By Stan Friedman

BOULDER, CO (January 23, 2014) — New Day Covenant Church’s webcast ministry continues to grow and reach new audiences around the world while its local dining ministry has attracted the strong support of people who adhere to some of the world’s largest faiths.

The church launched the radio ministry, God’s Feeding Station, in October 2011, and it is now heard in 40 countries, says Pastor Doug White. Each day, it broadcasts Scripture readings, prayers, and devotionals that run five to eight minutes. A daily talk show runs 30 minutes and focuses on Christian themes and Bible studies.

Occasional interviews have included people such as Douglas R. Groothuis, professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary, and Max Lucado has encouraged people to listen to the station.

White’s office has been transformed into a hi-tech studio using state-of-the-art equipment. He and worship leader Henry Lokay take two days a week to record the segments, which total about 1,600 a year.

Lokay who trained using the equipment and Pro Tools software has made the station possible, White says. When White initially thought about producing a webcast, he did not know of Lokay’s experience.

In the first year, the station had more than 30,000 listeners, White says. He has been surprised by some of the places where the station is heard. In addition to individuals listening in their homes, prison inmates have listened to the broadcasts and used them as part of the Bible study discussions. So have residents in nursing homes and halfway houses.

“We had no idea where technology would get us,” White says. That technology most recently has included an app designed by the same company that designed the denomination’s app.

“The app has been going gangbusters,” White says. It is available on iTunes and for Android.

“The Covenant connection has been huge” in growing the audience, and he wants the broadcast to serve the larger church.

White has sought prayer requests from Covenant missionaries and others and then prays for them on the broadcasts. He lets the missionaries know at least a day ahead of time, so they can encourage people in the countries they are serving to tune in. He also provides links to the blogs and websites of Covenant missionaries.

White also would like to assist other Covenant pastors who want to do webcasts. Ministers could send recordings to the station, he suggests, where they would use their software to clean up the sound for the pastor.

Even though God’s Feeding Station is only a couple years old, the name originated before White planted the church. “Even before I knew we were going to call the church New Day, I felt that God had told me that we were to be a feeding station.”

At the time, he thought it just meant in the spiritual sense of sharing God’s word. The radio station proved to be an unexpected outreach. He also was surprised that it would come to mean literally feeding people a weekly meal, and that some of its biggest supporters would be non-Christians.

For the past eight years, the church, which has an average Sunday attendance of about 70 people, provides 80 meals a week through New Day Kitchen. White says the ministry emphasizes honoring the dignity of the people it serves.

Tables are set with white tablecloths and nice place settings. Volunteers sit with the people who come for the meals and relationships have developed over the years. The volunteers do not proselytize during the meals.

White says the church simply wants the people receiving the meals to experience love and to know they are valued.

Others have noticed. Three of the largest financial supporters include a Buddhist and a Muslim, White says. “They have seen the compassion.”

He adds that some local Buddhists now help serve the meal.