August 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

As I write this letter, Labor Day is behind us, the trees are turning colors and winter will soon be upon us. It has been a very busy summer, and now we are scurrying about preparing the stations and our homes for the freezing temperatures that will in just a few days descend on this part of the world.

I apologize for the lapse in the newsletters the last few months. We have been very short handed and everyone has been occupied with all the work that is necessary to keep the stations on the air. We are thankful to God that so far, we have managed. The good news is that there is some help on the horizon. Mike and Valerie Arena have raised approximately 60% of the funds required for them to come full time and we hope to have them up sometime next year, Lord Willing. There is also a possibility for a couple of missionaries to be seconded to us from other organizations.

Please pray that God will provide the staff we need to effectively proclaim the truth of God's Word and the message of salvation in Christ to a needy land. Every week it seems, we read or hear of a suicide or violent death in the remote villages. Alcohol, drugs, and hopelessness are rampant in these communities. The only hope is a transformed life through a relationship with Christ.

We recently met a group of men from a downriver village that were visiting Nenana for a Potlatch (funeral) for one of their friends. They were walking down the street and stopped to talk to one of our staff. They asked us to pray for them. Although they appeared intoxicated at the time, they were clearly familiar with the station and said that they listened to it in their village. Pray that the Holy Spirit will use the Gospel message we broadcast to draw these folks to Himself.

Pray also, that God will supply the funds necessary to keep the stations operating as well. We have been running a bit behind due to some increased costs, but God had blessed us with a small surplus in the past few years that has helped to carry us through.

It has been an interesting and challenging summer, with the threat of flooding, the lack of staff and the numerous technical difficulties. But through it all, God has greatly encouraged us through your faithful prayers and support.

Thank you so much for being a vital part of this ministry. Blessings in Christ,

Art Thompson,
VFCM Executive Director. 

May 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

May has been a very busy and eventful month.

We were able to reinstall the FM translators at Hughes and Sand Point in a more reliable and permanent location. We will hopefully be doing the same for the village of Grayling this June. We are well on our way to the goal of having all of the stations back on the air this summer.

We have also made great strides in the area of arranging local contacts in the villages who will help us with the maintenance of these stations. It is very encouraging to see people in each of these villages become excited about the gospel witness and discipleship the programming we broadcast provides. While most of the villages that we have translators in now have a functioning church, there are still several villages that do not.

We also were able to iron out a number of glitches with our new automation system and reduce some of the work load that the seemingly constant computer crashes were causing.

Speaking of workload, our longtime KIAM station manager Brian Blair will be moving on after 12 years of faithful service with VFCM. His wife Laurie also served as our office manager. We are sorry to see them go, but they feel God is leading them elsewhere. We are keeping them on our payroll until November to give them time to transition to whatever God has next for them.

Please pray for the Blairs as they seek His will and direction. As well, pray for VFCM as we will have to find a way to distribute the approximately 50-60 man hours a week of duties to our already overworked personnel.

God has already provided a couple of experienced volunteers to help with the on-air duties at KIAM later in the summer. This will give us some relief but it is only temporary. Pray that God provides the financial support for our appointees Mike and Valerie Arena to come to the field soon. Pray that God will call others as well. There is just so much work to do.

Another challenge that we would ask prayer for is our aging buildings in Nenana. We have a number of pressing maintenance needs that we simply don't have the manpower to accomplish. There were two work teams that had tentatively committed to coming up this summer, but now it looks like they probably will not make it this year. We know that God has everything under control and that His timing is perfect. I just pray that some of this can make it through another winter.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for praying for us and supporting the ministry of VFCM financially. Your support has made it possible to take the gospel to some of the darkest and neediest places in the world.

Again, thank you for your part in taking the gospel to the furthest reaches of this vast and wild land we call "The Last Frontier"

Blessings in Christ,

Art Thompson,
VFCM Executive Director. 

April 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

Spring has definitely arrived here in the great north. The ice has gone out on the rivers and the fires that burned in wood stoves all winter have finally gone out as well. It is now nearly midnight before the skies are completely dark.

This time of year is particularly busy as we attempt to arrange and prioritize projects based on the anticipated resources. As they say here, "summer is short and winter is coming".

So, here is a quick update on the goings on at VFCM over the last few months.

Kelsie Anderson, (now Kelsie Vrenna) came up from Nebraska last year to help for the summer at KAGV in Big Lake. While in Alaska, she met Daniel Vrenna and they were married on February 20th. Kelsie plans to continue helping with KAGV. Praise God for His provision for her and for the ministry!

Mike and Valerie Arena are still in the process of raising funds to be able serve in Nenana. Pray that God will provide the finances soon as we are in desperate need of additional personnel.

Palmer Bailey at KYKD in Bethel is working on a project to record a Yupik audio Bible. They are at about 20% of completion, and are making great progress. This will be a great aid to those who speak Yupik, but do not read the written language very well.

We are hoping to be able to repair and upgrade several of our village FM translator stations this summer. Pray with us for the logistics and weather to work out to accomplish this task.

The warm winters we have had over the last two years have caused the permafrost to start to melt at the KIAM tower site. A small sinkhole has developed under one corner of the transmitter building and is causing the structure to tilt slightly. Pray that God will provide summer work teams to help with stabilizing the building as well as several other urgent maintenance projects. We have had inquiries from two churches regarding sending up workers for a mission trip, but nothing definite as of yet.

There are several other items that are still "up in the air" as of this writing. I hope to have more to report in our next newsletter.

As always, we thank you for your faithful prayers and support. It is such an encouragement to see God working through His people.

Blessings,Art Thompson

VFCM Executive Director 

February 2016 Update

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

The days are growing longer and the sun is getting warmer. Spring is almost upon us here in the Great North. Soon this land of darkness will give way to the land of the midnight sun. Even though it will be a couple of months more before the ice and snow disappears, this time of year always brightens our spirits as we anticipate the coming summertime. We are now gaining around 7 minutes of daylight per day.

Sadly though, for a number of folks here in Alaska, the dark days of winter have taken their toll. The hopelessness brought about by alcoholism, domestic violence and abuse, when combined with the lack of sunlight produce a crushing depression that for some is simply too much to bear. Suicide, especially among youths, has become an epidemic in Alaska. This winter has been no exception. While these issues are not unique to Alaska, the harsh environment here has had the effect of amplifying a bad situation.

We know that true hope, healing, and forgiveness can only come from a relationship with Christ. There have been no social programs or secular counseling that has proven effective. The only thing that can cause a lasting change in our villages is the Gospel.

Please be in prayer that more people will answer the call to come to minister to the people of Alaska. The various reality shows that feature Alaska have called attention to the Last Frontier, but not always in a good or accurate way. The need here is great, but the workers are few.

Pray also, that God will give us more opportunities to share the Good News using the medium of radio as well as in person. We have a busy summer of ministry and outreach ahead of us, do pray that God will give us the strength and the resources to accomplish the task.

As always, we are thankful to God for your prayers and support of the ministry of VFCM. Your partnership is crucial to us being able to take the message of hope and salvation in Christ to rural Alaska.

Blessings,

Art Thompson
VFCM Executive Director

January 2016

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Greetings, in the name of our Lord.

As we embark upon a new year we are encouraged that God has already provided us with new opportunities for the coming year. Winter is barely half over, and we already have several new projects scheduled for this spring and summer.

The year started out with VFCM being awarded a grant from the Shasta Regional Community Foundation's, Elmer H. Schmidt Christian Broadcasting Fund. This grant is designated to purchase the materials to renovate our studios and headquarters in Nenana. The facilities are over 30 years old and the buildings are in various states of disrepair. Two work teams have tentative plans to come up this summer to perform the needed repairs. This is such a blessing from God, as we are not able at this point to do anything more than keep the stations on the air.

We also have an unexpected opportunity to relocate a translator from a village where the population has dwindled to just a few individuals, to a village that has a population of nearly 900.

Normally the FCC would not permit this. However, since the new village has no other radio service at this time the FCC said they might allow it.

The current village has been virtually abandoned since the sole source of employment there burned down a few years ago. Due to the remoteness of the village and other factors, there are no plans to rebuild.

Please pray that the application for the move will be approved, and that things will go smoothly. We had applied for a translator license in the potential new location back in 2003, but the application was dismissed. The believers in that village are very excited that there could be another chance to have a Christian radio station there. We will keep you posted as to the progress.

We hope to visit as many of the translator locations as we are able this summer as well.

KIAM once again had a booth at the Nenana Christmas Bazaar. We did a remote broadcast from the bazaar and in the process we were able to test some new types of equipment that we put together to better cover indoor events within the village. The test was quite successful, and going forward we will be able to send a high quality remote feed from anywhere in town without using a phone line or a big outside microwave antenna.

We will also be able to broadcast the Nenana Gospel Music Festival this summer with even better sound quality and efficiency.

As always, we are so thankful to God for your faithful prayers and support. The impact you are having on some of the most remote and inhospitable places is significant. God's Word, and the good news of salvation in Christ is being proclaimed in even more places thanks to your partnership with us. To God be the glory!

Thank you, and may God bless you.

Art Thompson
VFCM Executive Director