English Ministry

Dozens of seniors at four Illinois senior living residences enjoyed a special hymn concert uniquely performed by Nashville singers/songwriters Andrew Greer and Julie Lee. Andrew and Julie shared their beautiful voices and, along with auxiliary player Kyle Buchanan, played a variety of musical instruments, including piano, guitar, ukulele, banjo, and mandolin. The musicians also brought a humble spirit that connected with the senior residents and inspired a contagious desire to praise God.  “It was a profoundly spiritual experience," commented Sharon Nelson, a volunteer at River Oaks Garden as she watched several dozen senior citizens sing along to the 1914 James C. Moore hymn, "Where We'll Never Grow Old." These performances for senior communities were a part of the 10-day Chicago-land leg of "The Angel Band Hymns Tour," which was sponsored by Under the Radar (UTR), part of the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International. UTR also conducted artist…[Read More]

Norma Cevallos taught English at an Institute for English studies in Ecuador. One of the resources she used to help her students learn and practice English may surprise you: Norma introduced Back to God Ministries International Spotlight programs to her students. She even gave extra credit to students who listened to the programs and responded to questions prepared by Spotlight producers. Carlos Ruíz, one of the students taking Norma’s class, got so excited about Spotlight that he introduced it to several of his friends. Spotlight is produced by ReFrame Media, the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International, in partnership with HCJB Global, HCJB-UK and Words of Hope, the media ministry associated with the Reformed Church in America. The audio program is distributed primarily through the website, but is also broadcast on more than 60 radio stations in at least 45 countries. Producers use a specialized vocabulary which makes…[Read More]

Barb Brouwer’s favorite listener response to the program she produces is, “Kids Corner has great messages wrapped up in good stories.” “That‘s a great description of what we do and why we do it,” says Barb. Kids Corner is a 25-minute audio program that uses drama and music to ignite interest in the Bible and disciple children as life-long followers of Jesus.  And now, through a new video, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at how this 8-year-old program is produced. “We hope that creating this video will generate more listeners, and draw more kids to think biblically about their lives,” Barb explains.  If you aren’t familiar with Kids Corner (or maybe you are but want to get a behind the scenes look) spend a few minutes watching the new video. Meet the voices behind the characters and find out why they are excited to be part of this ministry…[Read More]

When ten-year-old Alisha’s friend was spreading rumors about her, she wrote for advice from Lucille, her favorite Kids Corner radio friend. Lucille (with a little help from Kids Corner producer Barb Brouwer) suggested that she talk to her friend and tell her how this makes her feel. “Pray about it first,” they advised, “and talk to your mom.” A few weeks later Alisha reported to Lucille (and Barb), "You got me and my friend to be friends again. Thank you.” Lucille, a character on the Kids Corner audio program, hosts a web program called ‘What’s Bothering You?’ where listeners can ask questions about issues kids face.  “We regularly get questions for Lucille to answer,” notes Brouwer. “Kids listen to our programs at our main website, KidsCorner.net, and they ask questions,” explains Brouwer, who writes the answers. Characters from the Kids Corner weekly audio program record these responses in one-minute audio…[Read More]

ThinkChristian.net is an online collaborative community that discusses faith, culture, and what it means to be a Christian in today’s society. Participants talk about music, movies, politics, world events, the church and more. And now, Think Christian’s newly revised website will make it even easier for people to find and join the conversations that interest them. “We wanted to make the change in order to better display the breadth of content we have to offer and more strongly emphasize reader participation in what we're now calling a collaborative digital magazine,” says Think Christian editor Josh Larsen.  One of the new features is a menu bar at the top of each page listing the various topics Think Christian covers, such as News & Politics, Home & Family, etc. Visitors can click on the topics that interest them to see all the latest stories in each category. “Top Comment” is another new…[Read More]

When a distressed reader left a comment on the Today iPhone app, other digital users quickly stepped up to encourage her and promised to keep her in prayer. “I have no clue who you are or where you live, but I’ll pray for you,” responded one person. “Through God, I’ll be there with you every step of the way. God will get you through your pain.” That comment is just one of more than 2,800 responses left on the digital Today app since the launch of the application six months ago. Because smart phone users have such easy access to Today, more people than ever before have been reading and sharing the daily devotional.  Over the past six months, the iPhone app readers have viewed the devotional entries more than 923,000 times, shared them with nearly 8,000 others, and clicked more than 40,000 “likes.” “That doesn’t include web, Facebook, Android, or the paper booklets we’ve published for…[Read More]

When Maisey was diagnosed with an unusual form of cancer in her central nervous system, she found Groundwork to be a great source of spiritual nourishment. What she didn’t realize was that as she was fighting her battle with cancer, Groundwork’s host, Bob Heerspink was losing his own fight against pancreatic cancer. In December 2010 Maisey, who lives in Windsor, Ontario, underwent a partially successful surgery to remove a tumor, but further treatment was necessary. The battle took its toll on Maisey’s body and her faith. She kept a diary to document her journey. In February 2011 she wrote, “I talk about faith, but I’m only beginning on that one as the journey gets harder. My soul refuses to be comforted.” A week later Maisey tuned into a local radio station and happened upon the Groundwork program, produced by ReFrame Media, the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International. Hosts Dave Bast and Bob Heerspink…[Read More]

Does your faith have anything to do with where you buy your groceries?  ThinkChristian.net  recently posted an article entitled “Grocery Shopping and Community,” which resulted in a very lively discussion.  “We thought it was an interesting subject, but had no idea groceries were such a hot topic!” commented Think Christian editor Josh Larsen. Think Christian, a blog produced by ReFrame Media, the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International, is a collaborative community that discusses faith, culture and what it means to be a Christian in today’s society. “We talk about music, movies, politics, world events, the church—even buying groceries,” explains Larsen. The responses posted express a wide variety of strong points of view, but all the comments illustrate that people are wrestling with practical issues. “That’s the goal of social media ministry and nature of debate,” says Larsen. “We gather a variety of Christian perspectives in one place to allow…[Read More]

Two years ago Rev. Bob Heerspink and several team members began to brainstorm a new radio program, Groundwork, to be produced in partnership with Words of Hope, the media ministry of the Reformed Church in America. Groundwork, the Bible teaching program that Bob co-hosted with Rev. Dave Bast, launched on April 18, 2010. Each week the two friends discussed a wide variety of faith topics, attracting an audience that spans from North America to Africa to Asia, through radio and Internet. In June 2011, Bob and Dave recorded a series of messages based on the Psalms—including difficult topics such as “When God Seems to Have Deserted You” and “When Life Seems Unfair,” programs that aired October 7 and 14, just days after Bob lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. When Bob recorded these programs, he had no idea that God would be calling him home just three months later. The last Groundwork program Bob…[Read More]

Elizabeth’s kids “absolutely love” Liz and Lucille and the adventures of their friends on Kids Corner! Elizabeth and her family may never have discovered Kids Corner without ReFrame Media’s Facebook page and cross-marketing strategy. She first discovered Under the Radar, a unique music program produced by ReFrame Media, the English outreach of Back to God Ministries International. “I love it!” she wrote in an email. “I also enjoy your Facebook and web posts,” she added. Because the ReFrame team highlights its other programs on both the website and Facebook, Elizabeth also learned about ReFrame’s program for children, Kids Corner, and checked it out. “My kids (ages 8, 6, and 4) and I have been listening to it in the car, and it's generated some rich discussions...not to mention, some much needed peace and quiet.” “Our goal for Kids Corner is to encourage faith formation in children,” says Barb Brouwer, producer of Kids Corner. “We’ve just produced a new series of programs…[Read More]