CR Radio to leave Satellite

The following is some surprising but adventurously exciting news!

CR Radio to leave Satellite – TO BOLDLY GO!!

Yes, after 8 years broadcasting on Sky Digital, we believe it is time to move on from our Satellite broadcasting platform. This will come into effect on Monday August 14th. We have not taken this decision lightly, and it is not a reaction to any circumstance or need. Indeed it has been a consideration over a three year period!

Why do we come to this decision now?

Firstly, we have not had fresh vision for the Satellite station since January 2001. This is significant because the role of the Satellite station was primarily to serve a church based audience keen on Christian music. This is still very important to us, but our greater heart has always been to ‘go into the world’. We started Cross Rhythms 23 years ago by providing programmes for a mainstream audience. And then in October 2001 the journey of positioning FM Christian community radio stations into the mainstream marketplace began.

Whilst we have had no fresh vision for satellite, there are however two very clear aspects to Cross Rhythms that the Lord is pouring overwhelming vision and confirmation into:

Is This A Financial Decision?

Over the last few years, when it has been the hardest financially, we have seriously considered on many occasions coming off satellite. We have however never felt the release to do so.

We have come to this decision now, at a time when the CR ministry is at last able to operate at break even. Indeed the last six months has seen a real change in season for us. In January one of our board members shared that he believed ‘the first six months of the year was a time of preparation, of clearing the decks, dealing with old baggage and some old alignments coming to an end.’ This is exactly what we have seen and certain significant gifts have come in, dealing with some long term financial pressures we have been carrying.

The word continued: ‘and the last six months will be a time of acceleration and new alignments beginning.’ That is the season we have just entered. We believe the season of preparation is changing into a season of effectiveness. We need to now look to making a difference.

So is this a financial decision? Yes, but pro-actively. Our opportunities are increasing and we seek to use our current resources to the greatest effect: we have vision to seriously market the FM station in Stoke; to establish the FM model with other cities and groups; to resource our expanding website opportunities; and one day to even employ much needed extra hands!

What About Confirmation?

Three years ago we first looked to come off satellite. At that time a significant donors gave us £10,000 to stay on. We took this as encouragement not to give up on the direction. Then, at the heart of deciding on this direction I received an email from him out of the blue. His comment totally confirmed our thinking. He said: ‘Listening from central China. It’s amazing. Forget satellite, go broadband’. We had had no discussion before, or since, about this.

The clincher however came from Sky itself. At the very time of making this decision, we learnt that our contract was up for renewal and their offer was a 75% price increase on our current rate!

At a time of ‘Acceleration’, if we now kept hold of this station it would hold us back once again. That, we cannot have. Now is our time to come forth.

Enlarge The Place Of Your Tent, Stretch Your Tent Curtains Wide, Do Not Hold Back; Lengthen Your Cords, Strengthen Your Stakes. Isaiah 54:2

This is where we find ourselves. We are seeing increased fruitfulness through what we do. We have vision to expand and to not hold back; strategy to truly reach people through Christian Media, and with much evidence that it works. We have built solid foundations and now we are building strong walls upon them. We are building new alignments with churches and Christian ministries – alignments that are more than just Kingdom-speak, they are also Kingdom-action.

It’s time to expand. Indeed we need to, to manage the areas of growth and opportunities.

It may be after reading this that you feel: ‘I would like to contribute at this time to help Cross Rhythms ‘Enlarge Their Tent’; and to add my own encouragement to them to ‘Not Hold Back’’. If that is you then please go to our donations page. In addition, if you are not currently a Friend, then why not stand with us on an ongoing basis at only £10 per month – you’d hardly notice, but for us it makes all the difference!

I believe should you do so, you will be investing into a pioneering ministry; one that is about to push out once again into uncharted waters, where no one has been before. At one level it is risk, at another it is faith. In both, it is a great adventure and the great commission: To Boldy Go!

Please join us.

Yours for Jesus
Jonathan Bellamy
Cross Rhythms CEO