I would like to set forth some ideas on an evangelization project I have been considering for some time. I�ve been hesitant to tackle it, or even speak of it. But after much thought and prayer, I have decided to heed the call and embark on this project, laying the groundwork in advance of my exiting grad school next May. At that time my income will triple and I will actually have the money and time to invest in this small missionary effort.
Let me begin by saying that I have been hugely impressed by the Orthodox and their efforts on the Internet in the areas of both evangelization and ministry to the faithful. Specifically, I am speaking of �Ancient Faith Radio,� �Incarnation Broadcast Network,� and �Our Life in Christ.� These webcast and podcast ministries are wonderful and I look foreword to the day when we as Eastern Catholics have similar ministries. This is why I loudly applaud Brian Biggerstaff�s new podcast of the daily readings ( �Byzantine Catholic Word� -
http://byzcatholic.com./ ). However, as great as I find all these efforts, they are all currently �limited� to the Internet (although it looks like �Ancient Faith Radio� might shortly be �breaking out�), which is something I hope to change, if only on a local level.
Reaching the world via the net is great � but how can my small parish and I reach our immediate neighborhood with the Good News of Christ and at the same time share our rich liturgical heritage? Every visitor that I have spoken with after their initial witness of an eastern Divine Liturgy has came away awed and astounded that such beauty exists within Christianity. Let�s face it; we are one of the best-kept secrets in Christianity. How to attempt to change this? My idea for one possible answer to this question involves wedding new technology (the Internet) with old technology (AM Radio).
In the US, the FCC allows legal broadcasting of �Low Power� radio stations by anyone on the AM band from 510-1700 kHz (a good introductory article is at:
http://www.digitalsyndicate.net/part15.html ). This is known as �LP Part 15 AM Radio� (Part 15 being the specific FCC regulation allowing these broadcasts). The reach of these low power broadcasts is, depending on the terrain, from three to five miles. Granted, the range is limited to one�s neighborhood at best, but aren�t these the people � our friends and neighbors - that we as parishes want to reach anyway? If every family in a parish broadcast in their own neighborhood and this only caused one new family (per broadcast station) to start worshipping with us, our parishes would double in size.
Some might be asking, �but who listens to AM radio any more?� Good question, and this in my opinion is where the parish as a whole comes into play. Along with the individual/family broadcast stations, I feel a parish would need to come together as a whole to advertise the existence of these broadcasts by buying ad space - billboard, newspaper, FM radio, and good �ole leaflets used to �paper� the target neighborhood(s). This last � pamphleteering � is where a parish youth group comes into its own.
While the individual broadcast stations would be the responsibility of individual parish missionaries, the backing of the wider parish community is, I feel, crucial to any evangelization endeavor. After all, St. Paul did not labor alone, but had the backing of the community of the faithful who initially sent him forth. All this therefore requires three necessary and willing participants � individual/family neighborhood broadcasters, parish backing � both material and spiritual, and last but not least, a priest willing and able to provide leadership and direction to all involved.
Ok, enough theory. Here is the action plan I have laid down for myself in launching this effort within my own parish during the course of the coming year:
Research: This of course involves my learning all I can about both the technical and practical aspects of� LP AM Broadcasting.� Most of this is already underway � thank God for the Internet! A good place to start is at -
http://www.part15.us/ Broadcast Equipment: Initial equipment to get up and running is in the $1,000 to $1,500 range � a drop in the bucket compared to what the Apostles and Martyrs gave to bear witness of Christ and His church. This equipment comes in kits, and when the time comes, I will likely be buying the kit offered at:
http://www.am1000rangemaster.com/ Programming: Having the means to broadcast requires something to broadcast!
If I can obtain the necessary permission, I am going to go the �re-broadcast� route. Transforming (for instance) �Ancient Faith Radio� from a webcast to an LP AM Broadcast is fairly easy on the technical side of things. All that is required is a dedicated computer, high-speed Internet connection, and the appropriate software. If for some reason I am unable to obtain the needed permission to re-broadcast, I will re-invent the wheel and simply start buying Orthodox CD�s and go from there. This last route of course is not only more expensive but also a lot more time-consuming, which is why I am going to attempt the re-broadcasting route first. However, even the re-broadcasting method is going to entail at least some minimal broadcast material be generated by me � if nothing else a �station break� spot in which to identify my parish, our address, worship times, contact info., etc.
I should mention that I am going to attempt a �mix & match� method of re-broadcasting, using not only live webcasts, but also canned podcast material as appropriate. Down the road, I might even offer token re-broadcasts of RC content � just so that my RC brothers and sisters don�t feel marginalized and ignored in the rising sea of Eastern Catholic broadcasting. :p
Advertising: Although I will attempt to involve my parish in spreading the word, this will likely fall largely on my shoulders (our mission parish averages about 8 people on any given Sunday). This being the case, I will leaflet my immediate neighborhood and those surrounding it. I imagine this will likely take at least 3-4 weekends, so I will likely break these areas up into four sections and do each section every four months on an ongoing basis. I will also seek to insert small adverts into the bulletins of the various RC -AND- Orthodox parishes within my broadcast area, not only informing them of the effort, but also asking that they spread the word. While papering the area with leaflets, I will make a point of asking local business� if they are willing to display one of the leaflets in their store windows, etc. Lastly, I will adopt the odd and accepted Hawaiian practice in vogue every election cycle � that of standing out on the street corner with a placard and waving at passing vehicles as if deranged! Such a sign listing the AM frequency I will broadcast on is easily generated on my computer and printed out on wafer-board at the local Kinko�s. Once the broadcasts are up & running � and stable � I will approach the two Honolulu newspapers to see if they will do a story on the ministry. They likely will � after all they ran articles on our Easter Egg painting and Icon writing workshops this last Pascha season.
All these advertising methods are low cost in terms of money but do require sweat equity on my part, which is proper � after all, Christ has asked us to LABOR in the harvest � so I�d best get to it and do my part.
All right � there you have my initial thinking on this method of local evangelization. This is the first time I have put these thoughts to paper, so they are rough and will doubtless be refined, adapted, modified and changed over the course of the coming year. I welcome any constructive suggestions. I will not respond to those who might want to pick this effort apart, telling me in minute detail how it cannot work. Such talk is fruitless and does nothing to further evangelization. Instead, offer suggestions on how to better make this endeavor a success and you will earn my everlasting thanks.
If others are interested in working collaboratively on such a project, launching a similar ministry in their area, please contact me and we can each learn as we go along.
Ok� time to post this before I get cold feet! :p
~Isaac
