"I will behead you if you stay," an elder in a Bugkalot village threatened Pastor Rene, FEBC Philippines' missions partner. He did not like that Pastor Rene just planted a church in his village after a year of living with them.
Pastor Rene was afraid and wanted to flee, but his wife's steadfast faith and memory of God's promise to Joshua strengthened their resolve. "No, we'll stay," she declared, even with their young baby in tow. Today, Pastor Rene reflects, "Fear will not go away, especially when serving the tribes. The people will see how you put yourself in the service of the Lord. We have to trust in the Lord God and overcome fear."
That single act of courage in 1978 blossomed into an extraordinary harvest—35 churches now stand, with former headhunters turned pastors.
Enduring Partnership, Thriving Mission
This transformation exemplifies FEBC Philippines' enduring partnership with local missionaries like Pastor Rene. From its humble beginnings in 1948 broadcasting into China, FEBC Philippines has grown to serve its own nation, strengthened by Australian missionaries who brought technical expertise and dedication to its expanding operations.
Today, through 13 radio stations including 1143 DZMR (Missions Radio) which Pastor Rene connects tribal communities to, FEBC Philippines reaches nationally in 27 local languages and internationally in 40 languages, potentially touching millions of lives worldwide.
Former headhunting communties in northern Luzon, Philippines are so remote that the FEBC Philippines’ 1143 DZMR (Missions Radio) team have to deliver the audio Bibles by helicopter.
In these isolated mountain communities, where rough terrain and distance make regular church attendance challenging, radio becomes a vital tool for spiritual growth. DZMR broadcasts penetrate the remote villages of the Cordillera and Sierra Madre Mountains, bringing life-changing messages in local languages including Ilocano, Ayangan, Itawit, Bugkalot, Ibanag, Kalanguya, Kankanaey, Tagalog, and English.
FEBC Philippines' DZMR radio station distributed radios to the remote villages in the Cordillera and Sierra Madre Mountains. On this trip, the audio Kalanguya language Bible was also distributed for the first time.
For these remote settlements, DZMR broadcasts are a spiritual lifeline. "People are thirsty for the Word," Pastor Rene witnesses. Listener Linda Cannawan reflects, "Through this radio, we listen to the Word of God every day. This is important because this serves as our strength in our spiritual life."
As FEBC Australia marks 60 years of ministry, stories like Pastor Rene's remind us why our mission endures. From the Australian missionaries who helped build FEBC, to the local partners who brave remote territories today, each partnership writes a new chapter in bringing God's Word to the unreached.