Touching Millions of Lives through Radio

WILLS POINT, TX — The public viewing for the late Dr. K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan) on May 15 in Dallas, Texas, was attended by approximately a thousand mourners, including presidents of national Christian organizations; former dignitaries of the Indian parliament; bishops, priests and leaders of various Christian denominations; and many men and women who grew up listening to Yohannan on the radio.

“When I was very young, my mother, at 5:30 in the morning, would turn on the radio, and I would hear K.P.’s voice,” said one individual whose words were echoed by many who attended the public viewing.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, founder of GFA World, doing his Athmik Yathra radio recording during the coronavirus lockdown in April 2020.

Victor Abraham, CEO and president of Skypass Group, knew Yohannan for more than 30 years and handled most of his travel.

“There is a special anointment that we see,” Abraham said while at the public viewing. “[Yohannan] has blessed many across the globe. You know, today still people are talking about when they wake-up in India they listen to Athmik Yathra radio. … That’s how they connect to him. … That’s something we’ll cherish the rest of our lives.”

K.P. Yohannan started broadcasting radio messages in 1986. In an article published in GFA World’s magazine,[1] Yohannan shared how his radio program (Athmik Yathra) began through the encouragement of longtime friend David Mains, Chapel of the Air radio broadcaster.

“[Mains] was doing a radio program and wanted it broadcast in my native Indian language,” Yohannan wrote. “I told him, ‘No problem. As soon as you can find someone to pay for it, we can find someone to do it.’ I didn’t expect him to say, ‘No, I want you to do it.’ I told him I didn’t have the formal language to do that. When I tried, I found out I didn’t know the biblical words in my native language because in my formative years I had been away from home. But I agreed to try, and so I stumbled along and recorded those 50 programs as best I could.”

It was Yohannan’s simple, informal language that helped many understand Christ’s love for the very first time. In the first years of Yohannan’s radio ministry, millions of letters and phone calls poured in from those whose lives were changed because of his powerful messages.

Troy Miller, president of the National Religious Broadcasters Association (NRB), traveled from Nashville to attended the public viewing of the late missionary stateman.

“K.P. and Gospel for Asia were longtime members of NRB and had a tremendous impact on our membership,” Miller said. “Many of our members have been encouraged, blessed and many people have gone into the ministry because of the work of K.P.”

Last year, Yohannan was on the international panel at the 2023 NRB convention and shared about what was happening around the world concerning missions.

“He brought that broader vision to the NRB audience,” Miller shared. “And of course, he was very much into broadcasting and used media to reach lost people and encourage and strengthen the Church. I think he was probably one of the early pioneers on that, particularly…across Asia.”

In 2003, NRB presented Yohannan with its Individual Achievement in International Broadcasting award in 2003.[2]

Today, K.P. Yohannan’s messages are aired in more than 110 languages across the world. In North America, people can listen to Yohannan’s radio program GFA Minute, which invites listeners to live in the light of eternity.[3]

[ Leave your comments about KP at his Online Memorial ]

About K P Yohannan

K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan), founder and director of GFA World (Gospel for Asia) and Metropolitan of Believers Eastern Church (BEC), until he departed in the presence of God on May 8, 2024, had written more than 250 books, including Revolution in World Missions, an international bestseller with more than 4 million copies in print. He and his wife, Gisela, have two grown children, Daniel and Sarah, who both serve the Lord with their families.

Read more posts by KP Yohannan Metropolitan or visit his blog on Patheos.

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