July 2017 News

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Mike Arena

April 2017

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Dear Friends and Ministry Supporters:

As we move through April, the interior of Alaska will enjoy regular daytime highs well above freezing for the first time in a long while…it seems Spring has arrived! As the temperature increases, so does the tempo at which we plan for the short warm season that will soon come and then go again. Please pray for all the volunteers as we line up projects for this busy season.

My name is Mike Arena, and the Board installed me as the new Executive Director for Voice for Christ Ministries on February 1, 2017. I’ve moved to Nenana and work out of the network headquarters right next to KIAM, our very first station to go on the air. Art Thompson, who served admirably as the Executive Director over the last several years, has relinquished those responsibilities and stepped into the position of Network Engineer, for health reasons. Art knows more about radio and how to keep it operating than most mortals - I’m personally glad he will stay with the ministry in a role he not only enjoys, but also in which he has considerable expertise and experience.

While I’ve met and worked with the folks at KIAM before, I recently had the privilege of traveling to our two other full radio stations in Houston, AK (KAGV) and Bethel, AK (KYKD) to meet with the station managers and volunteers there. What a group of people we have! God has called some talented and dedicated individuals to labor in the fields here in this state, and I remain in awe of their sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. Most people simply turn their radio on, not having any real idea of what it takes to keep a station on the air. While “radio people” don’t expect the general public to know all that goes on behind the scenes, I can assure you that it’s a lot of work! I can also assure you that God has blessed this ministry with volunteers He brought specifically for the purpose of sharing the gospel. All their concern over program downloads, promo voicing, reflected power, amplitude modulation, the dreaded dead air, etc., just reflect the realities of spreading the news of Jesus’ love through radio technology. And He has blessed the effort with fruit abounding to our account.

As I learn more about this ministry and its legacy of gospel teaching, preaching, discipleship, and conversions over the years, it strikes me that God has shown His mercy to us over and over. Very few organizations have so much impact on so many remote villages in Alaska. As we approach the 32-year mark of bringing the Good News to Alaska via radio, it’s well worth giving thanks to God for His unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ and for allowing us the opportunity to serve Him on The Last Frontier.

Many of YOU have made major contributions to this evangelistic effort through your faithful praying, sacrificial financial support, and volunteer service. The scripture clearly indicates that your involvement makes you a shareholder in any fruit abounding to our account! Please continue your partnership with us as we proclaim to a dark and hopeless region that Jesus is the answer they need…not the alcohol, drugs, sex, or any human relationship. It really is all about Jesus.

I look forward to serving the Lord and our volunteers in this position. I also look forward to hearing from you about your involvement with VFCM and how you found out about the ministry in the first place. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have, or just to chat, by calling 907-832-5426 or emailing me, mike@vfcm.org. If you wish to partner with us in spreading the gospel, go HERE to donate (www.vfcm.org/donate) or HERE to fill out our volunteer application (www.vfcm.org/volunteer-form).

May God bless you all,

Mike Arena

Executive Director

August 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

As I write this letter, Labor Day is behind us, the trees are turning colors and winter will soon be upon us. It has been a very busy summer, and now we are scurrying about preparing the stations and our homes for the freezing temperatures that will in just a few days descend on this part of the world.

I apologize for the lapse in the newsletters the last few months. We have been very short handed and everyone has been occupied with all the work that is necessary to keep the stations on the air. We are thankful to God that so far, we have managed. The good news is that there is some help on the horizon. Mike and Valerie Arena have raised approximately 60% of the funds required for them to come full time and we hope to have them up sometime next year, Lord Willing. There is also a possibility for a couple of missionaries to be seconded to us from other organizations.

Please pray that God will provide the staff we need to effectively proclaim the truth of God's Word and the message of salvation in Christ to a needy land. Every week it seems, we read or hear of a suicide or violent death in the remote villages. Alcohol, drugs, and hopelessness are rampant in these communities. The only hope is a transformed life through a relationship with Christ.

We recently met a group of men from a downriver village that were visiting Nenana for a Potlatch (funeral) for one of their friends. They were walking down the street and stopped to talk to one of our staff. They asked us to pray for them. Although they appeared intoxicated at the time, they were clearly familiar with the station and said that they listened to it in their village. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use the Gospel message we broadcast to draw these folks to Himself.

Pray also, that God will supply the funds necessary to keep the stations operating as well. We have been running a bit behind due to some increased costs, but God had blessed us with a small surplus in the past few years that has helped to carry us through.

It has been an interesting and challenging summer, with the threat of flooding, the lack of staff and the numerous technical difficulties. But through it all, God has greatly encouraged us through your faithful prayers and support.

Thank you so much for being a vital part of this ministry. Blessings in Christ,

Art Thompson,
VFCM Executive Director. 

July 2016

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Dear faithful ones in Christ,

Just a quick note to let you know again how much we appreciate your support both prayerfully and financially.

We had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration with our 4th annual Nenana Gospel Fest. Nenana Community Church and Voices of Peace started this summer ministry, which has included the KIAM Radio network’s live broadcast of the event. However, Art sprained his ankle on Saturday morning setting up the live feed. He stepped out of the van while carrying the microwave antenna, right into a hole. He has had to spend time in bed with ice while attempting to do paperwork.

We still have many summer projects to be done and no help as of yet. The FM is not working properly and we need to get a tower climber to help locate the exact problem. Please pray as it is hard to find a qualified climber at a reasonable cost.

Continue to pray for our translators out in the villages that they will stay in good repair, and that those that have equipment failures will be easily and quickly fixed. Summer is usually the time we get out to do that, as the winter does not always allow access due to poor weather conditions.

Pray for Palmer and Bonnie Bailey as they not only run the KYKD station, but along with that are working on the Audio Yup’ik Bible, recording native voices as often as time allows. Praise God they are making good progress with approximately 39% completion.

Pray for Kelsie Vrenna our station manager at KAGV along with volunteers Debra Hausmann, Dave Horning, and Leroy Miller. Pray also for Rick and Kathy Migra at KIAM as Rick is now the KIAM station manager and Kathy does a lot of the VFCM office work.

Thanks and praises to the Lord for sending us James and Rhonda Fisher who come to help this month to free us up for other activities. Also, thanks to Jerry Wilmes who will come to do the same in the fall.

Please continue to remember Mike and Valerie Arena who continue to raise support in order to come and help us full time. Please continue to pray for the Blairs as they plan for the future. Please pray especially for the next generation of ministers as most of us here are in our 60’s. We know God desires his word to go forth and is able to supply all our needs.

Thanks again to all of you who lift us up to the LORD. May God Bless you richly,

Terri Thompson 

May 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

May has been a very busy and eventful month.

We were able to reinstall the FM translators at Hughes and Sand Point in a more reliable and permanent location. We will hopefully be doing the same for the village of Grayling this June. We are well on our way to the goal of having all of the stations back on the air this summer.

We have also made great strides in the area of arranging local contacts in the villages who will help us with the maintenance of these stations. It is very encouraging to see people in each of these villages become excited about the gospel witness and discipleship the programming we broadcast provides. While most of the villages that we have translators in now have a functioning church, there are still several villages that do not.

We also were able to iron out a number of glitches with our new automation system and reduce some of the work load that the seemingly constant computer crashes were causing.

Speaking of workload, our longtime KIAM station manager Brian Blair will be moving on after 12 years of faithful service with VFCM. His wife Laurie also served as our office manager. We are sorry to see them go, but they feel God is leading them elsewhere. We are keeping them on our payroll until November to give them time to transition to whatever God has next for them.

Please pray for the Blairs as they seek His will and direction. As well, pray for VFCM as we will have to find a way to distribute the approximately 50-60 man hours a week of duties to our already overworked personnel.

God has already provided a couple of experienced volunteers to help with the on-air duties at KIAM later in the summer. This will give us some relief but it is only temporary. Pray that God provides the financial support for our appointees Mike and Valerie Arena to come to the field soon. Pray that God will call others as well. There is just so much work to do.

Another challenge that we would ask prayer for is our aging buildings in Nenana. We have a number of pressing maintenance needs that we simply don't have the manpower to accomplish. There were two work teams that had tentatively committed to coming up this summer, but now it looks like they probably will not make it this year. We know that God has everything under control and that His timing is perfect. I just pray that some of this can make it through another winter.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for praying for us and supporting the ministry of VFCM financially. Your support has made it possible to take the gospel to some of the darkest and neediest places in the world.

Again, thank you for your part in taking the gospel to the furthest reaches of this vast and wild land we call "The Last Frontier"

Blessings in Christ,

Art Thompson,
VFCM Executive Director.