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Using Media to Reach Souls in Sarajevo
By John Merrell
If you travel to Bosnia Herzegovina as
a tourist, you see lovely mountains,
meet friendly people, eat interesting
food, and leave thinking: What
a great place! But there is a serious
discrepancy between tourism
and residency. Sarajevo, the capitol,
is filled with many wounded souls.
People with hurt, fear, grief, and
great bitterness.
War has torn them apart, alienated
ethnic groups, and cast them into
economic despair. During the conflict,
armaments on the hills rained down
shells, mortars, rockets and sniper
fire for nearly three years. It was the
longest siege in modern history, leaving
the city without fuel, medicine, or
fresh food. Atrocities and butcheries
were committed that will be remembered
for generations - 12,000 women
raped, 16,000 children killed by
mortars, rockets, and artillery. Everywhere
you look there are new cemeteries – small ones in neighborhoods
and a large one occupying an Olympic
soccer practice field. Sarajevo is 80%
Muslim but not yet Islamicised – not
yet. There are 350 mosques and only
4 Evangelical churches, with just over
200 believers. Since the war in 1992-
1995, the church of Jesus Christ has
persevered, struggled, and is inching
forward at an agonizingly slow pace.
Students for Christ, Global University,
Convoy of Hope, Save Europe’s
Children, and International Media
Ministries gathered to brainstorm ways
of impacting this pivotal city. We met
with Sasha, who became a pastor
shortly after his conversion (he had
heard only 10 sermons) because there
simply was no one else. Now, eleven
years later, he pastors the largest
church in the city with 50-60 people.
Sasha told us typical outreaches, crusades,
concerts, were not effective or
possible in Bosnia.
How could we begin to meet the
spiritual need of discipleship and
evangelism in this country? Sasha, the
pastor, had become aware that the
new government had pledged to give
television time to all religious groups;
however, the small Evangelical church
is not capable of producing broadcast
quality programs in their own language.
International Media Ministries
has the unique ability to take their
dramatized Bible stories and translate
them into any language. These premade,
professional programs are a tool
of the gospel that can be broadcasted
into homes all across the city.
As we stood on the hills looking over
Sarajevo, we prayed over the city. A
sound began to echo from hill to hill – not the noise of artillery or mortars
from twelve years ago - but from dozens
of minarets came the eerie sound
of the Muslim call to prayer.
I couldn’t help but wonder, “What
would the disciples have done if radio,
television, and the internet had been
available to take the Gospel message
to their world? … the most powerful
medium with the most powerful message?”
The early church didn’t have that
opportunity. But you and I do. So
what are we going to do? The battle is
still raging! This time it is not for the
soil of Sarajevo, but for the souls of
Sarajevo.
John Merrell
Director International Media Ministries
www.IMM.edu
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