As The Tide® ministrycelebrates over seven decades of service, Director Don Shenk looks back at Rev. Byers’ original vision — and beyond
August 8, 2022
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.— Seventy-six years ago, Reverend Charlie Byers set out to put the Gospel message on the airwaves. What came from this vision was “The Gospel Tide Hour,” debuting from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on August 11, 1946. The initial goal was to reach the local community with the Good News of Christ, and the people in the area clamored to hear biblical truths in their own homes over the radio.
Fast forward seven decades later, and what was “The Gospel Tide Hour” has become The Tide® ministry(www.thetide.org), a global outreach ministry that shares the Gospel daily in over 20 different languages on three continents. The Tide® reaches millions of people including those in Afghanistan, Albania, Bhutan, India, Kosovo, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Zimbabwe.
Said Don Shenk, director of The Tide® ministry, “The excitement people in Chambersburg experienced in 1946 when they heard the Gospel through ‘The Gospel Tide Hour’ is mirrored and magnified today as people around the globe find joy and hope as they hear of salvation through Christ in their own language — many for the first time.”
The fact that the Gospel is aired in local languages makes a huge impact for many listeners. One listener wrote, “Last week for the first time, I got an opportunity to listen to your radio program in my own language. It is an interesting program and I would [like to] try to listen to it again. I want to know more about Jesus Christ. Please send me some literature for my study [in a few different languages.]”
Shenk stated, “Using people’s heart languages is a key component of what we do here at The Tide® ministry. It allows people who have never heard the Gospel to make a stronger and more intimate connection with Christ because they can understand the message on a more personal level.”
Shenk concluded, “The fact is that we have a global God — if we are to share the truth about God around the world, we need to utilize the best methods of doing so, such as sharing the message in local languages.”
Looking ahead to the next seven decades, The Tide® ministry and its partners will focus on the core foundationsof “The Tide Diamond Vision”:
- Amplify – The Tide® ministry will increase ministry initiatives so that more people can experience God’s grace.
- Magnify – The Tide® ministry will work to grow its support base to an expanded demographic.
- Solidify – The Tide® ministry will develop and supply more resources to help new believers to grow in their faith and live in right relationship with God.
- Verify – The Tide® ministry will measure the effectiveness of its activities to both manage them well and to demonstrate the efficient stewardship of resources.
- Glorify – The Tide® ministry will strive to ensure that all it does to achieve its vision will bring glory to God.
For more information about The Tide® ministry broadcast projects, history, radio programs around the world, special year-long campaigns, the weekly Global Update radio features or other news, visit its website at www.thetide.org or its Facebook page.
###
