It began with a seemingly ordinary radio interview. When Dr Robert Bowman of FEBC International met Australian Christian broadcaster Bruce Townsend, neither knew they were standing at the threshold of something extraordinary. But God did.
Moved by Dr Bowman's vision to establish FEBC Australia, Bruce turned to Scripture: "For with God, nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). Like Mary's response to God's miraculous plan, Bruce embraced this divine calling with faith and conviction. Bruce believed the Holy Spirit would empower this endeavour of supporting the work of FEBC, making God's hand evident to all.
In 1965, armed with nothing but trust in God's provision, Bruce and a small team launched FEBC Australia. Their mission echoed FEBC International's: Christ to the world by radio, aiming to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people yet to hear.
The first Skywaves announcing the establishment of FEBC Australia, with a quote from Billy Graham.
Understanding that radio could infiltrate where no missionary could tread, FEBC raised funds for shortwave broadcasts of the Good News, which crossed barriers and borders, penetrated deep into the unreached forests of Southeast Asia, the Soviet Union's iron curtain, and the bamboo curtain of China.
Mission Multiplied
In 1967, the second edition of Skywaves shared this remarkable story: A Bible translator made an astonishing discovery while searching for unreached tribes in the remote wilderness of Mindanao, Philippines. "Imagine my amazement," he wrote, "when I saw a Certificate of Completion of the FEBC Bible School of the Air displayed by a people untouched by modernity." In that year, this school, a project run by FEBC International, celebrated its millionth student.
From 1969 to 2016, Australian missionaries poured their expertise into transmission fields and broadcast stations in the Philippines, Saipan, Seychelles, Cambodia, Mongolia and Singapore, supporting local broadcasters reach locals in their heart language. By the 1980s, the FEBC International broadcasts being supported numbered 80 languages, reaching Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Soviet Union.
Bruce Townsend on his 100th birthday with a card from the King and Queen.
Today, because of the collaborative work of Australians, FEBC Australia, and other FEBC fields, millions tune in through radio, online platforms, and social media. What started from one divine appointment between two broadcasters has grown to include thousands of faithful Australian Christians. Together with fellow believers around the world, the work of FEBC continues to reach the hearts of many with the love of Jesus.
Watch Bruce Townsend's message and join him in prayer:
Join us in God's mission. Donate now.