The Seventh-day Adventist radio station "Hope FM" in Suva, Fiji, is now offering listeners the opportunity to receive a daily Bible verse on their mobile phones.

The Bible verse text message service commenced in September, and is a result of an agreement between Hope FM and Vodafone Fiji. Listeners will need to subscribe to the service in order to receive the Bible verse, which can be delivered to their mobile phones as a text message in either Fijian or English. Subscriptions are monthly and each message costs 20 cents. There are also plans to provide Hindi messages in the near future.

Vodafone Fiji also sponsors Hope FM’s Bible Quiz Challenge, which has received more than 20,000 mobile text message answers since the start of the year.

Hope FM first started broadcasting from the Adventist Church's administrative office in Fiji in 2003. Its signal reaches as far as the towns of Navua and Nausori, and broadcasts a mix of music styles—contemporary Christian, gospel, Indian and Fijian music. The station plays only Christian music but the style of music varies.

"The responses we have been getting from listeners through telephone, mail and personal contact has given us a clear indication of the strength of the radio station in our communities,” says Semi Francis, media development officer of the Adventist Church in Fiji. “There are more people requesting copies of our programs [and] radio listeners call us requesting [the] sermons we air [so they can] listen [to them] and use [them] for sermons on Sundays.

According to Mr Francis, the Adventist Church’s media ministries in Fiji are growing from strength to strength. “God is working behind the scenes and I believe we’re starting to see [more people attending church] service now,” he says. “It’s a new beginning for us and we’ve been truly blessed.” [Editor: Melody Tan for APD]