Caring for Families

November 2000

Dear Friends,

By the time most of you read this letter, Election Day 2000 will have come and gone, and the political course for the immediate future will be determined. I’m writing this letter just prior to November 7, so I will not try to speculate on the winners or how their policies will impact matters of faith and family. I’ll reserve my comments about those issues for another day. Instead, I want to share some good news about the exciting things that are taking place right here at Focus on the Family.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner here in the United States, and, for those of us who claim Christ as King, it is more than just a holiday weekend or a chance to watch nine consecutive hours of football. Thanksgiving truly is a time to reflect on the many blessings God has bestowed upon us and to give thanks humbly for His loving presence in our lives. And this year, as in years past, we have plenty for which to be thankful here at Focus. My intention is to give God the glory for allowing us to be part of what He is doing in the lives of hurting families.

I also want to make a rather bold case for your financial support of this ministry as we approach the end of the year. Those of you who have followed our work know that I have rarely made appeals for funds in Focus on the Family’s almost 24 years of operation. I do so now because the summer and fall have been rather lean for us for unknown reasons, and because I believe our friends want to know when we have needs. We have placed some of our vital programs on hold until January 15, at which time we will know whether or not it will be possible to proceed. So much depends on contributions received during November, December and January, when the majority of our support is received each year. Having said that, I will leave the matter in your hands and in the hands of the Lord.

With your indulgence, I’d like to share some of the exciting developments here at Focus. Our outreach has never been broader or more effective than now. Nearly 200 million people in 97 countries hear one of our broadcasts every day. We have associate offices in 18 nations, and our programs are translated into 12 different languages. Most of our listeners are "unchurched" and are hearing teachings that are entirely new to them. It has become apparent through this acceptance around the world that the problems facing families are not confined to those of us who live here in the United States. Marriage, parenting and family relationships are relevant to everyone. Abortion, homosexuality, divorce, pornography, euthanasia and gambling pose a threat to literally every nation on earth. That’s why we’re thankful that God has opened doors for Focus on the Family to promote abstinence, marital fidelity and other traditional values in countries far beyond American shores.

Frankly, I would not have believed even 10 years ago that this ministry would be welcomed in so many diverse cultures and locations. The best example of that acceptance is seen in the People’s Republic of China, where my daily 90-second commentary (translated into Mandarin) is aired on all state-owned radio stations throughout the nation. In June of this year, we opened our newest associate office called Focus on the Family East Africa. Located in Nairobi, this establishment serves a region in which about 100 million people live, not only in Kenya, but in parts of Tanzania and Uganda as well.

I’m particularly enthusiastic about the doors the Lord has opened for us among our Spanish-speaking friends. Our 15-minute Spanish program, Enfoque a la Familia, airs on 1,450 radio stations in 31 countries! Numerous Focus resources have been translated into Spanish, as well. And, perhaps most exciting of all, 11 of the 18 countries in Latin America have adopted our abstinence-based Sex, Lies & . . . the Truth video as a basis for their official sex-education curriculum! In addition to the 292,000 pledges that students have signed promising to remain abstinent until marriage, more than 155,000 students have made decisions for Christ! Now 22 other nations are considering the abstinence message in their schools. We consider it an honor to defend and promote Christian values throughout the world—and, more importantly, to point hurting people to the Author of those values.

Back in Colorado Springs, more than 80 programs and "ministries" are running in high gear. Let me list a few of them:

• A drama program (which children love) called "Adventures in Odyssey," heard on 1,600 radio facilities.
• A publishing effort that produces 11 magazines reaching 2.5 million homes every month.
• A new high-quality radio program called "Focus on the Family Radio Theatre."
• An outreach to physicians, attorneys, teachers, crisis pregnancy centers, and a growing ministry to people over 50, appropriately called Focus Over Fifty.
• A compassionate outreach to pastors (costing more than $1 million a year) from whom nothing is asked or expected in return.
• A wonderful new program called Heritage Builders, designed to help parents pass on their spiritual beliefs to their children.
• A Public Policy department which attempts to defend moral values and the institution of the family in the culture.
• A Correspondence department that has responded to the questions and comments of 2.8 million people who have sent letters, phone calls and e-mail in the past year.
• A radio outreach that produces 14 broadcasts and commentaries.
• An outreach to homosexuals and their families.

There are many other effective programs I won’t take the time to describe. Let me simply say that our objective in each of these entities is to meet the needs of all those who ask. We never answer, "We don’t know, we don’t care, we can’t help, go somewhere else." There is an imaginary sign out in front that says, "We care about you in this place." That is more than a slogan. It is a fact.

People in Western nations, including North America, live in a "low-touch" environment where it is difficult these days to reach a "live body" on the telephone. Just try calling United Airlines, or Sears, or the Department of Motor Vehicles. You’ll be answered by a recorded voice that offers you many options before a real human being talks to you, if, in fact, such a person even exists. At Focus on the Family, we have NO VOICE MAIL systems for the general public. With the exception of those especially busy days when our operators are swamped by thousands of calls from listeners responding to our radio broadcast, our policy is to answer every phone in each department personally within three rings. Appropriately, we call it a "three ring policy." When a particular phone is not covered at lunch or during breaks, we don’t transfer incoming calls to a "phone center." Instead, they are answered by someone sitting nearby who can take a message or offer information about when the desired person will return. It is just another example of our "high-touch" ministry, which makes you our highest priority.

At the risk of telling you more than you want to know, I would like to mention two other Focus ministries that I believe are highly effective. The first is our Focus on the Family Institute. It is a semester-long college equivalency program designed to equip young men and women to bring their Christian convictions to bear upon the world around them, no matter what their chosen field of expertise. Indeed, students at the Institute come from a variety of disciplines, from psychology and engineering to English and political science. Some of our alumni have gone on to become missionaries, attend medical school, serve on our Focus staff, and even run for Congress! We have just doubled the size of this program, going from 40 to 88 students this semester. This increase was made possible primarily by the completion of our fourth building here on the Focus campus last year. In addition to housing the expanded Institute, the new facility also accommodates the busy International Division described earlier, along with several other departments.

The other ministry I want to tell you about is our new outreach to women. A few years ago, we began hosting a series of conferences in various cities across the country, called Renewing the Heart. However, we phased out those events earlier this year in the interest of developing an outreach that would minister to a greater number of women than would be possible through periodic events in select locales. Accordingly, the year 2000 saw the introduction of "Renewing the Heart," a broadcast, weekly radio call-in show for women. The program is hosted by my good friend, Janet Parshall, who, as you probably know, is already a prominent figure in the world of radio (Janet hosts the 90-second daily "Washington Watch" program, as well as the three-hour daily "Janet Parshall’s America" from Washington, D.C.).

Well, as indicated, these are just a few of the many programs currently underway. Although they are each unique and designed for different purposes, they are united by the common goals of defending the family, upholding biblical truths and, most importantly, strengthening those who know Christ and sharing His love with those who have never met Him. Our board of directors designed an overall strategy several years ago that guides everything we do. It is called "The Campaign for Righteousness," and reads as follows:

The Campaign to which we are called is as straightforward as the Gospel itself—known to believers as the Great Commission. Our goals are: to bring people to Christ who have never understood Him; to deepen the walk of those who have been nominal believers; to clearly introduce the doctrines of His Lordship, sin, repentance, forgiveness and justification by faith to those who don’t know God or those who only know him as ‘Friend’ and Creator; to point everyone to the resurrection and to judgment in the next world; to encourage young people and their parents to live by His standard of holiness and obedience to the Lord; to encourage intensive scriptural study and application of His Word to all areas of life; to motivate the people of God to practical action in their communities and our nation in defense of righteousness; and to inspire those working at Focus to love one another in a way that is pleasing to Him and displays to all the love of Christ. Let this mission burn within the hearts of every member of the Focus on the Family staff, and let it take root in each department, program, magazine and broadcast of this ministry.

Can I ask that you say a prayer for all of us here at Focus as we come to mind in the coming days? We don’t claim to be perfect, and we’re keenly aware that our efforts fall short at times. Still, we’re earnestly trying to follow the Lord’s leading in every area of the work to which He has called us. We covet your prayers as we seek to accomplish that task. We also hope that you’ll let us know how we can better serve you and your loved ones.

I trust each one of you will have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family. On behalf of all your friends here at Focus, we extend our appreciation for your continued interest in this ministry. May God’s grace and peace surround you this month.

And thanks again for your financial support at this time. Let me repeat what I’ve said through the year: We ask you not to give to Focus until you have met your obligations to your local church. We will never be in a position of competition with the organized church, which is the front line of defense for the family. We and other parachurch ministries should always be secondary to that primary institution. My father, who was a pastor, would want me to make this distinction.

Blessings to you all,

James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
President

P.S. There is one more project we’ve been working on that I thought might interest you. It’s a video and study guide called My Truth, Your Truth, Whose Truth? It addresses the post-modern notion that there are no moral absolutes and that the concepts of "right" and "wrong" are simply defined by individuals. We believe this video has the potential to make a powerful impact on the younger generation who has been brought up in an age of moral relativism. It would make a great Christmas gift to a high school or college student, or anyone who is confused about the meaning of Truth. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like more information!