AWR News

It has been two decades since the call sign of the Voice of Hope Media Center in Tula, Russia, was transmitted for the first time in the largest country in the world. “It was nothing but a miracle, because the radio broadcasting stations of the Soviet Union, which had been built in order to spread communist propaganda, now began broadcasting Christian programs,” says director Sergey Kuzmin.

The media center began as a small studio in a private house, and over the years it developed into a large media center with its own radio and television production. Its correspondence school has processed more than 1 million letters and packages, and the center has also hosted satellite TV evangelistic campaigns. Thousands of people have become acquainted with Christ as a result, and many of them have accepted Him as their Savior.

The anniversary celebration, held in the central Adventist church in Moscow, was attended by approximately 1,000 church members, as well as representatives from the Moscow government, other denominations, and religious media. The Adventist artists who performed during the event had all recorded their music in the Voice of Hope studio over the years.

“Our radio program was the first religious media program broadcast in Russia after the fall of communism in the Soviet Union,” said Peter Kulakov, the first Voice of Hope director.

Adventist World Radio has played a significant role during the media center’s 20-year history by sponsoring airtime on Radio Russia and other Russian stations and networks, broadcasting Russian programs through shortwave from its station on Guam, and starting Russian podcasts this year.

“Today we are doing our best so that through radio, television, and the Internet the biblical truth will reach the most remote parts not only of our country but also the whole planet,” Kuzmin says.

Listeners such as Franceska Skorodumova are responding. She writes from the city of Novocherkassk, in the Rostov region: “I would like you thank you for the wonderful programs. When we wake up, the first thing that we do is turn on Radio of Russia in order to listen to your new program. It is with great pleasure that we listen to your radio interviews and talks about Christ, the Bible, and faith. Each time we are surprised at the spiritual condition which comes to us after we listen to your programs, because it feels as if a healing oil has been poured onto all of our body, and we start feeling so quiet and calm. Your programs have made a positive influence on our whole family, and now we try to read the Bible every day. It gives us a special joy when you include in your programs the poems and songs devoted to our Savior. May God bless all your efforts!”