Radio ELVA (Fréquence Vie) Ministry
Name: |
ELVA or Fréquence Vie (meaning Life Frequency. ELVA is a sister station to ELWA (Everlasting Love Winning Africa) from Liberia operated under the Sudan Interior Mission (now SIM International). |
Founders: |
SIM International, the Union of Evangelical Churches in southwest Ivory Coast, and HCJB World Radio. For much more information on their ministries, please visit their web sites by clicking on the underlined links. |
Mission: |
To reach the Unreached with the evangelical gospel via FM radio with the help of a grouping of churches in Ivory Coast. |
Primary Language: |
French, two hours per day. |
Programs: |
Produced by Ivorian church leaders in the ELVA studios in Abidjan with the guiding from SIM. |
Years to receive license: |
Six |
Director: |
Luc Bader. Swiss missionary with SIM International |
Director In-Country: |
Bruno Lamy. French missionary with SIM International |
| Helpers: | Cork Loken, Dave Naff, Bruno Lamy, Jon Shea, Alan Shea, Lee Sonius, Dave Pasechnik and many more untold people! |
Radio ELVA is a sister station to the former big ELWA (Everlasting Love Winning Africa) that was burned down in the civil war in Liberia in 1990.
ELVA is in Ivory Coast next to Liberia and is a low power FM station (compared to high power shortwave of ELWA this is small, but nevertheless is in a huge city reaching a potential one million people. The government has recently asked ELVA to increase its' ministry by placing some more transmission centers in other cities of the country! Incredible!
The missionary, pictured below, who did patiently work for over six years to get the license, was always humble and patient. The fundamental ideas and approach to implementing the ideas are good because a group of protestant churches has been formed to eventually manage the radio station. So it is stable and well organized and recognized as a great value in the country.
The
Bader Family
Shown here are Luc, François and Philippe Bader in their present family photograph. Their other two sons and daughter are married and living out of the home and in ministries. One son is a pastor in the Swiss mountains, another a missionary in western Ivory Coast.
Luc Bader has worked tirelessly over the past years to start Radio ELVA and is not many years from retirement now. Luc and François were in Liberia with ELWA and worked among the mostly English speaking staff before coming to Abidjan to work in the French studio. Luc designed the studio system at that time (early '70s).
So, presently, it is fitting for him to be the director of Radio ELVA. His long time of service in SIM, his service also with Campus Crusade in Switzerland, and his love of broadcasting and communications give him talents and gifts for coordinating the large number of churches (approximately 25 different churches) in Abidjan involved in programs and leadership for Radio ELVA.
Cork
Loken with Sargba
Shown here at ELWA in Liberia, Cork and Sargba are using a transit on a shortwave tower to check to see if it needs to be straightened up. By adjusting turnbuckles near the anchor points, the tension on the guy wires causes the tower to bow in / out / or just-right).
Recently Cork went back to Liberia and helped return to air the first low-powered solid-state short wave transmitter! Many reception reports have already come in!
Cork Loken has been a key person in the development of ELVA in the Ivory Coast through planning studio and transmission equipment designs. HCJB World Radio, where he is currently stationed, designed the ELVA transmitter system.
He is the man who gave Daniel a solid encouraging boost in 1990 when he worked as a short term missionary at ELWA. He is also the man who suggested coming to ELVA after the honeymoon! Way to go, Cork!
Recent SIM-NOW publication photograph of station staff
"Eleven people are taking part in an advanced training seminar, and more than 60 have recently graduated from a three-week seminar in broadcasting and programming and are anxious to put their new skills to work reaching the lost and building he church."
"Instructor Francis Margot of Radio Réveil (wake up) in Switzerland pauses for a photo with his recent trainees at Radio ELVA."
This is a good visual demonstration of the size of staff at ELVA. The number of people operating behind the scenes is fantastic and results in good quality time of broadcast ministries.
News letters in French by Luc and
Françoise Bader in 1996 and 1997.
"News of the project"
Shown in the top picture is the group of people under the UEESO (Union des Eglise Evangelique Sud Ouest, meaning the group of evangelical churches from the southwest) who are being trained in producing, presenting, and animating the programs to be broadcast over the air.
The subtitle reads "Center of communications ELVA"
"An eye on the project"
Daniel was able to go in August of 1997 on a short term working visitor trip to ELVA. His pervious knowledgeable about the system will mean less time required to learn operations. Still, there is much to learn as many developments have happened since that trip, including receiving the license and actually recording programs and broadcasting them on the air. In 1997, the station was fully assembled and people were being trained while the government was making policy decisions concerning private broadcasting.
The lower picture is in the recording studio with two anouncers and live speaker. The window is an open view to and from the control booth where the producer interacts with those speaking on the microphones.
