Georgia Baptists reach out with Life With Purpose Radio

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Rod Hampton sits in the Life With Purpose Radio studio on the third floor of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center in Duluth and is part of the LWP team. SCOTT BARKLEY/Index Rod Hampton sits in the Life With Purpose Radio studio on the third floor of the Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center in Duluth and is part of the LWP team. SCOTT BARKLEY/Index

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DULUTH — Georgia Baptists have a message of hope, purpose, and salvation meant for every nation. By maximizing technology, the state convention’s Communication Services team is broadcasting that message worldwide via the Internet.

Begun in 2009, “Life with Purpose Radio” (lifewithpurposeradio.com) posts stories of hope and missions in a weekly 30-minute radio-magazine format.life_purpose_staff

“We really are a missions program,” said Rod Hampton, a Georgia Baptist state missionary who serves as the program host and producer. “We highlight missions, personal and corporate, and also highlight the mission work of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), the International Mission Board (IMB), and the Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC).”

Besides the Internet’s reach, Georgia Baptists have established a network of about 86 terrestrial broadcast radio stations, both AM and FM, with a potential audience of six million listeners The majority are in Georgia.

Stations in bordering states are also carrying the program, as are stations in the far West, Midwest, and Northeast.

The audience multiplied through existing radio networks including Freedom Radio FM, The Life FM, and Wilkins Radio.

The format includes segments with a mixture of missions features, cultural topics, Christian music artists, and a missionary moment.

J. Robert White, the GBC’s executive director and chief executive officer, typically conducts missionary and pastor interviews, which focus on God’s activity in Georgia and around the world.

Programs on Life with Purpose Radio can be heard nationwide. GBC Communications/Special Programs on Life with Purpose Radio can be heard nationwide. GBC Communications/Special

The GBC produces 50 episodes per year of Life With Purpose Radio, a production that regularly receives first place awards from the Baptist Communicators Association. Hampton welcomes story ideas, which he receives at stories@lifewithpurpose.com.

Of the more than 350 episodes since inception, Hampton said a story on musician Benny Hester, who originally wrote and recorded “When God Ran” about a prodigal son, generated enormous response.   “Our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lwpradio) blew up,” Hampton said. Listeners can also follow on Twitter (@lwpradio).

“This is a ministry of the GBC, funded by the Cooperative Program,” Hampton said. “You won’t hear us ask for money on the program.”

Besides “Life with Purpose Radio,” the GBC is maximizing the Internet’s potential with a parallel strategy called GBC Internet Radio (www.gbcradio.net), a 24-hour premier online radio station.

The GBC Internet Radio audience has more than 30,000 monthly sessions with each listener staying tuned on average 20 minutes or longer, according to ChristianNetcast. Life With Purpose Radio airs three times daily on GBC Internet Radio.

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