ALMATY, Kazakhstan, September 19, 2002 — The first Christian satellite TV channel began airing July 15 throughout the former Soviet Union, Central Europe and Asia. "Channel New Life" (CNL) will reach 84 million homes served by the HotBirdTM system via satellite and cable TV.
Photo: CNL
CNL news crew on location in Kazakhstan.
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"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time," says Maxim Maximov, founder of CNL, and pastor of the New Life Bible Center in Almaty. "CNL is the first channel which will broadcast the Gospel of Jesus Christ from satellite in Russian and the English language," he says. "Today television is the most effective means for spreading the gospel." The programming will be educational, evangelistic and discipleship-based.
Maxim grew up in the underground church
Born in a Christian family, Maximov grew up in the underground church in Kazakhstan during a time of significant persecution. In the late Eighties, his family was granted permission to leave the Soviet Union. They sold all their belongings and purchased plane tickets, but only two weeks before their flight Maximov felt led by God to stay behind. He waved goodbye to his parents as they left, not knowing what future might await him.
When communism miraculously collapsed a short time later, Maximov started the New Life Bible Center, which currently has 2000 people in attendance, and spawned 75 affiliated churches. In December 2000 he started CNL, the first Christian TV channel in the CIS, which initially reached 300,000 homes in Kazakhstan.
Photo: CNL
CNL coverage map, now reaching 84 million homes by satellite.
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"God gave us the desire to widen the ministry and to start broadcasting through satellite into 74 countries," Maximov says. "We chose to broadcast in Russian because in the world today there is no Christian satellite channel in the Russian language," he says. "Today there are 300 million people in the world who speak Russian, especially from the former Soviet Union."
Many of these Russian speakers live in Israel, Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Middle Eastern countries. "Some of these people profess Orthodox Christianity or Islam," Maximov says. "Our desire is to lead them to Jesus."
"The Asian office of CNL is in the center of the Islamic world," Maximov adds. "If you look at a map you will see that Almaty is one hour by air from China, and at the doorstep of India, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan...and Mongolia," he says. "Our task is to support churches in the Islamic world and also to bring the gospel into China."
The CNL TV channel will be available free of charge to those whose satellite dishes are facing the HotBirdTM 13 degree East group of satellites, which reaches 74 countries.
Source: Mark Ellis, ASSIST News Service
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