On November 1, 2025, the Plovdiv Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted a special anniversary service marking 30 years of Adventist World Radio (AWR) ministry in Bulgaria. Under the theme “30 Years of Hope on the Air,” the event brought together current and former staff, volunteers, supporters, and loyal listeners in a spirit of gratitude and forward-looking commitment.
The service was led by Pastor Borislav Yordanov, current director of the Bulgarian AWR station.
From an Impossible Dream to Reality
The roots of Christian radio broadcasting in Bulgaria reach back further than three decades. In 1967, during the height of the country’s atheist totalitarian regime, theology student Bozhidar Tonchev participated in a secular student radio program in Stara Zagora. Standing before a microphone for the first time, he began to nurture what then seemed an unattainable vision: a dedicated Christian radio voice for Bulgaria.
Nearly thirty years later, that vision became reality through partnership with Adventist World Radio. On February 22, 1995, the first program was recorded in Plovdiv, and on September 25, 1995, Bulgarian airwaves carried the inaugural words: “The Voice of Hope Speaks.”
The ministry quickly bore fruit. Among the earliest converts reached exclusively through the broadcasts was Dencho Uzunov of Pernik, who was later baptized—the first of many lives transformed by the station.
A Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving
The anniversary program opened with the hymn “Glory to the Lord” and prayer, followed by a reflective spiritual meditation.
A highlight was an interview conducted by Radostina Goranova of Radio 3:16 with Bozhidar Tonchev, the station’s founding director, and Emanuela Panova, one of its first volunteer announcers. They recounted the modest beginnings: producing programs with a typewriter scripts, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and physical splicing using scissors and adhesive tape. They recalled the enthusiasm of early volunteers, heartfelt letters from listeners, and even the elderly woman who still sends homemade sweets to the studio each year. Special mention was made of the late Petar Konstantinov, the station’s pioneering technician whose technical dedication laid essential groundwork.
Video greetings added an international dimension. Pastor Edward Keshishyan, who hosted the station’s first Bible correspondence course, praised the countless “seeds of truth” sown through the years. Pastor Milen Georgiev, president of the Bulgarian Union Conference, described radio as “a missionary medium whose message endures long after the voices behind the microphone change.” Quoting Psalm 96, he encouraged the team to keep “singing a new song to the Lord” and presented a commemorative gift on behalf of the Union.
Vasily Makarchuk, AWR director for Europe, shared contemporary global testimonies—hundreds of thousands baptized through radio outreach in Moldova, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. He commended the Bulgarian team’s creative rebranding to Radio 3:16 and their proactive adaptation to digital media, adding with a smile: “Either you change, or you end up in a museum.”
Viktor Aleksenko movingly described AWR’s current ministry among Ukrainian war refugees, including mobile medical clinics and audio Bibles delivered to soldiers on the front lines. Reflecting on personal experience of forced displacement, he said, “We have always criticized Lot’s wife for looking back. Only when I myself had to flee my home did I understand her.” He expressed profound gratitude to Bulgarian hosts and appealed for continued empathy toward those uprooted by conflict.
Looking Ahead: Radio 3:16 in the Digital Age
The program concluded with an overview of the station’s present-day outreach. Rebranded Radio 3:16, it now broadcasts 24/7 online, produces podcasts and video content, and maintains an active presence across social media platforms—fulfilling the original Voice of Hope mission in today’s digital landscape.
Attendees were challenged to become active partners in mission by sharing content within their networks, thereby extending hope to new listeners. Each guest received a commemorative keychain inscribed “3:16 / 30 Years AWR.”
Three decades after its first transmission, the message that began on shortwave as “The Voice of Hope” continues undiminished—whether on tape, podcast, or streaming: “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16). In an ever-changing media environment, Adventist World Radio in Bulgaria remains committed to bringing that timeless hope to every seeking heart.
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