Speed the Light offering for Unsion TV
Unsion TV headquarters in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Through Unsion Television's commitment to
broadcasting family value programming
with a
biblical worldview, the station documented 45,000
conversions in 2008 alone.
By Amber Weigand-Buckley
During the Friday night Orland09 service, adults and students will be able to combine their giving power for a special Speed the Light project offering. The funds will be solely designated to expand the broadcast of an award-winning Christian television station (Unsion TV) based in Ecuador.
Missionaries Bill and Connie McDonald launched the Unsion TV in 2003 with the aid of Speed the Light. They will use the funds to purchase time-sensitive transmitters for the cities of Maces and Tulcan as well as a satellite uplink for the station to reach more than 100,000 more Ecuadorians.
Having served as missionaries in Ecuador since 1989, the McDonalds’ vision for Unsion Television Network International was to broadcast family value programming with a biblical worldview. Because of the communication equipment provided by Speed the Light, Unsion has been able to reach more than 500,000 Hispanics living in and around Cuenca, Ecuador, with the gospel.
In 2008, the station documented 45,000 conversions. In April 2009 Unsion celebrated its highest month ever of conversions. Due to the benefits of modern technology, Unsion now has the satellite footprint to potentially impact 500 million Hispanics across the Americas and Europe.
According to National Speed the Light Director Chet Caudill, who visited the station in May, not only are souls being saved, but also lives are being changed through the Unsion ministry. Un Buen Consejo is the counseling ministry that acts as a follow-up for those who accept Christ through the efforts of Unsion. “Working in tandem, these are powerful tools to reach and disciple the lost,” says Caudill.
This year, Assemblies of God World Missions recognized Unsion as the International Spanish-speaking television station of the AG. National Religious Broadcasting granted it the award for “International Television Station of the Year” and Unsion received the Congressional Medal of Merit for “Ethics and Morality in Media.” The president of Ecuador recently bypassed other popular TV stations and employed Unsion to speak to the country.
Because of the urgency of the station’s communication upgrades, Caudill sees the Friday night offering as a strategic opportunity to meet the need in full. “The ministry that has enabled Unsion to be operational and take the gospel to the country of Ecuador is Speed the Light. Providing Unsion with several key, time-sensitive equipment needs is crucial. These projects must be funded immediately or the window of opportunity will pass. [The equipment will] enable Unsion to broadcast truth to over 100,000 more souls!
“The dream to cover the Americas and Europe with God-inspired Spanish television is tangible. The ground in which we plant is fertile. Together we can see the dream become reality,” concludes Caudill.
For more information on Speed the Light, visit www.stl.ag.org.