Erwin Schnettler of Peñaflor, Chile, participates in radio ministry while visiting Darwyn Copa of Bolivia, the Southern Cone of South America Mission Center financial officer.

Radio Brings
Community of Christ to Chile

Over the last three years or so, missionary and church planter Gustavo Vergara and various leaders of the church in Chile have worked in the greater Santiago area and beyond. From the beginning they knew of the need to raise the profile of the church, previously unknown there.

They approached the problem in several ways:

• They marketed evangelism by printing large banners with information on key aspects of church identity. They also rented space in different street markets on different nights and gave out flyers with the banners as a backdrop.

• They set up a Web page, including a Spanish Web board.

• They posted an illuminated church sign on the church’s rented facility.

• They made plans to buy property for a building on a main avenue to raise the church’s profile to the thousands who would pass by each day.

Perhaps more important, a couple of opportunities presented themselves for ministry on low-wattage, clandestine radio stations in the church’s neighborhood. This outreach might not have reached a large audience, but it served as good training for Gustavo, a seventy, in radio ministry.

About 11/2 years ago, he called into a program on a high-powered radio station in Santiago. An independent-church pastor—buying time to promote his church, social, and political views—hosted the program. He was critical of many churches, even saying there was no honest denomination in the country. Gustavo challenged that assertion, arguing that Community of Christ was a new and different church.

Jose Yañez and Elder Simon Tapia of Santiago, Chile, participate in radio ministry of Radio Santiago, 690 AM.

Gustavo called back several more times. The host, Francisco, knew nothing about Community of Christ and was curious. He and Gustavo met privately, and the host invited Gustavo to participate live in the radio broadcast. Soon, Gustavo and other Community of Christ members were participating at least once a week as program guests, sharing the message of the church on a radio broadcast that through affiliate stations reached much of Chile.

But the program’s format was one of debate and criticism. At its best, it represented a strong prophetic voice; at its worst it was narrowly political. While this format allowed Community of Christ to stand out as something different, Gustavo and church leaders began to dream of having their own broadcasts.

Donations by congregations and members in the USA (Blue Ridge congregation in Central Mission, and the Anchorage congregation in Alaska) made it look like the dream might come true.

Gustavo set out to negotiate prices with various stations. Prices were way too high. But Radio Santiago, a high-wattage AM station that would reach all of Santiago and had a large listener base, seemed ideal. Gustavo returned there with a sample recording and an offer for about half the cost of what he initially had been quoted. A few days later the offer was accepted. The Community of Christ radio ministry was created.

An intro and an advertising clip were recorded. The program would air weekdays from 11:00 p.m. to midnight (the end of prime time in the Chilean culture). The program seeks to proclaim Community of Christ as “not just another church” and “a different kind of church.” It affirms Community of Christ core values and focuses on the church’s mission statement. Since beginning with the weeknight format, the radio station has invited the church to occupy the same hour on Saturday and Sunday nights at no extra charge.

The format generally includes about a half hour of preaching, based on church scripture (especially the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants) with hymns recorded by local Community of Christ musicians. Gustavo hosts the program, which also has become a great opportunity to develop other leaders for outreach.

The program opens the phone lines for people to share testimonies, make prayer requests, or to talk about faith issues. A pastoral phone line lets people call after the program ends. The program invites people to the church in Conchali or one of the other Community of Christ groups growing in greater Santiago.

The broadcast has become one of the most-listened-to radio programs in Santiago at this time of day.

This initiative is an important investment of time and energy by Gustavo, his family, and other church members. The radio station is about forty minutes from the church apartment where Gustavo lives.

Reinaldo Ramirez praises the Lord through music during a visit to his home by missionaries.

The Community of Christ profile has been raised greatly in Santiago. New church participants brought in by the radio program include:

• Brother Reinaldo Ramirez and his family. Reinaldo had become disillusioned with his church thirty years earlier and had stayed home since. He now actively participates, and the radio program features his musical recordings. He often leads music and worship at the Conchali congregation.

• Brother Joel, a musician trained at the Methodist seminary in Argentina. Joel teaches a guitar class to the congregation’s youth and helps lead music.

• Brother Reinaldo Hernandez, a university history professor. Church leaders are exploring the possibility of having him teach Community of Christ leaders about Christian history.

In Chile, the radio has broken Community of Christ out of its base as a membership primarily of former Mormons. The congregation includes people from all backgrounds: Catholic, Pentecostal, Evangelical, etc. New people come to the church in Conchali every week.

As of November 2008, through the generosity of the USA congregations, leaders are getting ready to lock in another block of radio time. We are not sure how long funds will be available for this important ministry, but for now we can confirm that many are responding to this creative outreach.

—Art Smith reporting