|
October 2003
Dear
Friend of THE WAY HOME,
May the Peace of Jesus be
with you! I
have some good news today, and some bad news.
First, the
good news: The month of October marks a special anniversary for the ministry of
THE WAY HOME. It was on the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, that the Christian
Community of God’s Delight first began broadcasting a weekly television
program, “The Glory of God,” the seedling of the television ministry that
has since grown into THE WAY HOME. That first program aired in 1981, an
amazing 22 years ago!
Our founder, Bobbie Cavnar,
often said, “THIS IS THE GREATEST TIME IN HISTORY TO BE ALIVE! It
is a time of enormous challenge for God's people, but also enormous opportunity.”
Everyday he prayed, “Lord, thank you for the opportunity to serve you
in the way you have called us.” That calling led to this television ministry
which is still blessing the hearts of people around the world; a year and half
after his death.
For
22 straight years, thanks to the mercy of God and the faithful financial support
of friends like you, we have been able to keep on the airwaves our Holy
Spirit-powered, Christ-centered inspirational programming.
That adds up to 1,130 consecutive weekly programs, plus
documentaries and specials, like Viva Cristo Rey, the powerful story of Fr. Rick Thomas and the
miracles at the Lord’s Ranch in Juarez, Mexico; the Called to Evangelize priest retreat from the Vatican in Rome; and
the amazing story of the Hidden Christians
of Japan. Glory to God!
We
have always seen this ministry as the Lord’s work. If He blesses it, then it
is to be; if not, then we humbly accept His will.
We certainly have faced serious challenges, as does anyone who steps out
in faith to preach the Gospel. It goes with the territory.
As St. Paul reminds us,
“We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to
despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck d own, but not destroyed; always
carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to
death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our
mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you…For it is all for
your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase
thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-12, 15)
God
has indeed taken our feeble efforts, the handful of loaves and fishes we had to
offer Him, and multiplied them abundantly! In
1983, just two years after our ministry got off the ground, He led us to help
form the Lumen 2000 organization, which has trained over 500 people from 57
countries in the work of broadcast evangelization.
Many of these individuals are now producing Christian television programs
in their native lands.
There
is, of course, Fr. Ed Dougherty and his Anuicamous
Jesus program in
Brazil
…
…Israel Subardiaga serving the Holy Cross fathers in
Manila
, The
Philippines
…
…Derick
Adonis working with the Catholic diocese in
Grenada
…
…Fr. Martin Dama at the
Media
Service
Center
in
Kaduna
,
Nigeria
…
…Alejandra Gil of El Minuto de
Dios in
Bogota
,
Colombia
…
…Jan Hetes and Lux Communication in
Slovakia
…
In
addition to these international ministries, and more, THE WAY HOME helped launch
Christian radio and television in
St Petersburg
,
Russia
, through “Blagovast
Media,” formed by Bobbie Cavnar and Jose Corea of Catholic Radio and
Television Network.
We have
been able to serve the Church in this way because those who are partnering with
us have been faithful to give. If
you can increase your donation to THE WAY HOME by $5, or $10 or $25, we can
continue to assist these vital indigenous media ministries.
And when I describe these ministries as “vital,” I am not
exaggerating. The state of religious belief worldwide is very serious, even
dire. I started off my letter with
good news – the incredible way God has allowed THE WAY HOME to thrive in the
mission territory of the airwaves and now the worldwide Web.
But now here’s the bad news. Did
you know that Christianity is no longer a growing religion?
That while Christians still make up the largest body of believers in the
world, our numbers are in decline? Did
you know that the one religion growing throughout the world is Islam, a
simplistic yet powerful religion that, among other tenets, denies the nature of
the Trinity and the divinity of Christ?
It is estimated that at its current rate of growth, Islam
could surpass Christianity as the largest religion in the world in 20 years.
And note that Islam is not confined to the
Middle East
, but is growing rapidly around the world, especially the West.
More and more of
Europe
is abandoning its Christian foundation and converting to Islam.
My friend, God has given us an incredibly effective tool to spread the
Gospel in faraway lands. No, we are
not each one of us called to be missionaries abroad.
It may not be possible for you to leave your duties and travel to
Europe
or
Asia
,
India
or
Africa
to tell people of the beautiful mystery of the love of God in Christ, or to
directly encourage your persecuted brothers and sisters. But THE WAY HOME can!
Your gift today will enable us to be that missionary voice – to be
an even stronger voice – to build up the Church around the world.
I wrote you last month that through EWTN international feeds, THE WAY HOME
is reaching believers and non-believers across the world.
Just this month we received comments and prayer requests from friends all
over the United States – California to North Carolina, Massachusetts to
Florida – and beyond –Russia, Ghana, Australia, India, Oman, and the United
Arab Emirates to name a few.
Let me share a couple of their remarks:
From
Malta
: “I have seen on EWTN a program
regarding loving, caring by an Indian bishop (Bishop Valerian D’Souza.)
It was fantastic.”
From
New York
: “I enjoyed Father's homily on EWTN and wanted to visit your site. I'm
delighted that I did. God bless you and your work.”
What an encouragement it is to hear from people who are
being touched by our programs! I
would like to ask you, if you have never sent us a comment or prayer request, to
return the card today with a short note to let us know why you support THE WAY
HOME. And please, if you can, enclose the most generous gift you are able to
give today so we can keep broadcasting the truth and joy of the Holy Spirit!
If you are a new viewer, I would especially like to hear from you today.
What programs have you seen, and how did they help you in your faith journey?
I hope you can support us with a gift – whatever is in your means,
whatever God puts on your heart to give.
And if you are an old friend, someone who believes in our work, but who
for one reason or another has not given in many months, I’d like to hear from
you, too. Please know that every
gift is important, no matter how small. Let
us know you still care about what we do.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for whatever you can give today.
And if you can send a gift of $25.00, we’d like to send you a DVD or a
videotape this month in honor of Mother Teresa, who was beatified October 19. We
have a special tape that includes segments from her talks for youth and for
priests. She says:
“Love begins at home.”
“Jesus comes in the distressing disguise of the poor.”
“Be all and only for Jesus.”
Her words of wisdom, straight from the heart of Christ,
can help us in our daily walk.
Thank you, friend in Christ, for all you have done in prayers and sacrifice to
support THE WAY HOME. And may the
Lord of kindness continue to bless you and strengthen you on your journey home.
Sincerely,
Mike Wagner
Lead Coordinator
Christian Community of God’s Delight
| 