Jerry Woods “Teaming up for Greater Impact”
An old African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” As radio people, there’s a constant urgency to our jobs, and we tend to want to get things done quickly and on our own. But this isn’t the formula for long-term success. Even at our largest stations, the staff is small compared to the number of listeners we serve. That’s why we need to partner with others who share the goal of encouraging people and sharing Jesus.
On January 29 of this year, American Airlines 5342 collided with a Blackhawk helicopter, plunging both into the icy Potomac River and claiming the lives of 67 people. At WGTS, we knew our community was hurting because the phones kept ringing with listeners who wanted prayer because they had lost family members or friends. One particular community had lost seven men who had been on a hunting trip together. That one prayer request gave us direction as a station.
I quickly called the largest church in the area and asked if we could have their building that weekend. They said we could have everything we needed, and they would stream it for us to additional campuses and any other locations we wanted. Then, I called up the closest Chick-fil-A and asked for money to pay for a prayer event for those suffering loss after the crash. The owner immediately volunteered $3,000, saying this was important and he wanted to be a part of it. Then, I started calling artists. It was a blessing that Matt Maher was already in town for an event on Friday night. I asked his management if he could stay through Saturday to do this event, and they agreed.
Then the real work started. We worked on logistics with the church, Matt Maher’s team, other churches, and local government. Everyone united with one purpose: bringing people together to mourn and to provide comfort.
The night of the service, we packed every seat in the church, and there was an overflow center next door. We also live-streamed to thousands more people at other satellite locations and on our website. None of this could have happened without the support of everyone involved. All parties brought their unique expertise to the table and created something powerful. I’ll never forget standing in a prayer circle with seven widows and one of them saying, “What can we say to you? I can’t believe this has happened, but thank you so much for caring about us.”
There are opportunities around us to serve every single day. Pick the ones where your involvement can make the most significant difference, and then find the people who will walk the path with you. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) is a powerful verse that also makes a great promotion philosophy: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Now, go be bold in serving the community that God has called you to!
Jerry Woods is the morning show host and director of marketing at WGTS 91.9 in Washington, D.C. He also runs a promotion consulting business, helping stations reach their communities more effectively. Reach out to him at woodje33@gmail.com.