As the world grows increasingly smaller through technically advanced communications, the efforts to evangelize are also assisted. Impact International, Inc. is a small mission agency based in Florida. However, through the use of the Internet, this small office reaches the entire Spanish-speaking world, including countries like Sweden, which has a large Spanish population.
My name is Karl Beaudry and I am an employee of OurChurch.com. My interest in missions, however, goes way back to my childhood, and I am currently a volunteer for Impact, working with music and technical services in my spare time. It is great to see how Impact has been able to take advantage of today’s technology to spread the good news of the Gospel.
For over 40 years now, Impact International has broadcasted a daily radio program called “Impacto”. Launched in 1964 with one station, God in His grace has promoted Radio Impacto with longevity of 44 years and a confident credibility in the Spanish Speaking World. IMPACTO, a 15 minute daily program, is now aired in 22 countries over 310 stations. IMPACT is broadcast 10,110 times per month, 2,333 times per week, 333 times per day, and 14 times per hour! Every 2.3 minutes, on the average, 24 hours a day, a broadcast of IMPACT is launched into the airwaves!
With those statistics, who needs the Internet? The answer to that question may surprise you. Actually, those who follow Impact’s ministry need the Internet today more than ever. Impact’s website (www.impactinternational.org) provides a much needed link to radio broadcasts and evangelistic materials for churches and evangelists all over the world. The ability to make crusade information available to the public and radio broadcasts “on demand” is multiplying Impact’s efforts immensely. Crusade results and statistics encourage visitors and donations are increased due to the overwhelming number of salvation decisions that are a product of Impact’s ministry.
Before the Internet, communication with those who needed information from Impact was extremely difficult. The Internet offers the ability to produce a website in both English and Spanish. Radio cannot do this! (Of course, there are always the interpreter options, which could get clumsy on the radio.) Efforts to mail newsletters in the past were always frustrated by a delivery time of up to 6 weeks to some South American countries. Now that same information is available instantly – 24 hours per day.
Recent trips to South America, in particular, but to other countries as well, have shown Impact personnel that the Internet has become available to as many or more people than radio. While radio is certainly a part of the South American culture, it is difficult to determine how many are actually listening or being affected. Internet offers regular statistics with a quick click of the mouse.
Is the Internet necessary for Impact? You bet it is! The good news is that it doesn’t stop with Impact. As more and more missionary endeavors begin to take advantage of the Internet, the Gospel is truly being spread to places it has never been before with an ease that early missionaries could only dream about. God is being glorified as people turn to Him.
————————————————————–
Karl Beaudry served as technical director for Impact International from 1990-1997. He currently works as Director of Member Support for OurChurch.Com and continues his involvement in missions by arranging and recording music, as well as assisting with computer-related projects.
If you are serving or have served as a missionary and would like to write a guest blog article about how using the Internet impacted your missions work, please contact OurChurch.com through our help desk
1 Comment
Pingback: » Wanted: Guest Bloggers to Write About Missions & The Internet