One night in the middle of the night, Tim Siebert, a Canadian new to the Christian faith, was awakened in the middle of the night, in a “Samuel-like” God moment. “You need to be involved in bringing Christian radio to Canada,” was the message he heard.
Tim shook his head. He didn’t know anything about Christian radio. How could HE be qualified to do such a thing? Tim wasn’t sure what to do. So, he simply called a contact in Kingston, asking if there were any radio frequencies in Belleville, Ontario, where he lived.
“Funny you should ask,” said the person on the other end. I had someone ask me the exact thing last week!”
Tim was confounded, so did a bit of an online search, coming across an organization called UCB International in New Zealand, a group of Christian media companies that worked together to bring Christian radio to different countries. He quickly composed an email message to them: “I want to start Christian radio in Belleville. Is there any way you can help?”
That same day, just as he was leaving for his first-ever prayer meeting dedicated to praying about bringing Christian radio to Canada, the phone rang.
“I’m responding to your email about Christian radio in Belleville,” said Gary Hoogvliet, the voice on the other end.
Tim wrinkled his brow in confusion. “But I messaged New Zealand, and you’re calling from a local number.”
“Well, I landed a week ago to start Christian Radio in Belleville,” said Gary with his New Zealand accent.
“Well, I happen to be on my way to a prayer meeting to pray about that exact thing!” said Tim.
“Pick me up?” asked Gary with a smile.
And there at the prayer meeting, the Holy Spirit gave Tim the whole marketing strategy, layout and steps of how to get the Belleville Christian radio station started. And UCB Canada was launched in Belleville on October 18th, 2003.
“When everything started happening with Covid, I was getting high anxiety and breaking down almost every day. I did not sleep for months…. ~ Sahar
I have problems with anxiety and depression and also have lost a lot of people in the last three years of my life—my husband, my mother, a lot of important family members…. ~ Heather
I had a really tough week. I was read to commit suicide… ~ Rita
… my husband introduced me to UCB. And every song made me cry. I felt God’s love. ~ Sahar
… just hearing the music makes me stronger. ~ Heather
…God spoke to me through the station ~ Rita
God showed Sahar that he tracks with the very details of her life.
God transformed the broken pieces of Michelle’s husband and son.
Jesus brought Victoria back to life and healed her mental health through the power of Christian radio.
Homes. Car. Workplaces are being transformed through the power of the Gospel broadcasting through the radio waves. Thanks to you, over 1.5 million people’s have had the opportunity to hear God’s voice through FM Radio. And even MORE are being reached via Internet Radio and other media avenue. Thanks be to God!
God has woven a beautiful history for UCB, but through it, he is creating new FUTURES! Hearts are being healed. Souls are being enlivened. Relationships are being restored. People are hearing God.
And today we stand on a precipice: we remember the people, the prayers, the support, and the incredible dedication that sustained Hope for twenty years…and now we look forward to the people, the prayers, the support and the dedication that will sustain Hope for twenty more!
We are thankful to God and His followers for the honour to be a part of His mission, and we celebrate how He will continue His mission into the coming years.
Thank you for celebrating God’s faithfulness toward UCB over the past 20 years. And thank you for being a supportive friend of the station, walking with us, praying for us, and uniting together in a common goal: Spreading Jesus’ HOPE!
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