Beginning of the Radio Ministry
When Joe first came to Abilene, he stayed at the home of Mr. & Mrs. E.P. "Doc" Mead. Their invitation had been: "Come to Abilene and there will be some place for you to preach," so Doc Mead bought time on the radio and told him, "At least you can preach on the radio while you are here." That was the beginning of a radio ministry that has lasted over forty-eight years and expanded from one radio station to stations all over the United States.
At the end of that period of time for which the station was paid, Joe received a letter with two one-dollar bills in it. The letter recalled the blessing that the program had been to the writer, and he asked that Joe keep his program on the air. That was the reason for the donation--to buy radio time. Donations received in this fashion have always been used to meet the expenses of the radio ministry.
Joe read that letter on the radio, and he impulsively told his listeners, "Send the money in and I will stay and preach." When letters began to come in, Joe was impressed with the idea that the Lord would have him stay, so he went to talk to the owner of radio station KRBC to see if they could continue buying the time period that he had. The owner, Josh Barrett, said, "No, I don't want anyone on my station saying, 'Give me a dollar and come to Jesus,' and that's what most radio preachers do." Joe assured him that the only thing he would say was that the programs would be kept on the air through freewill offerings, and Mr. Barrett agreed to that. That is still the way the matter of giving is handled.
When the radio ministry began, Joe Temple believed he had found the ministry for which the Lord had been preparing him. Little did he know of the plan that the Lord had for him from this humble beginning. This was to be just the beginning of a ministry that was to grow and reach out to people in ways he could never have imagined.
Early in the radio ministry, the program became known as the "Lest We Forget" Bible program. This name was borrowed from a program of the same name, conducted by Pastor Jack Munion of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Another radio program that had impressed Joe was the "Old Fashioned Revival Hour" conducted by Dr. Charles E. Fuller of California. From the influence of these radio Bible teachers, Joe became convinced that radio was a powerful tool to be used in reaching men for Christ, and now the door was open for him to be used of the Lord in just this way.
Early in the Lest We Forget radio ministry, Joe began seeking the mind of the Lord regarding a Scripture text to emphasize the thrust of his ministry. He was led to claim Nehemiah, chapter 8, verse 8, as the basis for his approach to the teaching of the Word of God. The Scripture reads: "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." This led him to the verse by verse exposition of the Word that he continues even until the present hour.
Back in those days, sound recording tapes were not available, and the messages were transmitted live from the stations. Joe had five broadcasts a day, some of them broadcast to surrounding communities via telephone lines. Later, he had broadcasting equipment in his home from which to send out his messages. There were two local broadcasts, one in the morning and a night broadcast that was called, "The Family Altar." On Sunday night, they broadcast a program that was called, "The Young People's Church of the Air." | |
Abilene Bible Church
3125 Oldham Lane
Abilene, Texas 79602
325-677-8653
(at Loop 322 & Potosi Road Exit)
Sunday School 9:30 AM*
Worship Service 10:35 AM*
Children's Church 11:15 AM
Evening Study 6:00 p.m.
Church Office Hours 9 AM
to 5 PM
*Nursery is provided for
these times.
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