The broadcasting of Superbook begins in the country of Laos.

The “Laos” Miracle

God had the keys to unlock the tiny, forgotten Southeast Asian nation of Laos. The daughter of the President of Laos, Vongvali, returned to communist Laos from the Soviet Union with a ‘personal memento’. While studying in the Moscow region in the 90’s she found faith in Jesus.

Vongvali had such a burden to reach the children of Laos she decided to ask her father for a personal favour – permission to air a TV series of her choice on state television.

Her wish was granted. She chose the Superbook series seen on Soviet television and contacted IRR/TV seeking permission and partnership to produce the Lao version for her country.

Children in Laos watched the same 52 Bible stories on Laos state TV and thousands of children came to know Jesus. Many government officials came to know the Lord through Vongali’s testimony as well.

In the Middle East, a hundred million Arabs watch IRR-TV programs every week.

Almaty, Kazakhstan

The media campaign in the Islamic city of Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2006, solicited a sharp response from fundamentalist Islamists though a nominally Islamic country. The campaign website was hacked on the first day. The word “Jihad” (holy war) was written in big, blood-red letters across the length of the home page. The site was ‘cleaned up’ and running the next day without further interruption.

Churches had unprecedented visibility in TV media. From a Kingdom perspective, the campaign held great strategic significance. With the help of IRR/TV the local church’s impact was profoundly far-reaching. Kazakhstan State TV aired life-changing stories in prime time to more than 10 million viewers. Kazakhstan’s presidential inner circle called and suggested cooperation to solve youth problems in the city. During the campaign, substance abuse and drug-related halfway houses filled with people asking for help.

The night lights of Almaty. Over 4,000 Muslims called the centre and ordered the campaign book.

On the streets of Almaty

It was very late one night when IRR/TV team members bumped into street children at a hamburger stand. They were boys representing thousands of others with no home, no concept of parental love, and consequently no food or hygiene. Their story is all too familiar. They gravitate to anyone willing to feed them.

During the campaign IRR/TV brought aid and the Gospel to hundreds of boys and girls in Kazak prisons. Street children inevitably end up in prison unless something interrupts the downward spiral of events that leads to the destruction of life barely started. Presently one of the campaign churches works with these children averting as many as possible from a life behind bars.

Detention centre

Hannu visited what resembled a jailhouse where about 100 children were held. The youngest was 7 years of age—behind bars. He relayed he would never forget those faces pressed against the iron grid doors, heavy locks securing the doors in a closed position, those pleading eyes peering from between a grid of iron, fingers grasping those bars. “There was nothing we could do but stroke their heads, look them in the eye, and say a kind word. At that moment I thanked God that we had a local team member assigned to this detention center, regularly ministering to these children, telling them about Jesus, and administering aid.”

Children sold for sex

“Almaty has a rampant drug and prostitution problem. Most girls were between the ages of 15 and 18. Every story is different. Some of the girls ended up on the streets at the fragile age of 12 because moms and dads hopelessly drunk and enslaved to vodka could not support them or their destructive habit. The child is sold as a prostitute. Still, others had no idea who their mother or father was. Life is on the fast track to self-destruction at a young age for these children. We can help them. IRR/TV is there making a difference equipping the local church in this ever so important mission to save children’s lives.”

Arabic ministry response

Algerian viewers

“I have watched programs on SAT-7 for about three months. These programs have shared God’s guidance, presence, and patience with viewers. Your programs also encourage viewers to follow the path of love. Please continue sharing this important message on your channel.”

“I have a habit of listening to the radio and watching different TV programs. I recently discovered your television station and it pulled me in like a magnet. My friends told me they like SAT-7 because they find the programs to be interesting, informative, and practical. We have also noticed that Jesus wants us to lead happy lives, which completely contradicts the teachings in our country.”

“One day I was listening to the Bible teaching being read on your channel. It was as if lightning had struck. I received an answer to a question I had wondered about for a long time. I began to cry. I could not imagine that I would experience such love, peace and forgiveness.”

Bibles in Beijing, China

IRR/TV partnered with another mission organization from 2000-2007, printing 50,000 Bibles in Mandarin and producing television programs in Mandarin. The programs were aired by satellite. IRR/TV was instrumental in financing the tuition and theological textbooks for 50 pastors and evangelists in the seminary.

Bibles for HIV-infected China

IRR/TV financed a special printing of 20,000 Mandarin-language Bibles distributed in China’s poorest regions in 17 counties in the Henan province. The region was facing a severe AIDS epidemic. Most of its inhabitants were peasants and to survive many would sell their blood to hospitals and commercial blood banks. Much of the medical equipment that was used, was not hygienic and as a result, thousands had been infected with HIV and developed AIDS. Entire villages had been classified as AIDS towns. In one AIDS town Zhu Ma Dian, many Christian family members lost loved ones to AIDS because of the poisoned blood.

Another expansion of the ministry centre in Finland

In 5 brief years, IRR/TV had outgrown its existing office and studio space hindering further ministry expansion. An additional 5,000 sq ft was added for the growing ministry.

Ministry partners and church leaders arrived for the opening ceremonies and building dedication from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Canada

Mega City Campaigns continue in Russian cities

Voronezh

A Mega City Campaign in the southern Russian city of Voronezh in partnership with New Life Russia, Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada, and IRR/TV. The campaign included giant billboards advertising the premier showing of the Jesus Film in 28 local theatres and cultural centres around the city. It was a powerful tool for evangelism. Over 30,000 people watched the movie and some 20,000 had indicated that they had prayed the sinner’s prayer and had made a personal decision to accept Jesus as Lord. The campaign reached more than one million inhabitants in the city.

Metropolitan Sergiy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Voronezh and Borisogleb welcomed the Mega City Campaign to his region. Under instruction from the Metropolitan, many Orthodox priests openly participated in the evangelistic campaign.

Samara

Calls flooded the TV station and impacted the secular TV personnel during a live broadcast. Staff assigned to duty – the cameramen, the directors, and the producers were all asking, “What is this all about?!”

Samara is a city of 1.5 million residents and 30 churches with no more than 2,500 members combined. Laura and Hannu Haukka met with the ministers of evangelism and led the discussion on maximizing their church growth with media.

The backbone of the Samara multimedia saturation campaign was television media. 26 carefully chosen dynamic life stories locally produced by IRR/TV camera crews for the telecasts. In addition, the TV programs were seen in hundreds of villages and townships in the province of Samara. The total viewing audience was estimated to have peaked at 4 million. The campaign was not limited to television.

Other major media used included:

• 560 TV and Radio spots on the major channels—otherwise closed to programs of Christian content.

• Evangelistic radio programs including local stories of changed lives on two major FM radio stations.

• 16 full-sized (6×3 meters) billboards consisting of three portraits and slogans on dramatic life change:

Billboard text: “Seeing riches almost destroyed me but God saved me!”

Billboard text: “God destroyed the curse in my family!”

Billboard text: “God freed me from heroin” Call…

• 3 giant video screens 10×10 meters in centrally located spots in the city at three-minute intervals declared “God gives the power to change!”

• 300,000 campaign leaflets hand-delivered to 300,000 homes by hundreds of church volunteers.

• 1,400 posters went up across the city.

• 50,000 tailormade highly evangelistic “Power To Change” campaign books were delivered to friends and neighbours.

• Special events and campaign services.

• The 24/7 hotline received 5,000 calls during the campaign.

Calls continued to come through even though the visibility in the media was scaled down. The campaign television media alone had reached 3 million people in the province of Samara. The call centre logged thousands of calls and 3,000 names and addresses were added for further contact by IRR’TV-trained counsellors.

More boats are needed!

Thousands of people had called to talk to the spiritual counsellors. Over 3,000 of them had asked to be contacted personally by a local congregation. Another 200 people had called and asked to be admitted, with the help of the congregations, to drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres.

Vasili Ljashevski spoke frankly to the other pastors in the room, “Our congregation alone has over 1000 addresses of people who have asked for spiritual counselling. We cannot do this alone. We have less than 100 members!” His message was clear. As fishers of men, he said that their “boat” was sinking from the size of the catch. His congregation needed more “boats”. Pastor after pastor stood up and spoke about how their congregations were forming small groups of people who went out responding and caring for the new members, those who had asked to be contacted, and those who were simply interested.

Pastor Oleg Gersonovitsh said they had organized an event for those interested in Faith at a small café. Over 100 people had already signed up. They now had to find a larger space for the meeting. The response from their community was beyond their wildest expectations.

Pastor Dmitri rejoiced, “We are grateful for God for many reasons. The campaign united the congregations in this city around something important to us all. The community’s approach to our congregations has clearly changed. We have sown the seeds for a large harvest. We are constantly welcoming new members to our congregation. It has been a great pleasure to be part of this important work.”

Pastor Renat joined in the rejoicing, “I was born in Samara and have lived here my entire life. It is unbelievable to see what has happened in this city through this city campaign. Samara is an industrial centre best known for crime and as a harsh, cold city. I could not believe that this city would ever see such a powerful campaign that would preach the message of the Gospel in this way. I, myself, used to be a Muslim. I see this campaign as God’s work, His miracle. I believe that this city will still see more miracles.”

Life story

Svetlana Palmova shared her story on live primetime TV that her heart had lost all sensitivity as she worked as a prosecutor. She noticed how she was slowly becoming ‘a monster’ on the inside. The suffering of other people no longer bothered her. She was cynical and cold.

Then her mother was diagnosed with cancer. A friend invited her to a church service where she committed her life to Christ. Svetlana became concerned about where her mother was ‘getting religion’.

As a prosecutor, she decided to investigate the ‘suspicious sect’. As a result, she too committed her life to the Lord and joined the same church.

One of the many callers on the hotline was a criminal investigator for the police department. He was deeply moved by Svetlana’s testimony and asked for the campaign book “Power To Change” to be delivered to his office.

Svetlana had been in his class as a law student in university and delivered the book to him personally. She told him about the ‘fairness and justness’ of the Lord she served. That was the beginning of his journey toward a righteous God. Today, Svetlana is a legal consultant, no longer a prosecutor.

Rehab specialists and doctors amazed

Top rehab specialists and a doctor from the city joined in an open discussion on live TV with a TV audience, about whether an alcoholic and drug addict can be healed of the addiction. When asked what the cure rate was, the specialists stated there was no known cure.

Upon hearing this, 20 people in the audience stood up. One of them asked the doctor, “Do you remember me? I was one of your patients for 20 years. I haven’t touched alcohol for 7 years. I was removed from your lists 2 years ago.” Another stated they had been in treatment for 7 years and had been removed from the list the year before. The doctor and specialists were astounded.

A member of parliament who had represented the city of Samara at the round table when the campaign was launched, wanted to attend one of the events. He had openly wept at the close of the service and prayed to God to change his heart. He later shared: “The program on deliverance from addictions made a profound impact on my life. One after another I watched as the people stood up and shared their stories.”

• I was addicted to alcohol for 20 years but now I am free and I’m married and have children!

• I was addicted to heroin for 7 years, but now I am free in Jesus!

• I was hooked for 5 years, I needed it every day! I have been free for 5 years now and I serve others in a Christian rehab centre.

The MP told the pastor: “You have no idea how much influence your churches have in this city. Our city officials speak loudly about their work with little or no results. You have a great ministry and it is not even mentioned publicly.” He later participated in one of the live telecasts and assisted churches involved in the mission.

Police Colonel

Billboards can save lives.

A former colonel in the police force of Samara, presently director of a community centre for the Ministry of Interior, was driving alone, crushed to his core. His 3-year-old daughter had recently died. He was faced with financial issues. His relationships were faltering. In his anguish, there was a drop in his blood pressure, and fearing that he was going to lose control of his vehicle he pulled off the road. There he drooped over the steering wheel and burst into tears.

Sometime later he looked up and through his tears and saw a billboard directly above his car. He read the text in disbelief: “Seeking riches I was almost destroyed but God saved me!” It was a direct hit to his soul. He called the hotline number and was directed to a pastor. The pastor made arrangements to meet with the caller without delay. Hours later the ex-police officer knelt and made his decision to receive Christ.

Back to timeline

Mega City Campaigns accelerated in Russia due to political instability. High-impact campaigns in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan reach 40 million people with the gospel message. The largest billboard to display the campaign message in Ukraine was located on the busiest commuter route in downtown Kyiv.

Kyiv, a historic Mega City Campaign

The Mega City Campaign stirred the capital city Kyiv, with a population of 5 million. An estimated 25 million people watched the life-changing testimonies throughout the country. Giant billboards, three secular TV channels, radio, ads in the public transport system, and daily newspapers carried the campaign message. Thousands of calls were received at the call centre. Over 20,000 campaign books with dynamic transformation stories were delivered to those requesting the book.

The testimony of police Lieutenant-colonel Vasili Peregenets triggered a reaction from the Ministry of the Interior and the President of Ukraine.

Vasili’s story

Lieutenant-colonel Vasili Peregenets’ testimony was featured in the Kyiv, Ukraine Mega City Campaign. His testimony was seen on prime-time TV and on the largest billboard in the country measuring 30 feet high by 200 feet long (9 m x 60 m).

He shared that before he met Jesus, he lived a life of achievement and success. He graduated from the Orlov Militia School of Traffic Control and worked as a senior inspector attaining the title of militia commander. He studied at the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv. His life seemed complete, but in his heart, he felt something was not quite right.

On duty gospel message

One winter evening while on duty they received a call from dispatch that a broken-down minibus was stranded on the side of the road between Kirovograd and Nikolaev. Several Christian missionaries were on their way to Crimea. They thanked us for their help and the pastor spoke especially to me saying, “Repent of your sins and ask God to forgive them. You will find that your life will change.”

The pastor’s words touched his heart. He helped him understand that only Jesus could bring peace to his heart. Soon after, Vasili humbled himself before God and repented. After asking for forgiveness from God, he felt like a huge burden, and shame was lifted off his shoulders. “It’s been many years since that moment, and I can assure you that God has completely changed my life.”

In newspaper articles, billboards, and TV interviews the overlying message was that Lieutenant-colonel Vasili Peregenets of the police force did not accept bribes. This statement was regarded as fiction because it was common knowledge that everyone in the police force accepted bribes daily. When asked why he answered, “God blesses my home abundantly. God can give me far more than a driver who violates traffic rules. I have four hundred men under me. I can’t speak on their behalf, but I have made my convictions known clearly”.

Corruption in all the government institutions was known in the Police Force, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Immigration, and the taxation authorities.

Many of Lieutenant-colonel Vasili’s friends at the Ministry of Internal Affairs called him to ask how much he had been paid to have his picture on the billboard. A General even called him to his office for an explanation as to what the campaign was all about and why he was a part of it.

Presidential reaction

In a speech on national television the following week, President Yushchenko addressed the issue of corruption in the Police Force. The President ordered the issue to be dealt with immediately.

Lieutenant-colonel Vasili was abruptly fired because of his testimony during the Kyiv campaign. His bold statements against corruption cost him his job.

But God was watching over him. A few months later he was rehired and promoted becoming the Assistant Chief of Police, replacing the very person who fired him.

Campaigns were conducted in Russian cities Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Izhvesk, and Vladimir.

Pastors and evangelists in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia gathered for a global Leadership Summit. Many sought renewal of their vision, encouragement, and new tools for ministry.

Church members atop a hill pray for their city of Krasnoyarsk during the megacity campaign.

Mega City Campaign held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Fifty pastors shared with us that Bishkek had never seen such a monumental evangelistic outreach spanning over 30 days. Approximately one million people heard the gospel message repeatedly in their homes and various media outlets in the city. Over 6,000 families contacted our call centre in this predominantly Muslim city.

A billboard in Bishkek with a number to call for the Power To Change

Back to timeline

Unprecedented Mega City Campaigns were held in Israel. The Gospel was proclaimed in 3 languages in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Israel’s megacities in focus

In 2008, the evangelical churches came together, targeting Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem with media campaigns.

Having Mega City Media Campaigns in Israel had seemed improbable at first. The authorities in Jerusalem warned against ‘proselytizing’ with campaign books. And some local Israeli pastors even warned that the whole idea would be a waste of money and time. “Israel is rocky soil. No one will respond. The call centre won’t receive any calls!”

To the amazement of all, Dan Sered, the manager of the Hebrew language campaign was called to appear on prime-time television on the most-watched television channel in Israel. Dan gave his testimony for 15 uninterrupted minutes. He talked about coming to faith and why he believed that the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, were fulfilled in Jesus.

Our call centres during the Mega City Media Campaigns logged nearly 100,000 calls. The Gospel was proclaimed in Israel and the Palestinian territories and over 9,000 Jews were in follow-up ministry by local congregations.

Almost 2 million Jews had the opportunity to hear about the Messiah in Hebrew and Russian throughout Israel as a result of the media campaigns by IRR/TV and ministry partners.

The media campaigns were conducted in Israel’s major cities – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, and many others – in 3 languages, Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic. Separate campaigns have taken place in Arabic in the Palestinian Territories. The Gospel has been proclaimed to millions of Jews and Arabs and thousands requested the campaign book. New churches have been planted.

Hebrew Jews – The Jerusalem Post published a 6-page article about Messianic Jews. Dan Sered, director of Jews for Jesus said this surprising publicity resulted from the media campaigns held in 2008.

Radio stations and several other daily newspapers also proclaimed the possibility of experiencing the “Power To Change”, through Jesus Christ.

In Haifa, calls came from almost all Arab villages and towns in Israel and Palestine territories. At the Haifa call centre, entries in the database reflected calls coming in from Nazareth, Nablus, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah, Yen, Gaza, Tulkarem, Kanna, Abu Gosh, Rahat, Carmel, Beersheba, and many other villages.

Billboards in Haifa decorated the streets proclaiming the power of God to change lives. It was not a small surprise when employees of the Palestinian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Finance called the centre in Bethlehem to order the campaign books in Arabic. As many as 400 Arab Muslims at a special event opened their hearts to Jesus.

City campaigns in Russia face opposition

City after city, the demand for campaigns grew, as did the resistance. The Russian Orthodox Church began to persecute those involved in the city campaigns. Campaigns were held in Nab Chelny, Astrakhan, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, and Novosibirsk.

The summit in Volgograd was almost cancelled when Russia’s Ministry of Defense official invalidated the venue rental agreement was booked for the event.

Kyrgyzstan Mega City Campaigns were conducted in Bishkek, Osh, Dzhalal-Abad, Kyzyl-Kiya, and Uzbekistan/Fergan

Thousands of people ordered the “Power To Change” book and DVD, containing life-changing stories, in Bishkek and Osh in Kyrgyzstan.

Simultaneously the campaign message reached 200,000 people in neighbouring regions of Dzhalal-Abad and Kyzyl-Kiya. Opposition from Islamic extremists was noticeable but eight million Uzbeks had the opportunity to see and hear the gospel message by way of a TV station located on a high mountain overlooking the Fergana Valley. More than 6,000 families responded and called the call centre. Outdoor ads proclaimed God’s power to change in the Kyrgyz and Russian languages.

Campaign in Osh

The largest of the three cities was Osh, with 500,000 residents. It was estimated to be 2,500–3,000 years old, and established during King David’s reigning years. It was a pro-Islamic city and was faced with special challenges when we held an evangelistic media campaign there.

But amazingly, the news and advertising media were available to us. Halfway through the campaign, the pastors of Osh reported that over 1,500 calls had already been logged. Over 1,000 of the special evangelistic DVDs had been ordered and requested follow-up visits. The pastors shared they would have never been able to reach so many people using traditional outreach methods. The number of people responding to the Gospel increased daily and the counselling centre surpassed 250 calls per day.

Dzhalal-Abad

The second of the three evangelism campaign cities, Dzhalal-Abad, was a city of 150,000 people.

The churches in Dzhalal-Abad outreach programs and evangelism had essentially stopped. But working together using a media-based outreach along with IRR/TV, the churches in Dzhalal-Abad received over 700 new names and addresses of people who contacted the call centre during the 30-day evangelism campaign. Bunissa, a counsellor at the call centre reported people calling in and asking for help for their heavy alcohol use. They were looking for ‘an escape from their road to nowhere’.

“We have never seen this kind of evangelistic outreach before,” Bunissa said. “We placed a giant billboard ad with the campaign message in the city centre, very close to the central marketplace, so everyone saw it when they came to shop. Every day, thousands of Muslims could see the ad with our call centre number on it. We continuously received orders for the advertised, free DVD.”

Kyzyl-Kiya

Kyzyl-Kiya was important to the campaign, even with a population of less than 50,000. The TV channel used for the campaign was located there. It was the only channel available. The signal was picked up in Osh, Dzhalal-Abad, all the border villages and towns, and most of the Uzbekistan side of the Fergana Valley.

Preaching the Gospel in the valley was not permitted, but the evangelistic TV broadcasts reached across the border throughout the valley during the campaign. When asked to be shown where the TV station was located, the campaign coordinator pointed to a location far up a mountain where two towers could be seen.

“Up there!” the coordinator told us. “We installed a stronger transmitter just the other day. We had to borrow a couple of donkeys from the mountain shepherds to reach the station! You cannot get there by car.”

The signal range was 200 km (125 miles) reaching Namangan…

God had opened a door to the TV station on the mountain, to facilitate the spread of the Gospel to millions of Uzbeks – while other smaller TV stations weren’t interested in having the evangelical programming. One station was enough!

Central Asia and new laws

On November 6, the parliament of Kyrgyzstan unanimously passed a devastating law designed to severely restrict the outreach work of the church. According to the new law, all religious organizations with less than 200 members, would be outlawed. Those with a minimum of 200 members would have to register every member and have their identities confirmed by local authorities, which would still have the power to decide if an organization met other arbitrary criteria to qualify for a religion permit. This meant most of the Kyrgyz churches would have to cease operations and meet secretly under threat of criminal prosecution. All missions and evangelism would be banned. Sunday schools and other religious educational institutions would also be closed if the government did not issue them a permit.

The future of the Church in Central Asia was hanging in the balance. The old ways of the Soviet Union were returning but the hearts of governing officials could still be changed through prayer.

Back to timeline

14 simultaneous evangelistic city campaigns in Russia, in Issykul Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, Haifa, Hadera, Nazareth, and Rishon Le Zion, Israel.

City of the Cossacks

Rostov-on-Don River is a major city in southern Russia with a population of 2 million and known for the famous, fearless, often brutal Russian Cossacks. The Cossacks were horsemen, comparable to the American cowboy.

The supervising pastor at the call centre reported that an average of 3 people accepted

Jesus as their Lord and Saviour on the phone lines alone, every day, though the campaign team members were not specifically asking people to decide for Jesus when they called in. Instead, they were encouraged to meet the church counsellors in person.

Similar praise reports were coming in from other Russian cities as well.

2009 Russia & Ukraine Mega City Campaigns

· Orenburg

· Saratov

· Yaroslavl

· Volzhskii

· Volgograd

· Ryazan

· Novgorod

· Syktyvkar

· Lipetsk

· Cheboksary

· Yekaterinb

· Rostov

· Karaganda KZ

· Sevastopol

Campaigns multiplied

The spiritual hunger in Russia was great. Hannu was thrilled to find out that church leaders from twelve satellite cities surrounding Rostov-on-Don had requested similar campaigns because of the reports they had heard and what they had seen taking place in Rostov-on-Don.

As a result, Power To Change campaign books were delivered to the 12 churches in 12 cities, equipping them to conduct their mini-campaigns.

One pastor told of a teenage boy who had called, requesting a copy of the campaign book. While reading the book, he became a believer in Christ and immediately began attending one of the campaign churches.

His mother became concerned believing her son had signed up at a dangerous sect. She called the campaign office saying, “I want to know what you have done to my son!” She asked for her own copy of the book to see what her son had gotten involved in. She read it and subsequently gave her life to Jesus as well. According to the pastor, she and her son attended the church and were growing in faith.

The churches in the city of Rostov were seeing a clear move of God as church members, most often young people, were out eagerly taking the Gospel to the people in the streets in a personal way. Once the 30-day Christ-centred messages in the ads and the television and radio programs disappeared, the churches continued to meet all those who responded to the campaign message. It was an enormous task in diligence.

City of the last Russian Czar

Another campaign city of 2 million was Yekaterinburg, located just east of the Ural Mountains on the western edge of Siberia. Yekaterinburg was sadly known as the place where the Communist Bolsheviks executed Czar Nikolai II and his family in 1918, following the Russian Revolution.

Hannu Haukka visited the site, where on a high hill overlooking the city was the statue of the royal family who had been executed. As he stood looking at the anxiety and deep worry replicated in the faces of the emperor’s family, a chill ran through his soul. To this day the blood of the royal family cries out for revenge on their savage executioners.

“We were now in the city proclaiming the blood of Jesus that speaks forgiveness peace, and reconciliation to all who will receive it. This place had an extra meaning for me as one of my aunts, Aunt Maija, is the offspring of the adjutant to Czar Nikolai II. He was executed with the Czar’s family. When the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was stormed in 1917 (the start of the Russian Revolution) the adjutant sent his family into hiding across the border to Finland. He faithfully remained by his emperor to the bitter end.”

God was moving in the churches in Yekaterinburg, and nearby cities, clearly evidenced as the campaign continued with almost 20,000 phone calls, texts, and other means. For most, this media evangelism campaign was the first time they heard that God was more than an incomprehensible mystery, an icon clouded in incense, or covered in gold. Instead, HE was a living God who wanted to be the Lord of their lives; a God who could save them, but also change them for the better, in this life as well.

Opposition

In Volzhsky, a successful evangelism campaign was underway, when a city official demanded that the churches cease all outreach or face imminent arrest. Consequently, an order for an arrest was made.

Fortunately, the campaign leader knew the city mayor personally and called to explain the situation. The mayor had the campaign leader pass the phone to the hostile city official, rebuked her directly, and commanded her to stop the arrest order immediately.

The mayor told Sergei: “You will not see a repeat of such interference again! Continue as if nothing has happened! What you do is the only power that can straighten out the minds and lives of the people of our city.”

A blessing in the face of adversity

A truck loaded with 24,000 campaign books had been seized by the authorities at a highway checkpoint outside Orenburg, near the border of Kazakhstan. When the campaign leadership team arrived on the scene, they were immediately “unofficially”, detained and questioned for 8 hours by the FSB (formerly KGB).

The truck carrying the evangelistic campaign books and the team members were later released.

Even in the face of arrest, there was an opportunity to share Christ with the police and FSB officers, reminiscent of Paul and Silas in Acts 16.

Attacks by the Media

Several days earlier, two major TV channels had launched vitriolic propaganda attacks against the city evangelism campaigns in a manner reminiscent of the Soviet era. All churches were targeted in the slanderous newscasts, except for the Russian Orthodox Church. Statements by evangelical pastors were edited totally out of context to erode their integrity.

Non-Russian Orthodox churches in Russia were losing their freedom to worship at an alarming rate. Property owners were being threatened and forced to tear up rental leases with the churches in increasing numbers.

Training thousands of pastors and lay workers attending four Global Leadership Summits in Russia and Central Asia. A Mega City Media Campaign was held in Issykul Kyrgyzstan.

Partnering with the Global Leadership Summit, regional summits were conducted for pastors and ministers in multiple cities in Russia and Central Asia. The first summits were held in Moscow and Kyiv, soon followed by Almaty, Kazakhstan (photo). Delegates came from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Back to timeline

For about 24 years, the ministry was exclusively directed to Russia and the territories of the former Soviet Union. Over the years the Lord opened up new fields for ministry in addition to the Mega City saturation campaigns in Russia and Israel.

As the ministry diversified, a name change to reflect the scope of the ministry was fitting, reflecting everything the ministry stands for and was called to do. Programs for satellite television were being produced and aired daily for 100 million viewers in the Islamic world in Arabic. Programs were also produced for satellite TV in Persian (Iran), and followed soon by programs in Somali (Horn of Africa), Kurdish (Iraq), Amharic (Ethiopia), and Tigray (Eritrea). Programs were being aired on satellite TV in China, India, and Laos.

GCM Ministries partners with IRR-TV in Finland to carry out mission projects around the world.

God moves in the Himalayas

Mega City Campaign in Nepal

Having a campaign in the Hindu nation of Nepal was shrouded in uncertainty. “Who in the Hindu state would grant permission for a media campaign to be held in Kathmandu?”

Pastors were willing to take a chance and took a step of faith. The first sign that something out of the ordinary was happening was on Christmas Day, day one of the campaign. The banners and billboards were up. Call centre phones rang non-stop. 15 phones were not enough to handle the volume of incoming calls.

Three days into the campaign Andy Gallun, the TV production chief sent us a message: “68 hours into the campaign and 1,300 phone calls have been received. The phones are melting!” Three days into the campaign over 75,000 Nepalese had visited the website with powerful stories of Nepalese having experienced the power to change their lives through faith in Jesus Christ.

Another message came from the campaign office manager Pradeep: “People here need real change. They have tried everything else and they are tired. Now there is real hope! I heard it said that this is a phenomenal campaign and that only Christians could do such a thing! Yesterday’s TV program featured a drug addict. That night most of the 1,500 calls to the call centre came from young people, ages 16 to 35!”

From Nepal to the slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, response was not restricted to Kathmandu Valley. People living in remote areas of the Himalayan Mountains with no access to phone lines or cell phones walked long distances to communal phones in these isolated towns to place a call and order the “Experience the Power To Change” campaign book.

The campaign television programs (containing Nepalese testimonies) were seen on prime-time TV by an additional 8 million Nepalese residing across Nepal’s southern border with India. Discovering that the toll-free number did not work from India, people crossed the border into Nepal, made the call, and ordered the book.

According to Nepal State TV, 15 million people watched the month-long outreach. Among those calling in great numbers were members of the Nepalese army and rebels from the Maoist training camps after the testimony of an ex-Maoist terrorist aired on Nepal State TV.

Ex-Maoist Phim’s life-changing story

“I used to hate people. At the time I was an atheist. My hatred was rooted in the atrocities of Nepalese Army soldiers. They murdered my older brother and raped and murdered my aunt. These horrible attacks caused me to seek revenge on them and so I joined the Maoist resistance army. I became the commander of the Western Nepal Maoist army and led many attacks against Nepalese army barracks killing many of their soldiers. This went on for six years.

Seven months in an under-ground well

It was a horrible time in my life. We would frequently starve and suffer in the cold. Then during one attack on a barracks, I was shot and wounded by Nepalese soldiers. While seeking medical treatment I was arrested. They threw me into an underground well for seven months. I did not see a ray of sunlight for seven long months. After that I was transferred to a prison in Kathmandu, where I was put in solitary confinement.

I cried out to God: “Save me!”

Sometime later peace talks began between the Maoists and the Nepalese government. The Maoists negotiated the amnesty of all Maoist prisoners of war. Consequently, I too was set free. My family supported me and pleaded with me to leave the Maoist Resistance Army. A few months later one of my friends brought me to a Christian service. In this service, the preacher spoke and the Word of God pierced my heart and my life was changed. In the service, I felt something like an electric current flowing through my body. I cried out: “God save me!” And He answered my cry and from that moment on my life started to change. I began to realize that this new life I had experienced was not only for me but it was meant for everyone. I decided to spread the good news of the Gospel to as many people as possible.

Back to the Maoist army camps

My story was one of several in this campaign book for Nepal. The Maoist resistance army units saw my testimony on television and invited me to visit them to tell my story. I took 70 copies of the book and visited the Maoist Army camps in western Nepal where I had served as a commander for many years. The soldiers, upon hearing my story, said: “This murderer has now become a pastor!” Many of them told me: “We want you to help us travel this same road in life that you are travelling on now.” I know that many have come to Christ and have been baptized. I have testified of God to hundreds of Maoist soldiers and officers. I exchanged my weapons for the Bible and the campaign book.”

Nepal Ministers and University Chancellor 

Nepal’s Minister of Defense who had seen the TV program and campaign ad for the book walked into a Kathmandu church and received his copy, saying that he needed change in his life like the people in the book.

Nepal’s Minister of Internal Affairs ordered the book as well. The Chancellor of the University of Kathmandu called to say she had been planning to within just minutes, end her life, but the TV ad caught her attention for the book “Experience the Power To Change”. Seeing the ad saved her life. The GCMM campaign manager personally met and counselled her, giving her a reason to live.

The Gospel became the topic of discussion on the streets and in homes ‘shaking the city’ just as it had in Jerusalem and the Acts of the Apostles. The number of people visiting the Hindu language campaign website increased by the day.

The campaign was visible on the streets of Katmandu. 2,500 blue and yellow banners and posters decorated the streets. The largest billboard was 27 X 7 metres (86 X 22 feet). Four secular TV channels covered not only the Katmandu Valley but other Nepalese cities as well.

“You Have Given the Nepalese Church a New Vision!”

Exciting news continued to come in from the Kathmandu Valley. Responses poured in despite the removal of the campaign ads from the streets the following month, on January 24^th. Calls from Nepalese Hindus continued to come in at a rate of 150 per day reflecting an unusually high level of interest in this Hindu nation.

Campaign office manager reported:

“We are hearing from the churches that new people are coming to church services as a result of our campaign. We, all the churches, praise God together for the mighty work He has done in and through our lives. Even though we are no longer live on media, we are still receiving hundreds of calls. Our goal has been achieved, that the message of the ‘Power 2 Change Nepal’ would be widely known to the people in the city. The message of the Gospel is out there and is being discussed in newspapers and radio programs. Some oppose, and some are accepting.”

Church leader, Pastor Manoj Prdhananga:

“This mega city campaign is a new way to give the gospel to thousands of people in our mega cities. The media has provided thousands of people the opportunity to hear the Gospel for the first time in their lives. Through your TV programs, they have seen people who have experienced change in their lives. We know many will come to know Christ. Thank you for all your support. But especially thank you for giving a new vision to the churches in Nepal.”

Pastor Norbu Tamang’s appeal:

“This is a great moment for us. People have come into contact with the Gospel through the media. The Gospel has become available to them. Much has been accomplished but we still need your help. A month-long campaign is not enough. We need to keep going! There are so many cities and towns in Nepal that still need to be reached. Thank you for your sacrifice on our behalf here in the Himalayan Mountains.”

Almost 40,000 Nepalese called the campaign call centre. and nearly 500,000 Nepalese visited the Power to Change website. GCMM partnered with East West Ministries and over 250 churches joined hands to reach the people of Nepal, the stronghold of Hinduism. 75,000 campaign books were distributed.

The Holy Spirit touched Nepal

Words cannot describe the miracles witnessed during the evangelistic Mega City Campaign in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. We were told by some that such an evangelistic campaign was unlikely without a major clash with Hindu extremists.  There was cause for apprehension. A major prayer offensive was launched and because of concerted prayer, up to 20 million people were exposed to the Gospel during the month-long campaign, something the churches could not have dreamed possible through conventional ministry.

“We thank the Lord for what He is doing in the lives of millions of people as a result of the campaign. This campaign has not just touched Kathmandu but all of Nepal! It has aroused a hunger and a longing in the hearts of the people.” – Pastor Narayan Timsina

The campaign was indeed the beginning of a new vision for ministry in Nepal.

Nine months after the campaign, the call centre had logged an additional 10,000 calls and more the 12,000 people visited the Nepalese website. Partnering churches continued to distribute the campaign books. One pastor encouraged his 60 member congregation to bring one friend along with them to a church service and they brought 160 people with them who had no previous knowledge about faith in God! Pastor Lasarus was quoted as saying: “This media campaign in Nepal is the most effective tool for evangelism that I have ever known.”

TV Program Helped Save a Life in a Guyana Hospital

Mega City Campaign in Guyana

A nationwide campaign was held in Guyana, South America last fall directed by GCMM along with volunteers from local churches.

Many received their salvation in Christ including a man named Satish. He was an alcoholic for many years and his chronic drinking resulted in his failure as a father. Holding a job was difficult and subsequently was unable to support his family. Finally, his wife left him with their children. He was devastated.

One night, in utter hopelessness, Satish decided to end his life by drinking poison and ended up in the hospital. The prognosis was not good. The doctors said he had consumed too much poison and did not expect him to recover.

While in the hospital Satish watched one of the campaign TV programs of a life-changing story and he accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Each night thereafter he watched a new campaign program, crying out to God to save his life. He wanted to live and give his testimony of God’s grace and power, just like the people he had been watching on TV.

God did save his life… and Satish was reunited with his family, found a permanent job, and was set free from the bondage of alcohol by the power of Jesus!

Local churches continued producing TV programs containing life-changing stories long after the campaign ended in Guyana. They included Satish’s testimony which was broadcast on TV. The Gospel was transforming lives!

In Recognition of International Media Ministry

Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada conferred an honorary doctorate of humanities to Hannu Haukka, founder of GCM Ministries. The honour recognized Hannu and Laura Haukka’s many years of highly regarded international media ministry.

Back to timeline