Or click Celebrating 40 Years! to read our 2022 40th anniversary newsletter
In the late 1970s a vision was implanted in the hearts of Northern Canada Evangelical Mission (NCEM) leaders for a television outreach. They believed that the message of God’s love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ must be proclaimed in an understandable way to as many First Nations and Inuit people in Canada as possible.
In 1980, two Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute graduates and missionaries Derrick & Jean Hiscox formed the first NCEM-TV staff.
At first people were skeptical. Would TV really be an effective outreach? Wouldn’t the cost be prohibitive? One of the initial goals, to broadcast nation-wide by satellite, seemed out of reach.
However, the Lord blessed these initial efforts. Within three years, eight more workers joined the team. By 1983 the program was being aired on stations in seven provinces. That same year a new studio/office facility was built in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
In 1986 Tribal Trails began airing on ITV, a satellite station, and has since expanded to several other satellite stations to reach thousands of communities coast to coast to coast. There is potential for millions in North America to be watching, with some stations indicating that more people view Tribal Trails than other religious programs. And through the Internet the program can be seen worldwide.