Christmas at Mission Network News

For the first time since I started working at Mission Network News, the news teams has Christmas Eve and Christmas off. Each year, for whatever reason, we’ve worked Christmas Eve to try to get stories written so we could take Christmas off. That means we would write stories to cover Christmas and the day after Christmas.

With Christmas Eve on Monday, the team wanted to take two days off. So, I told them — get the stories written and you can have the days off. THEY DID IT.

So, MNN is off Christmas Eve and Christmas. I’m praying that nothing major happens. A few years ago a tsunami hit over the Christmas holiday, but MNN was ready. We sprang into action calling everyone we knew in the region. Because we were ready, we were one of the first organizations to have audio from the field. Many news rooms use MNN as a resource to get story ideas. Since MNN had contacts on the ground, they used our news makers. Since all of our news is about what God is doing around the world, almost all of them got a glimpse of the Gospel.

Thank you for listening to Mission Network News and have a Merry Christmas.

Greg Yoder, MNN

IDOP coming November 11

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is coming November 11, 2007. It’s a day where Christians around the world remember those who are facing abuse because of their faith in Christ. This year Mission Network News has done a couple of things to raise awareness of the persecuted church.

On November 1, MNN and Discovery House Music kicked off the Better Than Life Tour. The tour features songs and artists from the Better Than Life CD project. The concerts in Grand Rapids, MI and Cleveland, OH saw many Christians who are interested in the persecuted church attend. Scott Krippayne, Shannon Wexelberg and Charles Billingsely shared from their hearts as they sang songs inspired by stories of today’s faithful servants. We still have events in Columbus, OH and a free event at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA.

MNN is also making available two new resources to help Christians focus on the persecuted church. First is the Better Than Life CD, a project we co-produced with Discovery House Music. We’ve also helped produce a book with the same name which features 30 stories of persecuted believers around the world. Both resources are available on our website.

And, finally, MNN has also produced the 2007 MNN IDOP Radio Broadcast. It’s already available for download at http://www.MNNonline.org/idop.

It should be a great weekend.

Better Than Life

In less than three weeks the Better Than Life Tour will officially be underway. The Better Than Life Tour was designed to do more than just raise awareness of the persecuted church around the world.

In partnership with Discovery House Music, Mission Network News has put together a concert tour that will help Christians celebrate today’s heroes of the Christian faith. Today’s real life stories come alive in a unique way through 10 news songs featuring Scott Krippayne, Shannon Wexelberg and Charles Billingsley.

The program is also designed to challenge believers in North America to share their faith no matter what the cost.

Here’s where you can see Better Than Life:

November 1, 2007
Sunshine Community Church
3300 East Beltline
Grand Rapids, MI
7:00 PM

November 3, 2007
Grace Church
7393 Pearl Road
Middleburg Heights, OH
7:00 PM

November 9, 2007
Genoa Baptist Church
7562 Lewis Center Road
Westerville, Ohio 43082
7:00 PM

You can get tickets at Itickets.com .

In less than three weeks the Better Than Life Tour will officially be underway. The Better Than Life Tour was designed to do more than just raise awareness of the persecuted church around the world.

Better Than Life 1

I am in Nashville, TN for the first vocal recording session of ‘Better Than Life.’ For that have been following my blog, this is a project that celebrates the persecuted church. It honors them. It also challenges us in the free world to desire to suffer for Christ’s sake. The songs are amazing. We’re featuring Charles Billingsley, Scott Krippayne and Shannon Wexelberg.  Scott and Shannon have written most of the songs on the project.

Today, we’re in Nashville to record Shannon’s vocals for the project. We just woke up and already we’re fighting a battle. Shannon’s not feeling well and isn’t sure she can record today. I would really like you to pray for Shannon’s voice today. She’s got all the medications she needs, but she’s not feeling well.

We’ll be in Kent Hooper’s studio this morning to get the songs recorded for ‘My Heart will Sing,’ ‘Send Me,’ ‘These Scars,’ and ‘Better Than Life.’  (At least I THINK those are the songs she’s sing on the project)

Just be in prayer that she’ll be able to sing this morning.

‘Better Than Life’ CD project

Those of you who have been following the Mission Network News International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church music project may be interested in an update.

Before I do that, I need to remind you that Discovery House Music is allowing MNN to be a part. We’re thrilled. This has been a dream of mine, for certain.

We finally have all 10 songs selected and the producer has already started getting the music tracks completed and the singers will be in the studio beginning June 26.

We finally have a name for the CD. It’s been dubbed, ‘Better Than Life.”

If you haven’t been following our blogs, let me explain. Discovery House music is allowing Mission Network News to partner with them to develop a CD with music that focuses and celebrate those who are persecuted for their faith. In fact, many of the songs are inspired by stories heard on the Mission Network News broadcast. The other songs will challenge Christians to share their faith no matter what the cost.

Featured on the CD will be Charles Billingsley, Scott Krippayne and Shannon Wexelberg.

We’re also planning a seven city tour. We have approach radio stations and churches in seven cities. We have verbal commitments for all seven. Visit this blog often to find out what cities we’ll be visiting.

I can tell you the dates: November 1, 2, 3 and November 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. I know what you’re saying — eight dates. Yes, eight dates, seven cities. We’re in one city with two concerts. I can also tell you we’re starting off the tour in Grand Rapids, Michigan with 91.3, WCSG.

Greg Yoder

‘Hate Crimes’ legislation could hurt Christian radio in U-S

It’s called H.R. 1592. It’s a bill in the United States House of Representatives that would extend special protections to homosexuals as hate crime victims. The bill would punsh those who commit violent acts against a person based on their actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of a person. While this doesn’t look bad, it’s the open door for more to come.

Other nations have passed similar legislation, clearing the way for ‘Hate Speach’ legislation. Austalia, countries in Europe and Canada all have hate speech laws.

Many believe that’s the next step in the United States.

But, there are other issues. Many believe those who speak openly against homosexuality will be charged under the law. For example: If someone attacks a homosexual, those speaking openly against it may also be charged for inciting  the violence.

How does that relate to Christian radio?  Have you ever aired any programs that talked about what the Bible says about homosexuality?  If you have, you could be in danger, too.

I know what many of you are thinking — ‘That would never happen.’ Think about it — many NEVER thought prayer would be removed from the public schools, but that happened. Many thought the Ten Commandments would be offensive — now they are.  A Bible used to be THE authority — now it’s just another opinion.

It’s amazing what pagan people can do to destroy a country.

MNN in Nebraska

I am in Lincoln, Nebraska through the end of Monday, May 7, visiting Back to the Bible. They’re having their international directors meetings this week. I came to thank them for their work abroad for God’s Kingdom, but also for the help they’ve been to Mission Network News.

James Kanaganayagam was one of my first interviews. He is the Sri Lanka country director. We have talked on the telephone for years, but have never met face to face. We were able to do that this weekend. What a wonderful servant. We’ll be featuring James on our Tuesday broadcast this week.

I was also able to meet up with Berni Dymet-Australia, Leandro Tarrrataca-Brazil, David Logacho-Ecuador, Prem Swaroop-India, Frans Silalahi-Indonesia, Ettore Calanchi-Italy, Berington Laing - Jamaica, Clem Guillermo - Philippines, Henryk Dedo - Poland.

What a great group of men who are serving God no matter what the cost.

Be listening to Mission Network News throughout the week as we’ll be presenting stories from many of these men.

Greg Yoder, Anchor/Executive Director

IDOP concert gearing up

Mission Network News and Discovery House Music are partnering together to develop a music cd that will celebrate those that are persecuted for their faith. The CD is yet to be named. In fact, all o the music hasn’t been selected yet.

However, Shannon Wexelberg, Scott Krippayne and Charles Billingsley have agreed to sing on the project. Shannon, Scott and others are writing for it as we speak. This week we began calling radio stations to see if they’d like to have these three come in concert.

I won’t tell you who those stations are until they say ‘yes,’ but we have at least three stations that have said a ‘tentative’ yes, as we try to secure dates. The dates of the tour (yet to be named) will be between October 25-November 11, as we remember the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Please be in prayer for this project. We’re praying that we’ll sell enough CD’s and tickets at each event that we’ll be able to send funding to families who are affected by persecution where heads of households can’t support their families.

As we have more confirmed dates for the concerts, we’ll be letting you know on our broadcast and on our website.

We’re hoping to be in eight or nine cities in the United States.

Greg Yoder, Anchor/Executive Director

Stories for the week

We have some exciting stories we’ll be sharing with you this week.

Laura Carlson has been working on a series of reports on short-term missions that good and the bad. The reports began airing today. You can either listen on our website at http://www.MNNonline.org or you can read the reports. Today is basically the introduction to the series. Tomorrow we’ll focus on the good of short-term missions.

I’ve also be following the three martyred Christians in Turkey for the last couple of weeks. When we first heard about the killings we had no idea how horrific it was. Throughout the week we’ll have reports on the impact their deaths have had on the country. Today we have Voice of the Martyrs, Canada talking about the situation. Tomorrow, World Evangelical Alliance will have some interesting things to report from the nation.

And, be praying for Ruth Kramer. Her father was diagnosed with cancer. I’ll let her share details with you about that. Be praying for complete healing for him. He works with Transport for Christ.

IDOP cd project making progress

For those of you that have been following this blog you know the Mission Network News is co-producing a music project to celebrate the persecuted church around the world.

Right now we have Shannon Wexelberg, who has written five songs for the project, who will be singing on the project. Scott Krippayne, in the process of writing, is also singing. Charles Billingsley is going to sing. And, Regi Smith is in the process of write and perhaps singing.

We hope to have the music selected by the end of May and hit the studio in July.

It’s turning into a bigger project. We hope to do some video for a Day of Discovery television broadcast. Plus, we’re hoping to do a four or five city tour before International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which is November 11.

Pray for us.