Audio Scriptures effort hits economic reality

Our audio-Scripture promotion efforts to radio stations slowed a bit Saturday in Panajachel, and we’re beginning to wonder whether we might need to take a new approach.

It turns out Christian radio stations here are businesses just as much as they are ministries: They need money to pay the bills and stay on the air.

But we don’t have funds to pay what they would charge. One radio station owner yesterday told us he doesn’t “charge” for air time, but he requires an “offering.” How much? That’s up to us. What are your costs? He wouldn’t say. When I show up, a tall gringo, they see dollar signs.

Over coffee, prior to setting out, Isidro, my co-worker at Viña Studios, told me he was wondering if it wasn’t going to take money to ensure these stations play the audio Scriptures. “I haven’t heard the stations playing the Scriptures,” Isidro told me, wondering aloud whether the stations had merely accepted the CD recordings, promising to play them when they weren’t planning on it at all. That’s a possibility. Culturally, it’s seen as much better to say you’ll do something — even when you may not plan to or be able to — than to reject a request outright.

For the past few Saturdays, we’ve been visiting local Christian Kaqchikel-language radio stations, offering the dramatized, audio New Testament in Kaqchikel (the local Mayan language) on two MP3 CDs. We’re asking the radio stations to play the Scriptures because this reaches a broad audience, and many Kaqchikels listen to the radio.

The Bible Society printed the Kaqchikel New Testament in 1996, and Viña Studios recorded it soon after, but the vast majority of folks around here seem unaware of these facts. As oral Mayans who don’t read and write their own language, so it’s important for them to hear God’s Word.

We’re pretty certain that at least one of the first six stations near Isidro must be playing the Scriptures — the one where the operator immediately invited us on the air to announce the program. Other than that, Isidro either hasn’t been able to listen at the promised, scheduled times, or he’s out of reach of the radio signal.

Yesterday’s outing was a bit of an adventure because Isidro didn’t know where the radio stations were, and, of course, neither did I. After getting lost and having to ask directions many, many times — finally giving up and calling our injured co-worker Renzo, who lives in Panajachel, we arrived at the first station. Very quickly, I could tell the owner wanted to talk about money. Before yesterday, no one had mentioned money.

“At least we heard the hard, cold truth,” I told Isidro. I appreciate having Isidro with me because he picked up on a suggestion from the owner that I didn’t. We might be able to approach local businesses around the radio stations to sponsor Scripture readings. For some sponsors, perhaps Viña Studios could potentially produce a short radio jingle to accompany the ad. We have the equipment and expertise to do it, but that would be a pretty big new project. And I really doubt we have the funds to cover our expenses producing radio jingles. Perhaps something could be worked out.

Later, we found our way to a larger radio station, where the owner met us and immediately invited us to sit down. This fellow was much friendlier and didn’t press us for money. He agreed to play the Scripture recordings between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Ideally, we would be able to provide audio Scriptures to everyone who wants them, and they could listen to the Word in their homes with family and friends. But very few people here have computers or higher-technology CD stereos equipped to play MP3 CDs. So we're focusing on radio stations and plan to promote the Proclaimers, a small radio with the New Testament preprogrammed, through our contacts and churches.

We’d appreciate your prayers for this project. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, Romans 10:17.