Platforms and Purpose: Sharing Hope from the News Desk
San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras, is home to the challenges and hustle of many modern Western cities. Despite its rich religious roots, modern secularism and constant distractions have taken a toll. As Haggai leader Leyla Rishmawy observes, “Religious leaders have lost credibility with the people…[and] people don’t like to read.”
At Channel 6, a Honduran national news station, Leyla serves as a media liaison between Honduran government officials and the network, and this work has given her special insight into cultural and social attitudes. In addition to her work at Channel 6, Leyla supports her husband’s family in the ownership of Cadena Nacional de Televisión, a national public-access news channel, which has included religious programming.
In 2023, Leyla attended the Haggai Leaders Experience (HLE), where she discovered a great opportunity: sharing the Gospel through her media work. What began as an attempt to share inspiring content on Channel 6’s social media channels grew into a platform for ongoing and enriching conversations with many people who don’t follow Jesus. “As the weeks went by, I realized that the Bible is full of these verses (about God’s love), and it’s not just John 3:16. It was a huge challenge; now I do it with great ease; I only post two verses. After the first two months, we reviewed the Channel’s social media post rating metrics and were pleasantly surprised to find that my short, simple posts always had the greatest reach and reactions.”
The simple act of opening spiritual conversations up to a wider audience gave Leyla a reach she never expected: “Through the evangelistic publications I make on Channel 6 news social media, I include the prayer for salvation, and for each publication we reach more than 50,000 people.”
In addition to her work with Channel 6, HLE inspired creative programming for the public-access news channel. Leyla now produces a pastor-led weekend broadcast, inviting various ministries and thought leaders to discuss topics of national interest with a biblical background each week in an open forum. This includes the opportunity to receive live text messages. Each program generates up to 600 responses per broadcast.
Through the HLE, Leyla was able to rethink the opportunities and platforms already available to her and leverage them to share the hope of Jesus Christ. And this experience energized her to equip more leaders to do the same. Last year, Leyla connected with other Haggai leaders in Honduras to conduct a national seminar, where they equipped 13 new local leaders.
Reflecting on how her connection to Haggai amplified her own ministry efforts, Leyla captures the idea that there is a purpose and platform for everyone with a heart to see the restoration of all things. “I was shocked to know that I don’t have to walk through the streets shouting, or traveling around the world, to [share] the Gospel.”
Written by Janay Cyphers
Platforms and Purpose: Sharing Hope from the News Desk
San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras, is home to the challenges and hustle of many modern Western cities. Despite its rich religious roots, modern secularism and constant distractions have taken a toll. As Haggai leader Leyla Rishmawy observes, “Religious leaders have lost credibility with the people…[and] people don’t like to read.”
At Channel 6, a Honduran national news station, Leyla serves as a media liaison between Honduran government officials and the network, and this work has given her special insight into cultural and social attitudes. In addition to her work at Channel 6, Leyla supports her husband’s family in the ownership of Cadena Nacional de Televisión, a national public-access news channel, which has included religious programming.
In 2023, Leyla attended the Haggai Leaders Experience (HLE), where she discovered a great opportunity: sharing the Gospel through her media work. What began as an attempt to share inspiring content on Channel 6’s social media channels grew into a platform for ongoing and enriching conversations with many people who don’t follow Jesus. “As the weeks went by, I realized that the Bible is full of these verses (about God’s love), and it’s not just John 3:16. It was a huge challenge; now I do it with great ease; I only post two verses. After the first two months, we reviewed the Channel’s social media post rating metrics and were pleasantly surprised to find that my short, simple posts always had the greatest reach and reactions.”
The simple act of opening spiritual conversations up to a wider audience gave Leyla a reach she never expected: “Through the evangelistic publications I make on Channel 6 news social media, I include the prayer for salvation, and for each publication we reach more than 50,000 people.”
In addition to her work with Channel 6, HLE inspired creative programming for the public-access news channel. Leyla now produces a pastor-led weekend broadcast, inviting various ministries and thought leaders to discuss topics of national interest with a biblical background each week in an open forum. This includes the opportunity to receive live text messages. Each program generates up to 600 responses per broadcast.
Through the HLE, Leyla was able to rethink the opportunities and platforms already available to her and leverage them to share the hope of Jesus Christ. And this experience energized her to equip more leaders to do the same. Last year, Leyla connected with other Haggai leaders in Honduras to conduct a national seminar, where they equipped 13 new local leaders.
Reflecting on how her connection to Haggai amplified her own ministry efforts, Leyla captures the idea that there is a purpose and platform for everyone with a heart to see the restoration of all things. “I was shocked to know that I don’t have to walk through the streets shouting, or traveling around the world, to [share] the Gospel.”
Written by Janay Cyphers
Platforms and Purpose: Sharing Hope from the News Desk
San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras, is home to the challenges and hustle of many modern Western cities. Despite its rich religious roots, modern secularism and constant distractions have taken a toll. As Haggai leader Leyla Rishmawy observes, “Religious leaders have lost credibility with the people…[and] people don’t like to read.”
At Channel 6, a Honduran national news station, Leyla serves as a media liaison between Honduran government officials and the network, and this work has given her special insight into cultural and social attitudes. In addition to her work at Channel 6, Leyla supports her husband’s family in the ownership of Cadena Nacional de Televisión, a national public-access news channel, which has included religious programming.
In 2023, Leyla attended the Haggai Leaders Experience (HLE), where she discovered a great opportunity: sharing the Gospel through her media work. What began as an attempt to share inspiring content on Channel 6’s social media channels grew into a platform for ongoing and enriching conversations with many people who don’t follow Jesus. “As the weeks went by, I realized that the Bible is full of these verses (about God’s love), and it’s not just John 3:16. It was a huge challenge; now I do it with great ease; I only post two verses. After the first two months, we reviewed the Channel’s social media post rating metrics and were pleasantly surprised to find that my short, simple posts always had the greatest reach and reactions.”
The simple act of opening spiritual conversations up to a wider audience gave Leyla a reach she never expected: “Through the evangelistic publications I make on Channel 6 news social media, I include the prayer for salvation, and for each publication we reach more than 50,000 people.”
In addition to her work with Channel 6, HLE inspired creative programming for the public-access news channel. Leyla now produces a pastor-led weekend broadcast, inviting various ministries and thought leaders to discuss topics of national interest with a biblical background each week in an open forum. This includes the opportunity to receive live text messages. Each program generates up to 600 responses per broadcast.
Through the HLE, Leyla was able to rethink the opportunities and platforms already available to her and leverage them to share the hope of Jesus Christ. And this experience energized her to equip more leaders to do the same. Last year, Leyla connected with other Haggai leaders in Honduras to conduct a national seminar, where they equipped 13 new local leaders.
Reflecting on how her connection to Haggai amplified her own ministry efforts, Leyla captures the idea that there is a purpose and platform for everyone with a heart to see the restoration of all things. “I was shocked to know that I don’t have to walk through the streets shouting, or traveling around the world, to [share] the Gospel.”
Written by Janay Cyphers
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Comments
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May God help religious leaders that have made themselves a stone of offence to those who genuinely want to have access to God through Jesus Christ. Thank God for Leyla’s work and HLE that has helped her. I pray that her every day life is a living gospel too so she can reach as many for God.
May God help religious leaders that have made themselves a stone of offence to those who genuinely want to have access to God through Jesus Christ. Thank God for Leyla’s work and HLE that has helped her. I pray that her every day life is a living gospel too so she can reach as many for God.