Planted in the mind of one of our older church members was a thought sparked by a friend who had attended a start-your-own-RadioStation-meeting at a laymen’s convention.    

                               

  “$7,000 to start . . .?  Let’s do it!”  And with that, the late George Beyreis generous offer got the ball rolling!

That was the beginning, but the $20,000 necessary to erect a broadcasting tower was the first and most obvious barrier that loomed over our heads.  So, though the Lord had inspired George to offer the “seed” money, a prolonged “wait-on-the-Lord-time” was initiated till clearer green lights from above were observed.

At the same time, we knew that if God wanted a Seventh-day Adventist Christian radio station in Crescent City, He would be giving us good directions soon, because the Federal Communications Commission’s  (FCC) newly reopened license filing window (after 10 years closure) was closing in on its deadline, October 29, 2013.  So, establishing a real board, with real by-laws, which would allow a real tax-exempt radio corporation to exist was the next challenge.  And we were soon to learn that having permission to build an operating radio station is a long ways from actually having one.  Now, “plenty” of time (a strict 3 years) was allotted by the FCC to account for every difficulty and to allow steady progress in getting up-and-broadcasting. But we were to find out that that time goes by very quickly when operating with little knowledge in starting up a radio station.

The land needed re-zoning;  even if that was passed by city supervisors, allowable height of a tower was grossly limited.  So, concurrently, existing cell towers were investigated. . . and time was ticking!           Towers already in town were owned by US Cellular, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Bi-Coastal Media (KPOD), and the US Coast Guard . . . all too expensive or not allowable.  

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Next, putting a tower on private residential property was looked into; then a simple flagpole at the medical office of a sympathetic Adventist physician was almost the choice, when providentially, a previously used “pager” pole was suggested (thank you, Jeff Stouffer!), and the just-in-the-nick-of-time “tower/antennae/computer/amplifier” placement was solved in one fell swoop!  The Lord made sure time and time again that we did not fall into the trap of assuming and expecting that all the right answers came ultimately from our own thinking and doing!

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And, frankly, that was freeing for all of us!  That we could rest in His ultimate answers and solutions, allowed huge reductions in anxiety; that He would keep alive what He had use for.

. . . and with God’s allowances (let’s be truthful: miracles… like a government shut-down that extended the filing deadline!) the deadline was met!   And we saw that God had given a further green light for His radio station to become a reality.

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We are about His will; we see the needs, but we don’t feel the pressure to keep the station alive; it is only a tool for Him, and we have faith that He will do what is necessary to use it whenever and for whomever it is needed the most.  Thank you, Jesus!