and ClearLOUD

Page 2 Page 3 Page 3Why work for Z88.3?

Thanks for Joining the

TEAM!

Heather and McLean‘s

Story

Merry Christmas!We hope you and your family have been enjoying the non-stop Christmas music on the Z! I know for my family it has been so special to hear my little girls learning new songs and even songs that I sang growing up. As an important part of TEAM 88.3, we wanted to let you know why we switch to all Christmas music after Thanksgiving. Our hearts’ desire is to reach people who would not normally listen to Christian music, but will listen during the Christmas season. We mix traditional Christmas favorites with songs that focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that new listeners would not only feel comfortable, but that God would use those moments in a big way to ultimately draw people to Him. Every year we see hundreds of people click on the “Who is Jesus” tab on our website, some who may even be hearing about HIM for the first time.Would you join us in praying for the families listening to the Z for the very first time during the Christmas season? Many are heavy-hearted, lonely, and suffering losses; some have no faith at all. Also, please pray the staff at the Z would be used by God in a mighty way during this time. Thank you for partnering with us for God’s glory! We are also praying for you and your family and what you may be going through. May the truth of the Christmas season bring you comfort, peace, and JOY as we celebrate Jesus, the greatest gift of all.

Why Play All Christmas Music?

Z88.3 Mornings with Ellis, Tyler and Tracy

Why work for Z88.3?

“So why did you go to work for Z88.3?” I’ve heard that many times over the last three months - and it’s a great question. After 30 years in Orlando radio, I can

see why someone might be curious. To answer, I’ll start with a few things you might not know.

I’m not a latecomer to Christianity. In fact, I’ve been in the church since - well, since nursery. (A big thanks to my mom for that one). That’s not to say that I didn’t “stray” any over the years, but that’s a story for another day. I wanted to be a minister dating back to my middle school days. On a few occasions, I had the chance to guest minister at my home church in tiny Chesapeake, Ohio.Flash forward to the mid 1980s, if you will; my young radio career brought me to what is now XL106.7, where I cut my teeth on Orlando radio. Later, I would make the switch to K92.3. It was during this time that a new radio station popped up in Central Florida that caught my “ear” early on. While listening to Z88.3 back then, I often found myself imagining what it would be like to be on the air at the Z. I found it fascinating to hear the personalities actually relating their own true life stories - you just didn’t hear radio like that. I wondered what it would be like to open my life to others, telling them about my family, all while playing songs that were so personally fulfilling to me.When the opportunity presented itself, it took me a microsecond to say “yes” with a big exclamation point! Only a few months have passed since that day and there’s no doubt in my mind it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my professional life.

Z88.3 Afternoons with Jen and Shadow

Lots of organizations share Christmas joy with kids during the holiday season, but Nathaniel’s Hope brings joy and encouragement on Christmas Day! Groups of families and individuals gather to go

caroling loaded with goodies and gifts for children who are in the hospital or home bound on Christmas Day.Your Z88.3 has been part of Caroling for Kids for more than 10 years. My family has helped by donating goodies and caroling and your family can help too! There are two ways you can help:1. Volunteer to be part of a caroling group that goes into the hospitals or a caroling caravan who visits medically fragile children who are home bound on Christmas Day. I promise, your “joyful noise” will put a smile on the face of every child you visit!2. Donate prepackaged snacks and brand new toys early so Caroling for Kids has everything they need when they visit kids in the hospital on Christmas Day!Thank you for being part of TEAM 88.3! Because of your support, your Z can partner with Nathaniel’s Hope to be the ONLY organization serving and showing the love of Christ to these precious children, their families and their caregivers in local hospitals ON Christmas Day!If you would like to learn more about how your family can help with Caroling for Kids please visit NathanielsHope.org.

Z88.3 Evenings with Alana Chambers

Caroling for Kids Through Nathaniel’s Hope

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Have you ever been living your life happily and then one day – BAM! -- you feel a strong pull in a specific direction, so far from what you had planned for your life that you’re not sure you haven’t lost your mind? It can

be downright scary not knowing if it’s truly God’s plan, but once you know the path you’re meant to follow, all you can do is be willing to trust Him to lead the way.That’s exactly what happened to us. Two years ago, our life’s path took a huge turn, and God’s way led us to an entire other continent... and exactly where we were supposed to be. While living for a brief time in Hawaii, we fell in love with the Asian culture, and we only learned recently of the enormous need for adoption in Japan. The Japanese culture strongly believes in family structure and bloodlines, so the idea of adopting a child is relatively unheard of, and most children placed in Japanese orphanages never know the loving arms of parents. Though we had never even considered having children before then, it wasn’t long before we knew God was leading us to adopt a Japanese orphan.Along with adoption comes seemingly endless hours of scrutiny and paperwork, soul searching, and the most agonizing part, waiting. For 14 months we’ve been (not so patiently) waiting for that amazing call to come, letting us know that we have been blessed with a child. We know that God has a miracle waiting for us and that it will be received when He is ready. Until that day comes, listening to Z88.3 has given us hope and filled our days with positive reassurance that God’s love is always with us.The morning after I told my husband we had been accepted into the Japan program, he was listening to the Z on his way to work, and the first song he heard was “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. With tears in his eyes, he called to tell me that he couldn’t imagine anything more right for us than this adoption. We are so thankful to God and to the Z for the influence they make in our daily lives. You never know when a bend in your path will come, but it will come. And when it does, good or bad, you will be so thankful to have God and Z88.3 at your side!-Heather and McLean

Thanks for Joining the TEAM!

“Listening to Z88.3 has given us hope...” Heather and McLean’s Story

Thanks so much for being part of TEAM 88.3! It seems like everywhere you turn, you’re hearing a ringing bell or getting a letter from an organization or ministry in need. So

teaming up with us in prayers and financial giving really means a lot to us, and we don’t take it lightly.As a matter of fact, literally every day we hear from friends who tell us that they don’t know what they would do without “their Z.” By being part of TEAM 88.3, you’re giving Hope and Truth to over a half million people weekly. Wow! That is a STAGGERING number, isn’t it!?! That means more than 500,000 people who maybe don’t go to church, or who have just lost a loved one, or going through cancer treatments and on and on are hearing about the love through Jesus Christ every single week!!!As a member of TEAM 88.3, we have a special sticker just for you. My friend Ellis is holding it here for you to see. We’d love to send you one for your car! Click Here to request your TEAM 88.3 sticker. Imagine the conversations it can spark from curious people. It’s your own little sticker ministry of sorts. :)Please know we are always here to pray for anything you need. We love you and we’re happy to come together for prayer or praise. After all, isn’t that what good teams do?

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I’d love you to meet Heather and McLean. We connected through the Z88.3 Afternoon Facebook page and they shared a little bit of what’s going on through the process of adopting. As I looked at their website, I realized they had an amazing story of how God has been using your Z through their adoption journey. Here is their story....

Z88.3 Middays with Suzanne Lynn

Z88.3 Afternoons with Jen and Shadow