the name says it all

Norm serving one of India's lepers

Compassion Radio is unique.  Read More...

We are a boots-on-the-ground communications ministry that goes beyond talk and into action to serve the neediest people in the toughest places on earth.

We did not name ourselves.

The name, Compassion Radio, was given by an aid worker in a Middle Eastern refugee camp as a description of what the ministry was doing to help poor and oppressed people.

The name stuck.

And so has Compassion Radio’s commitment to serve those in need and to share God’s Good News.

Impact... 

big in what we give away

As a ministry on the move serving around the world, we’ve learned to travel light.

Compassion Radio is small in what we have acquired, but big in what we give away.

• We sponsor compassion projects in the world’s desperate places.

• We dialogue with world leaders.

• We tell exciting stories of God’s reconciling work around the world.

• We offer opportunities for listeners to get involved.

Our programs feature teaching, interviews, documentaries and on-site news reports from places like:

Norm and Cher present wheelchair

• Baghdad, Iraq

• Tehran, Iran

• Kabul, Afghanistan

• Khartoum, Sudan

• The West Bank, Palestine

• Pyongyang, North Korea and

• Beijing, China …

in a daily half hour format.

We are ambitious to grow, but not for our own sake.

Integrity... 

When you give to Compassion Radio, you join in partnership with a much-honored ministry that has been effectively broadcasting and serving human need around the world for over 60 years.

President Norm Nelson accepts National Religious Broadcasters' Milestone Achievement Award at the NRB Annual Convention in Nashville. Founders, Wilbur and Ethyl Nelson, stand in front of 2,000 seat "Nelson Hall" cultural center at Isabelle School in Pusan, Korea, named in the family's honor.

Compassion Radio is a proud member of ECFA, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
 

 International...

the peacemaking power of compassion

Cher with children in Myanmar

Compassion Radio works through strategic partnerships.

We are well-connected internationally with a growing number
of organizations in the fields of:

• Broadcasting

• Relief and Development

• Human Rights and Religious Freedom

• Education

The work of Compassion Radio has been covered by CNN, NBC, CBS and Fox Television and other broadcast and print media.

 Intrepid... 

Norm at Iraqi Checkpoint

The word means "brave," "tough."  Compassion Radio cultivates this virtue in its ministry and in its partners.  Example: The CR Team travels to and ministers in Iraq, Iran and North Korea, countries that some have labeled "The Axis of Evil."

Norm Nelson rejects the label.  "We call them the 'Axis of Opportunity!'"

One major newspaper sums up the Compassion Radio spirit:  "Norm Nelson goes back to Iraq for the third time in fifteen months.  He's dodged bullets... but he keeps going back because it's the right thing to do."

In the words of Benjamin Franklin:  "Well done is better than well said."
 

Involvement...

the ministry of showing up

In our post-9-11 situation, those who see the world through the eyes of Jesus will not be ‘terrorized’ into fear, hatred or apathy.

Motivated by that conviction, Compassion Radio “shows up” in places of need and danger, seeking to listen, learn, and serve people who need the compassion of Jesus.

Please take some time to investigate the many projects that Compassion Radio has had the privilege to carry out.

And join us daily, on the air, or on the website for the broadcast of Compassion Radio – bringing a word of hope to a world of hurt.

For a deeper understanding on our mission and purpose, read:

"Serving Others in the Face of Terrorism"

Influence...

Compassion Radio paints on a wide canvas.  With God's help, a welcoming disposition, and an attitude of respect for points of view and traditions different from our own, we have been able to dialogue and work with leaders and people of influence all over the world.  We frequently sit with presidents, ambassadors, diplomats, governors, ministers, educators, business leaders and military officers of high rank, all seeking solutions to pressing human problems.

We value interreligious dialogue and particularly among the Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.  We participated recently in such a dialogue at the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue held at the Institute of Political and International Studies in Tehran, Iran.

We are currently working with Sudanese leaders to plan the new Jaafar al-Numeiri University in Khartoum, Sudan.

We look forward to producing an interreligious television release called "Under Abraham's Tent," telecast from Kuwait throughout the Persian Gulf region.

Because we are continually "in the field" in places  where news events are happening, we are able to bring experienced, first-hand commentary to talk-show hosts and listeners and add much-needed light to the heat of partisan political discussion.  We welcome such invitations, which can be phoned in to 949-470-2890.

Impressions... 

"At Compassion Radio, the fire of serving others has burned brightly for over 60 years. And in Norm Nelson that fire burns brightly today."
     Dr. Vernon Grounds, Chancellor, Denver Seminary; Founder, Evangelicals for Social Action

"I salute Compassion Radio for continuing to keep the faith where matters of social justice are concerned. I have been enormously encouraged by the work this ministry does."
     Tom Getman
     Director of Humanitarian Affairs and International Relations
     World Vision International  

"Compassion Radio is power-packed!"
      Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, Former Chaplain to United States Senate

"I applaud the way Compassion Radio goes beyond talk and seriously translates faith into action."
      Brother Andrew, Founder of Open Doors International

"As one who has traveled on Compassion Radio missions, I can affirm that they deliver what they promise.  They are simply the best at what they do."
      Victoria Base-Smith, Ph.D., MSN, CRNA, CCRN and Adjunct Professor, University of Cincinnati School of Nursing

"I see the footprints of Jesus in Compassion Radio."
      C. Hope Flinchbaugh, Best-selling author, Daughter of China

“Compassion Radio is one of the most exciting and promising developments in ministry of the early
21^st century!”
      Dr. Luis Bush, International Director of A.D. 2000 and Beyond