May 13, 2020 | Brasilia, Brazil |
With the social distance caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, families now spend more time together at home. As coexistence increases, conflicts can arise. That’s what happened in Xi’an, in central China, where the city registered a record number of divorce requests right after the lockdown attributed to the illness.
To help families with their issues, both now and after the pandemic, the Family of Peace Portuguese-language podcast channel was launched on Spotify. Pastor Geraldo Magela, who has worked with the Adventist Church’s Family Ministry for 22 years, created the podcasts. He currently heads family ministries for the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo (Southeast Brazilian Union).
It all started when Magela was asked to record an audio sermon for a church in Colatina, in Espírito Santo, since the churches the pandemic had closed the church buildings.
In the same week, Magela learned that more and more people are interested in listening to podcasts because they can hear the content while doing other activities. From there came the idea of creating a channel with relationship tips.
Opportunity
“[When I heard about the growth of podcasts], that stuck in my head and I think that the Holy Spirit was hammering me about it. I went to the internet and researched how to set up a podcast channel,” said Magela. His internet research led him to the equipment and software necessary to implement his idea. He records and edits audios at home.
The initiative has helped the family of laboratory representative Flávio Toledo, who lives in the city of São Paulo and is also at home for an extended period due to the pandemic. “I’ve been listening when I wake up and have breakfast. They are full of wisdom, enrichment for life and bring peace to the heart,” Toledo said.
The consumption of audio content through the internet has grown in Brazil, up 67-percent between 2018 and 2019. The information is from a survey made by Deezer based on data from streaming platforms such as Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple iTunes. To get to know the Família lugar de paz! channel, click here .
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site