With 50 issues under its belt, CROSS RHYTHMS magazine took the opportunity to reflect where it had been and pondered where it may be going.

Delirious?

The Scene - Cutting Edge
The buzz was about a new band who, after four independent releases as Cutting Edge, had just changed their name to Delirious? and were planning the release of a single.

The Bottom Line - Changes Afoot
United Christian Broadcasters asked Cross Rhythms to run a new sister station, to run alongside the inspirational UCB Europe. UCB Cross Rhythms was about to be born.

Cross Rhythms 42, December 1997/January 1998
Vision - Strategic Alliance
Chris Cole spoke about those responsible for pioneering United Christian Broadcasters, "Gareth Littler has done a great job in taking the mantle from previous managing director. Ian Mackie, and guiding UCB through incredibly daunting waters. Remember when UCB began, under Mr Mackie's guidance, the forces of the law in Britain were completely opposed to the concept of national Christian broadcasting, and still are. Gareth really is a visionary. At the Cross Rhythms festival '97 he spoke from the platform and said we'd be ready to go on air by November '97. (We started our first test transmission in November.} Now he did not know at the time UCB would be given the opportunity by the Russian authorities to use their transmitters. We need to see the miracle of that. No man could have put all this together. Really what UCB is doing is following the strategy of God."

The Scene - Everything Changes
Rich Mullins was killed in a car crash. Clannad's Maire Brennan announced her intention to record a Christian album and the fourth single in a row charted for Delirious?.

The Bottom Line - Subscription Promotion
In an effort to raise a circulation (3.200} which hadn't moved for three years Cross Rhythms began planning its first ever subscription promotion.

Cross Rhythms 45, June/July 1998
Vision - Spiritual Networking
Chris Cole wrote. "There are those within the Church concerned that a Christian radio station will simply be a cultural ghetto with no ability to impact the unchurched. For a number of years Cross Rhythms has been producing the Cross Rhythms Experience for the mainstream station Plymouth Sound. Our ratings for the Sunday evening broadcast demonstrate that we practically double the audience figures on this secular station. This flies in the face of those who think CCM is some ex-hippy with flares strumming his or her 12-string guitar. UCB Cross Rhythms will not only help open up the much needed distribution of CCM (still one of the fastest growing genres of music world wide), but also inspire, educate and inform a generation that need to make sense of an increasingly senseless world. Equally, Christian artists and musicians endeavouring to 'cross over' by playing their wares in the mainstream marketplace must be encouraged and supported. UCB Cross Rhythms will editorially inform and communicate good news whenever, wherever and however it's happening.

"Christians in Britain and Europe have been given a window of opportunity by God as far as the electronic media is concerned. Whilst we must all be faithful to the ministry God as given us, there is a higher principle of all of us serving God's kingdom and the honour of Christ.

"The window of opportunity that God has given us with Christian media is certainly not to join together as one big media organisation. The opportunity in the UK, however, is to work for a genuine sense of God's Kingdom and his Son being honoured above everything else. Then we will begin to see a Christ-centred counter culture that will begin to sweep away the lies and stereotypes believed by non-Christians and through the modern day parables of contemporary communicators shine Gospel light into the darkness."

The Scene - The Matt Phenomenon
Matt Redman's contemporary praise album intimacy' was released. It has gone on to enjoy UK sales of over 60.000. a previously unprecedented figure. In America Michael English returned to CCM and the World Wide Message Tribe picked up two Dove Awards.

The Bottom Line - Diversification
Cross Rhythms begins at long last to experience growth. The observation from Rick Joyner that the older generation will not persecute the next but lather resource it is clearly coming to pass. In all UCB's multifarious activities - its monumental legal battle against the British government: its publication of The Word For Today, the most successful and widely read devotional in the history of the British church: its groundbreaking inspirational music radio station UCB Europe - it has not forgotten the next generation and Cross Rhythms moves forward in a creative, symbiotic relationship with its big brother. Chris Cole received a promise from God in 1993, shortly after taking on the unenviable task of guiding Cross Rhythms through stonily financial waters, that 1999 would be its year. That too would appear to be coming to pass. We look with expectation as to what the next 50 issues will bring.