo.

One of the newest members is the Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana Episcopal Area’s UMC TV Ebenezer, an online media channel that launched in February 2024.

“The 10th anniversary speaks about the milestones that are being celebrated in Africa amplifying the Gospel message through radio, television and the digital communication platforms,” said the Rev. Taurai E. Maforo, area communications director. “TV Ebenezer has helped us in a big way by being an authentic voice for The United Methodist Church.

“Even when people follow all other platforms, they still come back to see what message is being shared by TV Ebenezer. It played a very critical role in Zimbabwe where we had two transitions: from General Conference 2024, where constitutional amendments were made, to where we are now celebrating ratification of regionalization. We also had a transition for election of new episcopal leadership,” he explained.

“Between all those transitions, we have watched TV Ebenezer being right at the center of telling the story of the transition starting from awareness on the nomination and election processes. The channel continues to be the lifeblood of the ministry in the church.”

Maforo said the channel also helped fight misinformation and disinformation.

“The content gave people a new impetus, a new confidence to say indeed the church in Zimbabwe is alive,” he said.

The Rev. Theresa E. Paano-Barrientos, executive secretary to the bishop of the Davao Episcopal Area and volunteer communicator, said her area is celebrating achievements in communication.

“We intentionally started our communications ministry in 2023 when Bishop Israel Painit became our resident bishop. Before that, we were involved in ham radio, and all over (the episcopal area) our pastors and local churches are engaged in radio ministry,” she said.

“We are celebrating our little milestones, and I believe we will have more in the future.”

Larren J. Basilio, a staff member with United Methodist Communications from the Manila Episcopal Area, said he is overjoyed with the progress.

“In the Philippines, we are happy to feature more news, more intentional engagement with young people, women and men to share the word of God, and we believe that through broadcast ministry, the work we are doing will be a testimony to our church and the society.”

Pacome Nguessan, outgoing executive secretary for the United Methodist Broadcast Network, celebrated the journey that began in Cotê d’Ivoire and has expanded over the years.

“We started with the renovation and rehabilitation of Radio Elum in Liberia in 2015. We did the assessment and provided required equipment with support from United Methodist Communications to get the station back on air,” he said.

Nguessan, who also serves as team lead for central conference partnerships for United Methodist Communications, said the network then worked on rehabilitation of Radio Lokole in Congo.

“The station was off air, and with the support from UMCom we were able to revitalize it. The coverage of Radio Kairos in Angola was extended, and we supported episcopal areas that desired to run a broadcast station.”

He explained that the United Methodist Broadcast Network is awaiting a broadcast license for Zimbabwe, while The United Methodist Church in Nigeria has been equipped with a building and broadcast tower totaling US $200,000.

The network realized in 2019 that the media landscape was changing and decided to embrace new platforms such as livestreaming and social media. It proposed the name change from United Methodist Radio Network, and at the Johannesburg meeting in 2023, the United Methodist Broadcast Network was born.

“It’s been 10 years now. We started with four areas; now we have 17 members, and that is a great achievement,” Nguessan said.

Chilima Karima, team lead for innovation and learning at United Methodist Communications, will succeed Nguessan as executive secretary for the network. 

Communicators at the annual gathering praised the progress and new developments in communications across the continent.

The Rev. Fiston Okito is communications director for the Congo Central Conference, which oversees Radio Lokole in Kinshasa. “We are celebrating the achievement of a plan, the achievement of something which started small, and we could not imagine how big the project could become in our lifetime,” he said.

“We faced challenges, but we overcame them, and now we are adding new services as the livestreaming equipment we received from UMCom will enable us to do more.”

Lokole has had a major impact on the audience in Kinshasa, Okito said.

“People may not know the name of our church, but (they) know us through our radio. The station has reached people whom we cannot access physically, and it has brought us many members. In Kinshasa, we have Lokole Local Church, which started with members who listened to our broadcasts,” he added.

The United Methodist radio is rated among the most popular stations in Kinshasa, Okito said. The church looks forward to adding another radio and possibly a television station in the next 10 years, he said.

Chrinore Ruremesha, conference communications officer for Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan, said he is celebrating what has been achieved by the network through communicating faith across the continent.

“We are sure that many lives have been touched and people have been transformed,” Ruremesha said.

Beatrice Ntube Diffang, a communicator from Cameroon, said The United Methodist Church in the country is celebrating its newly created communication department and its growing impact in sharing information and the Gospel. She touted stronger media outreach and a vibrant digital presence that celebrates increased visibility of church ministries.

Jennifer Rodia, head of Partnerships, News and Production for United Methodist Communications, said the network is an exciting extension of ministry across Africa and the Philippines.

“I love how it’s really grown. I think that the ways that we are adjusting and changing for the new technologies, for the new ways that we communicate, there are just so many more opportunities than when we started,” she said.

Rodia said a radio station can be cost-prohibitive, and being able to move to broadcast and providing livestreaming packages means no area is waiting on the construction of a radio station or the possibility of a license.

“No one is prevented now from being able to start immediately sharing their stories in broadcast networks,” she said.

She also praised the enthusiasm among those in attendance at the network gathering. “The energy of this event truly captured the spirit of celebration. There was so much joy, so much hope and the connections that people were making … this is really what we envision.

“People have said that communications is the engine that will drive the church forward, and events like this are the fuel that we pour into it.”

Chikwanah is a UM News correspondent based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digests.