EMDC Conference Update

The EMDC Conference is a private event, so pictures and names are limited. This year over 700 people attended from 63 countries. Many of the countries represented would include closed and creative access countries. The conference is held in alternate years either in Netherlands or in Chiangmai Thailand. Ahead of the actual EMDC is a Pre-EMDC training event.

Pre-EMDC is a Training Opportunity

The Content, Audience Relations, and Research (CAR) Team of the IST uses this event as a focal point for getting FEBC’s content creators together when the venue is Chaingmai. It is much cheaper for our teams to come to Thailand than to go to Western Europe. The CAR Team encourages our national staff to attend the pre-EMDC Training which included 19 training tracks this year. Some of the many tracks offered were:

Video Production/Radio Production for Beginners
Creating Bible Comics for your Culture
Advanced Audio/Radio Production
Hands-On Orality Training with ‘Simply The Story’
Scripture Engagement: New Insights in Missiology
Social Media and Digital Engagement: Discipleship and Development
And many more

Working with our field leaders, the CAR Team helps the staff select training tracks that align with their field’s needs and their roles within FEBC. Our many field staff don’t get together regularly, so these opportunities are priceless in providing the kind of interactions that lead to innovation and creativity, both of which are needed to conceive, write and produce the kind of content that will draw an audience and lead them to Jesus.

The FEBC Contingent at our “FEBC Day” at EMDC

FEBC Field staff from Russia, Ukraine, Mongolia, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and India sent staff. The IST was represented by Bob, Jeff and Guy. Bob heads the CAR Team, Jeff is our newest CAR Team member and Guy was there to lend gravitas 🙂 ; Guy was also there for several other meetings with different mission organizations that were scheduled during Pre-EMDC training.

EMDC Conference

The four main goals of the EMDC are:

To provide a meeting place where those engaged in minority language work (whether in-country or displaced) can interact with communication and media specialists to develop media strategies, explore the use of ethno-arts, and assess and prioritize media products.
To network existing regional media organizations with minority language teams for present or future partnerships on actual, doable projects.
To help those with some material to be able to record, edit, mix, and finish their project in hands-on workshops (or at a minimum connect with those who will see them through to the end).
To provide a venue where minority language workers can express their media-related needs, learn from one another in areas of methodology and strategy, and explore ways in which they might share resources.

What takes place?
In addition to plenary sessions, workshops, and training, language-specific, country-specific, or ethnic group-specific working groups will be meeting. Specific ethnic groups will discuss language programs and language planning.

EMDC is a multi-agency consultation that meets alternately in Asia and Europe. Minority language workers in the greater Eurasia region meet with media specialists (radio, TV, Internet, mobile, social media), IT Technicians, recording specialists, graphic artists, digital publishers, and specialists in Orality and Ethno-Arts.

Guy’s Impressions

It was joy to be together, first, with so many of our creative and motivated content creation staff. I am humbled by how the Lord has blessed Chris and I through our obedience to his call to FEBC with opportunities to have so many friends from many countries who are passionate about Jesus. I love to give of my life in whatever way necessary to see them grow in their capacity to minister.

I came away from the EMDC Conference proper with some strong impressions:

FEBC should do more of the “lifting” to assist with this conference since it is very valuable to us and we bring a large contingent.
More of our fields and especially our minority language folks would be encouraged and their skills strengthened if they attended. I will be making a push to have these folks invited to attend in two years and possibly have a Transnational Ethnic Minority Language meeting of FEBC during the next conference in Chiangmai.
We have ministry partners who would benefit from attending. I will add them to the “secret” mailing list so they will be informed.
I appreciate Bob’s passion for coming along side our content teams and encouraging them to experiment and grow in their ability to be effective ministers to their audiences.

Amateur Radio in Cambodia

The FEBC International Engineering Service Team (EST) held the first ever ARRL license testing session at National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC) near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. With four EST members accredited as extra class Volunteer Examiners, we just need to coordinate our travel in order to have the required 3 VEs for an official session. It may seem strange to test for USA licenses in Phnom Penh, but there is a good reason. The infrastructure for getting a local license was lost through the bad times of the Khmer Rouge, but the reciprocity agreement between Cambodia and the US is still in effect. That means that if we train up local Khmer folks so that they can pass the US licensing exam, they can then use their new US license to get a Cambodian license. We have two new Technition licenses and an extra class license awarded as a result of the session.

NPIC Amateur Radio Club during 2017 World Wide DX Contest

Amateur Radio at NPIC

NPIC renovated their Electronics and Computer Engineering programs some years ago with help from some folks in Korea who we have not been able to identify. We do know that these Koreans were amateur radio operators because they left behind a very complete set of ham radio equipment and antennas. This great shack was sitting idle for some years until the EST, through our locally resident engineer, Mike Adams, made contact with the school and built a relationship with the professors. NPIC thought it might help interest students in radio careers if an amateur radio club could be started and the shack brought back into operation.Some of the professors with the EST in the radio “shack”

The Test Takers and Volunteer Examiners after the Test

Mike Adams (KH0AS) and Guy West (N0MMA), using the reciprocal license agreement received Cambodian licenses XU7AJA and XU7AKA and began the process of checking out the equipment and antennas at NPIC with the help of EST team members David Creel (AH0AM) and Owen Gabbie (ZL1OG). The first year provided opportunities via radio sport competitions to get the professors excited about radio through opportunities to work many countries during international competitive events like the World Wide DX Contest, held each year in November. In the process the NPIC Amateur Radio Club was born. Since anyone can be behind the mic as long as a properly licensed control operator is present, lots of professors and students got to spend time on the radios

ARRL VE Test Session – Listening to the Instructions

What is our motivation?

Why work to bring Amateur Radio back in Cambodia? We have several reasons. First of all, these Khmer folks are great people who are fighting their way back after almost unimaginable destruction of their society. Capacity of local people as engineers and radio technitions and of the institutes of higher learning to train such people was part of what was destroyed. As people who follow Jesus our hearts are broken over what was done and we want to do our part to encourage our Khmer Brothers as they advance their country. Beyond that we know that amateur radio exists to encourage friendship between nations, encourages development of radio technology and provides communications assistance in disaster. Each of these results is good for Cambodia. Finally, we hope by doing our part that one day our local radio stations will be able to hire local people who have been locally trained as engineers and technitions to support the Family FM network and Voice of Love Cambodia NGO.

Ministry Updates – IC Convention

Just returning from the FEBC International’s International Committee Conference (ICC) and the buzz is that it was one of the best ever. I think that is because of your prayer support. Whenever people from so many countries get together, it is prayer support, that makes sure relationships stay positive and ensures that real communication takes place among the participants.

official_group_picture_with_banner

Each year all of the Field Directors and Chairperson’s of the board gather as the official governing body of FEBC International Association. There are meetings where these representatives take up the business of FEBC, vote to elect new Association officers, review and vote on any proposed changes to the membership and have plenty of fellowship. Sharing stories of challenges, best practices and wisdom that comes from experience is a very important part of the gathering.

Accomplishments of Note

Your prayers had an impact on this year’s annual FEBC IC Conference. All the participants agreed that it was incredibly productive and that our field directors and board chairmen did a lot of relationship building. Key accomplishments to celebrate at the ICC were:

FEBC welcomed Kyrgyzstan as a new member field of FEBC Internatinal
FEBC welcomed new associate field Ukraine
To provide better accountability and to protect the name of FEBC, the IC delegated more authority to the Executive Committee to enforce the charter standards of FEBC International
Announced initial funding for and creation of a new International Growth Fund, administered by the Executive Committee to promote strategic efforts to expand the ministry of FEBC

International Service Team – FEBC International

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News

International Service Team – All Dressed Up – Pray for these folks!

Left to right: Guy, Brigit, Mike, Jeff, Vicki, Owen, David, Barb, Vaughan, Bob, Jonathan

The International Service team attends the ICC each year. The team’s admin group, Barb, Vicki, Brigit and Vaughan along with International Service Coordinator Guy support the operation of the convention. The other team members attend because its very cost effective to be present when all of your “clients” are in the same place at the same time. Everyone was able to get together at the ICC this year except Eila, who stayed home to take care of her husband as he recovers from a difficult illness.

Thanks to all for your prayer support.