Vision Africa’s fall luncheon, held September 19 at Dallas’s Arlington Hall, was a day steeped in God’s blessings for both body and soul. With a backdrop of inspirational and uplifting piano music and vibrant floral displays, friends, old and new, gathered to talk and hug, laugh and connect, reminisce and look forward, and celebrate the impact of 20 years of Christian broadcasting. The watchwords of the day proved to be joy and hope. If you were unable to join us, following are some of the highlights of the event.
After enjoying the piano entertainment of Lewis Warren, Jr., a Dallas musician with Nigerian roots, guests sat down to a delicious lunch accented with the flavors of fall, followed by video presentations highlighting Vision Africa’s various ministries whose central hub is the radio station LOVE 104.1FM. On the video, station employees shared their stories of how working at Vision Africa radio has enriched their own lives while changing the lives of millions of listeners.
Keynote speaker Sharon Geiger, assistant manager of local Christian radio station KCBI, then gave a moving talk about her own experiences working with Vision Africa radio as a volunteer at our annual Media Institute as well as being a mentor and advisor to the station. She shared more of the story of Ogechi, a station employee who also appears in the video. Ogechi began work with the station as a cleaner, sweeping floors and taking out the trash. “I was a nobody,” Ogechi says of herself—that is, until Bishop Sunday befriended her and suggested that “this is good, but I think you can do more.” That encouragement inspired Ogechi to return to school, get more training, and rise to a position in the accounts department of the station. Geiger shared stories of other listeners who turned from suicide, who found hope in prison, and who find strength for their harsh daily lives, all from the programming of LOVE 104.1.
The work of the station is intergenerational, Geiger went on to note, citing music geared to children, leadership opportunities for teens, and comfort and education for adults and seniors as being pillars of the station’s programming. She remembered with us Agnes Onuoha’s love of the music she heard on KCBI as a child, even being able to sing the station’s signature jingle of its call letters. Agnus’s joy in music and in life grew into an inspirational legacy that became the Agnes Onuoha Memorial Hospital, which will serve tens of thousands of children with life-threatening illnesses such as the lupus that took Agnus’s life at age 23. Geiger closed with examples of how Vision Africa radio and Media Institute are touching the future of Nigeria and the world by reaching people with opportunity, hope…and love.
Don Geiger, local photographer, writer, and long-time supporter of Vision Africa, closed the event with a prayer of thanks for the past and dreams for the future, but guests lingered afterwards enjoying Christian camaraderie and fellowship and the obvious presence of the Holy Spirit. We offer special thanks to our generous table sponsors, floral designer Windsor Garden Floral, our faithful volunteers, and all the donors who responded to the luncheon with open hearts and open hands.
More stories of God’s hand at work in the building of the radio tower and the station’s impact on its listeners are available on our website at www.visionafrica.org. If these examples inspire you to partner with us in a new decade of Christian radio programming, click on the Donate button below and mark your gift for “radio” in the comments section of the page. To see more photos of the luncheon or tag yourself or others, visit our Facebook page at @visionafricaministries!
