{"id":43392,"date":"2022-07-29T08:14:09","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T13:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?p=43392"},"modified":"2022-07-27T09:29:53","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T14:29:53","slug":"russian-christian-radio-station-continues-to-broadcast-despite-war-tightening-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/07\/29\/russian-christian-radio-station-continues-to-broadcast-despite-war-tightening-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Christian radio station continues to broadcast despite war, tightening restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

ODESSA, Ukraine (BP) \u2013<\/b> Despite its broadcasting team being split among Iasi, Romania, and Odessa, Ukraine, New Life Radio continues its ministry of sharing the Gospel in the Russian language amid myriad challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

New Life Radio is Russia\u2019s first ever Christian FM radio station and has been broadcasting since the 1990s. Content of the broadcasts includes biblically focused music, Scriptural content and expository preaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

The station quickly expanded to broadcast in several surrounding Russian-speaking nations, including Ukraine, through the use of satellite radio, and now also streams worldwide via the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

ODESSA, Ukraine \u2013 The staff of New Life Radio is committed to continuing to broadcast music and Bible teaching in the Russian language in both Ukraine and Russia. (BP photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

After broadcasting for years from Russia, New Life Radio moved its central broadcast location to Odessa, Ukraine, several years ago due to increasingly restrictive Russian media laws.<\/span><\/p>\n

The station was once again forced to change locations in February after the start of the war. This time, some of the team members relocated to Romania after a long and tedious journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

One member of the team stayed in Ukraine so the station could operate from both locations. Broadcasts continued, but new obstacles quickly began to arise.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to safety concerns spurred by the ongoing conflict, the station now must navigate a new Ukrainian media law restricting Russian music in the country, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed last week after much debate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Daniel Johnson, one of the founders of New Life Radio, said although he understands the reasoning behind the law due to Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, it is frustrating because it challenges New Life Radio\u2019s ability to operate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe law makes no exemption for any specific type of programming you do,\u201d Johnson said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur challenge now is how can we as a Christian radio station follow this new mass media law, while still remaining in the country providing Russian-language Christian programming for millions of Ukrainians who speak Russian.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson said he has even heard reports that the Ukrainian government is working to restrict the country\u2019s internet to allow only Ukrainian-language websites.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working to see exactly where this mass media law affects us, and it may turn out that if we\u2019re going to continue our Russian language broadcast, we\u2019re actually going to have to move our operation outside of Ukraine,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson said New Life Radio began working at the start of the war to develop a second worldwide broadcast in the Ukrainian language.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new law may make such a broadcast a necessity, and the organization may simply have to find another place outside of Odessa to broadcast its Russian-language broadcast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to find a way to do both national channels in both languages,\u201d Johnson said.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now the team is working to continue broadcasting within legal requirements against the backdrop of escalating conflict in Odessa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson said Russian forces are targeting the city in order to overtake it. He said there are missiles launched into the city almost every day, and Ukrainian forces are fighting back as hard as they can.<\/span><\/p>\n

A missile hit to the station\u2019s building would naturally amplify the problems they are facing, yet they press on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson moved to Russia to join other founders of New Life Radio in the early 1990s. Now stateside, he organizes the station and oversees the group responsible for supporting the station called \u201cChristian Radio for Russia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He explained that 97 percent of all communities in Ukraine have no local evangelical Christian radio station, and there is little evangelical influence in Russia. The station\u2019s goal is to get Russian speakers the Gospel in a way they wouldn\u2019t have otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe need is there for us to continue to do the work that we\u2019re doing, and there has been an increase in listeners tuning in from Russia,\u201d Johnson said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPart of our mission is to be a spiritual link between believers who make up our audience in both of these countries. Our job is to connect these countries through the Word of God and focus on peacemaking and forgiveness between these nations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson said during the station\u2019s song request hour, listeners from both countries will call in and offer encouragement in addition to their song request.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the body of Christ coming together for an hour no matter where they are from,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t care where people are from, they just want to encourage the body. We\u2019re getting responses from our listeners simply saying they thank God that we exist. People are saying \u2018thank you for giving us hope\u2019, but we\u2019re just simply giving them this hope through God\u2019s Word.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the obstacles, Johnson said he believes God will continue to provide for the station as it lives out its mission. More information about New Life Radio and Christian Radio for Russia can be found online at https:\/\/crfr.org\/?page_id=375<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite its broadcasting team being split among Iasi, Romania, and Odessa, Ukraine, New Life Radio continues its ministry of sharing the Gospel in the Russian language amid myriad challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9192418,"featured_media":41934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[177,10,16,18,25],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nRussian Christian radio station continues to broadcast despite war, tightening restrictions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite its broadcasting team being 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